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29 Dec 20, 20 tweets, 11 min read
2020 was a year of extreme highs and extreme lows.

For On Deck, it was also a year of wild growth and rapid evolution.

This year, we launched 11 new programs, ~10x'd both our team and revenue, and scaled our community into the thousands.

Today, we paused to reflect:

👇👇 Image
This time twelve months ago, we had just wrapped up the second Founder Fellowship ("ODF"), and opened applications for the third.

On our small team, @btaleisnik was a one-man band running ODF.

COVID had yet to appear on most people's radars.

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In early March, everything changed.

After agonising over the decision for days, we made the difficult (and at the time controversial) call to cancel the ODF3 kick-off retreat, and delay programming a month until the threat had "passed" 😔

Battening down the hatches, we prepared for the worst. We didn't know if the community would survive.

But from that all-time low, sprung a new high.

The virtual "kick off retreat” struck a chord, creating an instant bond among our group of ~160 Fellows.

As the COVID crisis started to unfold, the On Deck community rallied.

Fellows sprung into action, launching 50+ projects to support those in need — sourcing PPE, developing and distributing tests, and so much more.

They inspire us to this day 🤩🙏
To its participants, ODF became a lifeline: a source of "serendipity" and supportive community for many, otherwise isolated during this most vulnerable stage of company building.

But uncertainty is a catalyst for opportunity.

New norms create new needs.
We rode that momentum into the announcement of another, totally virtual cohort.

ODF4 doubled down on global + remote, and introduced a dedicated curriculum for the first time 🌎📝💪

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With internal no-code infrastructure stretched to breaking, we pivoted the @cosign team to focus on building internal tools for the Fellowship.

The On Deck Directory was born.

As @pmarca declared it "time to BUILD!", On Deck was on a mission to 10x the number of founders building world-changing companies.

We heard from many experienced operators looking scale their angel investing, so we launched a program for them too.

A new narrative was emerging.

ODF is for experienced talent in the earliest stages of starting companies.

ODA is for experienced operators getting started as angels.

But ambition manifests in many forms.

The On Deck Writers Fellowship marked an entry into a new category of programs.

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.

We announced our seed round in August! Welcoming an incredible group of ~70 friends and supporters like @villageglobal, @DCVC, @rabois, @pmarca, @cdixon, @balajis, @SignalFire, @BloombergBeta, @henrysward, @FEhrsam — investing $3M to supercharge our growth
With the raise and subsequent "On Deck Labs" announcement, we opened a new chapter for On Deck — gradually pulling back the curtain on a vision of a "modern education institution.”

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At On Deck Labs, we are building the operational infrastructure to run tens, and then hundreds of programs in parallel.

Not content with vertical expansion, in September we went international.

We announced our expansion into Europe with the formidable @ErikaBatista at the helm.

The idea of "unlocking" talent is core to On Deck

🔓In May, we experimented with a novel "convertible ISA" — supporting talent while in transition.

🔓In July, we announced a partnership with @SavvyForAll to provide healthcare cover while "on deck."

🔓In September we announced the On Deck Access Fund— a donor advised fund ("DAF") dedicated to supporting underserved talent in tech.

Hundreds of thousands of donations have come in from community members and donors; with On Deck matching 1:1 up to $1M.

To take on this herculean effort, we embarked on a rapid expansion of the team.

On Deck grew from 6 to 55 over the last 12 months — with another 11 starting in the first week of Jan '21 👋

It's been a crazy run, but we're still just getting started.

To everyone who has been a part of the On Deck community this year, referred a friend, hosted a session, or contributed in your own unique way— thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

It's you who make this community so special.

With ❤️,

The On Deck team.

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More from @beondeck

On Deck Profile picture
24 Sep 20
Announcing: On Deck Labs — a call to arms to help build the future of education.

We’re looking for world-leading subject-matter experts and community builders to come build the learning communities of the future.

Learn more and apply here: beondeck.com/post/labs

Thread 👇👇
The earliest education institutions looked nothing like today’s corporate forms of higher education.

Coffeehouses and salons filled with curious individuals, learning together, gave way to bloated administration and a disconnect from the realities of the job market.
Many have tried to unbundle the university.

Massive open online courses (“MOOCs”) unbundled the education component, accelerators and fellowships unbundled the network, and folks like Github and Behance unbundled credentials for specific expertise areas.
Read 10 tweets
On Deck Profile picture
23 Sep 20
1/ We’re thrilled to announce that On Deck is now officially supporting European founders 🚀

It’s the same global network plus:

• Europe-specific programming
• Local meetups & VC dinners
• More EU-based potential co-founders

Read on & apply to ODF7 beondeck.com/europe
2/ Why Europe?

For the last decade, we have witnessed the rise of the European tech scene.

Thanks to @atomico's amazing research, we know that $30B was poured into the region last year — a record. US & Asian investments doubled. Mega rounds abound.

3/ The level of ambition in Europe is only going up, so it makes even more sense to have access to a “Silicon-Valley in the cloud” community like ODF, adapted to the European context.

Read 9 tweets
On Deck Profile picture
15 Sep 20
Announcing: the On Deck Podcast Fellowship (ODP)

ODP is a space for talented people to kickstart, and cultivate their podcasting careers among a highly curated community of peers.

First cohort launches early Jan ‘21. Learn more and apply:

producthunt.com/posts/on-deck-…

Thread 👇
Why a Podcast Fellowship?

Podcasters, as with creators of all stripes, are entrepreneurs.

Beyond just producing great content, they have to understand their niche, develop a voice and pipeline of guests, build an audience, and in many cases — a business. Image
ODP is an eight-week program inspired by the success of the On Deck Founder Fellowship, and by the incredible response to the inaugural On Deck Writer Fellowship.

We are removing bottlenecks that prevent talented people from getting started with podcasting. Image
Read 13 tweets
On Deck Profile picture
9 Sep 20
1/ Next up joining the On Deck team...🥁

Excited to introduce:
@cammori - Operations Team! ⚡️ Image
2/ Candice joins us with an incredible background spanning data science, international business, public policy, and climate tech.

The common thread that ties her career together is "business for good" 🌍 🤲 🌱
3/ At On Deck, she'll start by working across the Operations org as a utility-player, doing a rotation between: our Candidates team, ODF team, and new programs (ODW/ODA).

She'll then transition to helping us launch and lead a exciting new program in 2021 🤫 more on that soon...
Read 4 tweets
On Deck Profile picture
27 Aug 20
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 😍🙏)
Read 18 tweets
On Deck Profile picture
24 Aug 20
Announcing: the On Deck Writer Fellowship (ODW)

For 4+ years, On Deck has been a safe space for talented people to explore “what’s next” among a highly curated community of peers.

But starting something new doesn’t always have to mean starting a company.
beondeck.com/post/odw1
Authors, essayists, bloggers, and newsletter writers are micro-entrepreneurs.

Beyond just producing great writing, they have to find and deeply understand their niche, market to readers, and grow towards their goals, whether generating revenue or building an audience.
If successful, earning the respect of your readers can be a wedge into building a community.

In turn, building a community can be a wedge into starting an amazing business.

Read 13 tweets

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