Software Resources in Exchange for Equity

Flatirons Fund

Let’s build the

next wave of tech innovation

together.

We invest our services in founders from all backgrounds who are building the next wave of tech innovation.

Building software that helps early-stage companies thrive.

Flatirons was founded in 2018 with a mission to build beautiful consumer facing software that improves business metrics for early-stage companies.

Flatirons Fund was launched in 2020 to encourage innovation during a troubled economic climate and the years beyond.

Our goal is to advance and support a new wave of founders, particularly women and people of color who have traditionally been underrepresented in venture capital.

OUR PORTFOLIO

In Good Company.

Meet some of our portfolio companies.

shyft

Smart Energy Management in Nigeria

energySaaSB2B

Dollaride

Mobilizing the Transit Deserts of NYC

logisticstransportation

Health in Her HUE

Health Equity for Women of Color

HealthcareMarketplaceB2c

jombine

A Revolution in the Hiring Industry

human resourcesappb2/b2c

kindredbox

Leaving Your Loved Ones Prepared

END-OF-LIFE PLANNINGSAASB2c

Posterity Health

The Male Fertility Awareness Platform

HealthcareB2cb2b

HOW IT WORKS

Our Investment.

Part Note / Part Paid

~$50,000

Convertible Note or SAFE

Allows founders to pay a highly discounted rate on our services while taking on less debt on their cap table.

Full Note

~$125,000

Convertible Note or SAFE

Great for founders who have yet to raise funds.

*Exact convertible note or SAFE amounts are dependent on the scope of the project.

Our Services.

Development

We develop disruptive web and hybrid mobile applications. You will be matched to developers on our team depending on your unique needs.

learn more

Design

Our team of talented UI & UX designers provide a full-range of design services from user research and usability testing to high fidelity designs and style guides.

learn more

Project Management

We are invested in your long-term success and will work with you to ensure all projects meet the highest quality standards and are completed on time and on budget.

learn more

PERK HUB

Benefits & Perks.

At Flatirons we create entire mobile product squads consisting of design, development, project management, QA, and more.

$50,000

in Mixpanel credits

$2,500

in Twilio credits

$1,000

in Notion credits

$5,000

in Sendgrid credits

6 mo. free

then 30% discount

Up to 90% discount

1st year free

2nd year 50% off

$10,000

in Freshworks credits

$5,000

in AWS Activate credits

$50,000

in Segment credits

step by step

Application Requirements.

We are currently only accepting applications for the following technologies: Node.js, Ruby on Rails, React, React Native, and Flutter

Companies must be located in the United States and incorporated as a C Corporation before applying.

We invest in startups throughout the year and accept applications on a rolling basis.

The more thorough your application, the faster we will be able to determine whether we are a good fit for each other.

Those selected to advance will be interviewed about their business, team, and what they're building.

APPLY NOW

Let’s build the next wave of tech innovation together.

We are here to guide you.

Why did you create Flatirons Fund?

We started Flatirons Fund in response to the important changes happening around us. With more people working from home than ever before, high unemployment rates, and entire markets disrupted, we witnessed the birth of a new generation of founders. At the same time, we were all called upon to examine our inherent biases. In 2019, only 11.5% of VC funding went to mixed-gender teams with that number dropping to 2.8% for female-only led companies. Currently, Latino founders receive less than 2% of VC funding and Black founders only 1%. Women of color get less than 1%. And over 55% of startups that receive VC funding are located in Silicon Valley or New York. While we launched during a time of unrest and uncertainty, Flatirons Fund is designed to encourage innovation for years to come. We are focused on advancing the large group of underserved founders who are often underestimated and passed over.

How do you choose which startups to invest your services in?

We invest in U.S. based founders from all backgrounds who are developing disruptive software-based technology. We are particularly interested in working with companies led by women and people of color who are located outside of the global centers of technology and venture capital like Silicon Valley and New York City. We work with early-stage founders on who can demonstrate that they are committed to their idea. This can be shown through personal funds invested or through time dedicated to the project. Beyond dedication, the team’s background will be very important to us. Knowledge of the industry, go-to-market plan, and experience with sales and/or marketing are traits that we pay attention to.

*Before we invest, you must incorporate as a United States C-Corporation. We encourage founders to do this before applying to us. We can help ease this process through our partnership with Gust Launch.

Exactly what resources and support will our company receive?

The exact resources your team will receive will depend on the scope of your project. A typical managed project squad for us might consist of 1-2 full-time developers, a designer, project manager, and QA.

What areas of software does Flatirons specialize in?

While our team members specialize in many different areas of software, we are currently limiting our focus to web applications and hybrid mobile applications. We are a startup-focused company and love working on new innovations and technologies. We primarily use technologies like Ruby on Rails, Node.js, React.js, and React Native.

Can we continue our relationship post investment?

Absolutely. In fact, many of our founders have transitioned into clients at the end of the initial investment. To understand our rates, please send us an email at info@flatirons.com

How does the investment work?

We offer two types of investment in exchange for our services. The first is a full ~$125,000 convertible note or SAFE (simple agreement for future equity) in your company in exchange for providing our services for no payment. Convertible notes and SAFEs are an extremely common form of investment for early-stage companies. The exact amount will depend on the scope of the project, and the terms of the deal will depend on how far along you are and any previous funding rounds. If you are in the midst of raising a priced round of financing and have professional investors committed to your funding round, we will consider taking the investment on pre-existing terms.

The second investment type we offer is a Part Note, Part Paid engagement. The average convertible note or SAFE size for this investment option is around $50,000 (but again, will vary by project scope). This is a great option for founders who have received investment previously or are generating revenue and would like to obtain our services for a highly discounted rate, while adding less debt to their cap table.

Why wasn’t my startup selected?

Not being selected is no indication of your potential for long-term success or the validity of your idea. While we wish we could provide direct feedback to everyone who applies, the majority of the applications we don’t accept are generally due to one of the following reasons: (1) it is not an area we specialize in (i.e. medical devices), (2) we don’t feel the total addressable market is large enough, (3) it is not a product we think can be easily monetized, (4) we don’t see that the founder has enough “skin in the game” at this point to warrant an investment of this sort, (5) the fund resources needed to get your company from point A to point B are beyond what we can provide. If your startup isn’t selected but you are still interested in working with us, please send us an email at info@flatirons.com.