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Aug 27, 2020 18 tweets 11 min read Read on X
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,
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. Image
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! Image
You can view this as a blog post, inspired by this thread:
beondeck.com/post/fundraise

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More from @beondeck

Jun 15, 2021
✏️ Announcing: On Deck EdTech Fellowship ✏️

Higher learning is going through a renaissance.

The past year has transformed the face of education more than the past decade.

Today, we're helping builders navigate this dynamic new landscape.

beondeck.com/edtech?utm_sou…
"Zoom school" has had us all question the value of traditional education, leading to increased participation in bootcamps, online courses, and hands-on learning methods.

Now's the time for ambitious builders to craft their vision of the future of education.
But building alone in this space is difficult.

Regulatory hurdles, slow-moving incumbent organizations, and lack of access to institutional knowledge have slowed innovation. There has never been a location centralizing builders in the field — until now.
Read 11 tweets
Apr 2, 2021
☀️ Drop #1: Miami Tech with @rabois ☀️

COVID-19 showed that there is no longer a single center of gravity in tech.

On Deck is partnering with @rabois to help builders forge relationships in the city that's becoming an emerging startup hub: Miami

beondeck.com/drops/miami-te…
Miami Tech with Keith Rabois is an On Deck Drop: one-off, exclusive opportunities in pursuit of our mission to unlock the potential of the most talented people in the world.

Capacity is limited and we prioritize access to current OD fellows and alumni.

Silicon Valley's advantages - community, funding, talent - are gradually unbundling as people are realizing you can build a great company anywhere.

One of the places that's attracting tremendous talent right now is Miami.

Read 11 tweets
Apr 2, 2021
✨ Announcing: On Deck Drops ✨

On Deck Drops are one-off, exclusive opportunities - cohort based courses (CBC), retreats, co-living experiences and more - in pursuit of our mission to unlock the potential of the most talented people in the world.

beondeck.com/post/drops
Our mission is to unlock the most talented people across the world to accelerate their ideas and careers.

We do this by providing the fuel for their progress, whether that be through talent, capital, distribution, knowledge, or connection.

Our fellowships are currently indexed to create amazing communities that fit into the larger On Deck ecosystem.

We want to supplement our fellowship experience through new ways of acquiring and learning a new set of skills, knowledge, and insights.

Read 6 tweets
Mar 25, 2021
We are excited to announce we’ve raised $20 million from 180+ of the world’s top investors and operators to create the modern educational institution for the next 100 years.

📽 Here’s a look at the journey we’re on, and where we’re headed:
We wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped us get to this point - our fellows, our partners, our team, and our investors - this journey is just getting started, and we’re grateful for your early belief in us.
Just over a year ago, we launched our first virtual fellowship (ODF3) not knowing what to expect as the world moved indoors and online.

Since then, we've reached:

- 17 different fellowships
- 3500+ different fellows
- 90+ team members

Read 11 tweets
Mar 6, 2021
On Deck on Youtube!?

Course Creator Program Director @Bazzaruto hosts a weekly series on How to Teach on the Internet.

Let's take a look at which secrets around online learning Andrew has shared:
Andrew joined On Deck to help teach people how to create Transformational Online Courses (TOC's).

"When courses work, students are transformed. And when students are transformed, they tell other people."

1/ Activating Prior Knowledge

When creating an online course, activating prior knowledge is the number one thing you need to know about your students to optimize the learning experience.

In this video, Andrew shares how to do this effectively.

Read 7 tweets
Mar 6, 2021
Hot off the press!

Over the past week, On Deck fellows have written, spoke and tweeted about their experiences of the On Deck ecosystem through Global Build Weekend.

We collected some of our favorite pieces to share.

For a fellows perspective on GBW, read on!
@nivivive "Building Together in Public"

Over Global Build Weekend, Nivi teamed up with 5 strangers and launched Yaya, a peer coaching platform for women which gained over 780 sign-ups in 36 hours.

She reflects on the journey building in public.

letterdrop.com/@consumer-to-c…
@AThakkar interviewed Nivi and teammate Paula Hernandez Forero on the journey creating Yaya.

They cover Yaya's initial success and it's potential future but also about their childhoods, how they came to join @beondeck and even lucid dreaming 😴.

tuckeredoutwithami.com/episodes/yaya-…
Read 8 tweets

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