We’re thrilled to announce: On Deck has raised $3M to build a modern education institution — a platform serving the many strands of identity of ambitious people who want to change the world.
Here's a thread + short deck about where we're going next 👇👇
But first, a thank you. We are backed by a community, for the community. Nearly 80 investors have shown their support for our mission over the past two years, including @villageglobal, @DCVC, @rabois, @pmarca, @cdixon, @balajis, @SignalFire @BloombergBeta, @henrysward, @FEhrsam,
@sanderdaniels, @hnshah, @soleio, @andreasklinger, @charliecfeng, @HeatherHartnett, @TimSuzman, @UnshackledVC, @lennysan, @JeffChang30, @shivar, @adrianaoun, @far33d, @tylerwillis & many many more (incl. 25 ODF alumni 😍🙏)
How did we get here?
On Deck was founded over four years ago by @eriktorenberg after leaving Product Hunt — himself newly "on deck" to start something new.
Being “on deck” — the state of being between things or thinking of moving on — can be a time filled with uncertainty.
Especially if searching in secret, it’s not always clear where to turn first.
Our early narrative reflected this vision.
On Deck as: "The first place the best talent looks to start or join something new."
The launch of the On Deck fellowship, and it’s powerful cohort-based community helped us scale this vision.
When COVID struck in early 2020, we saw a surge of energy from builders, hungry for change.
The institutions we grew up with were starting to show signs of cracking.
It's time to build new institutions.
On Deck resonated for those with a bias to action, a tenancy to build.
With @pmarca’s call to arms in June, we laid out our new mission statement: to 10x the number of founders building world changing companies.
Of course, if we’re going to 10x the number of founders, we’d better help build the support infrastructure for them to raise capital and scale their ventures too.
We announced the On Deck Angel Fellowship in July. The first cohort kicks off in September.
producthunt.com/posts/on-deck-…
Today, a new narrative is emerging.
Starting something new doesn’t always mean starting a company. It could also be a non-profit, or a venture firm, or a blog or newsletter.
Ambition manifests in many forms.
To be "on deck" is to aspire to starting something new.
Start a company.
Start an angel portfolio.
Start a newsletter, podcast, media empire.
Start a new career.
Over the next 12 months, we'll launch programs for builders in new verticals.
We're focused on skills valuable to startup founders, first.
First:
Earlier this week, we announced the On Deck Writers Fellowship.
Authors, essayists, bloggers, and newsletter writers are entrepreneurs too.
No matter what you want to build, a great way to start is by building an audience.
How big could this get?
There's a generational shift underway on many levels: on-premise into the cloud; cultures previously defined by geographies now transcending borders, adopting global values and beliefs.
On Deck is Silicon Valley in the Cloud.
Want to get involved?
Join an On Deck Fellowship:
• ODF5 kicks off next weekend. ODF6 launches October; we just opened applications for ODF7.
• Applications are open for ODA1 and ODW1
Check out beondeck.com for more.
Want to join the team?
We're scaling rapidly, profitably, and hiring across the organization.
Visit beondeck.com/careers for more.
We're just getting started. Thank you all for your support!
You can view this as a blog post, inspired by this thread:
beondeck.com/post/fundraise
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