EWOR

About EWOR

EWOR is a Germany-based founder fellowship and early-stage venture platform founded in 2021. It is run full-time by six entrepreneurs who have collectively built companies worth more than EUR 12 billion, including SumUp, Adjust, ProGlove, and united-domains, and it backs exceptional founders aiming to build transformational companies. Headquartered in Berlin, it runs a virtual-first, hybrid model across Europe.

Rather than a batch-based accelerator, EWOR offers a fellowship, and with an acceptance rate of roughly 0.1%, selecting 35 entrepreneurs from over 35,000 applicants a year, it is one of the most selective startup programmes anywhere. It runs two tracks, an Ideation Fellowship for founders getting an idea off the ground and a Traction Fellowship for those scaling an existing startup. Each founder receives up to EUR 500,000 in investment, split into an EUR 110,000 initial cheque and EUR 390,000 of uncapped investment that converts to equity in a later round, and in April 2025 EWOR announced a EUR 60 million commitment from unicorn founders and global investors. Every company gets up to five hours a week of one-on-one mentoring from a unicorn founder, tailored learning modules, and access to a network of more than 2,000 mentors, VCs, and subject-matter experts.

Exceptional first-time and serial founders based in or willing to build in Europe benefit most, particularly those with outsized ambition and unconventional backgrounds; the virtual-first model means no relocation is needed, which keeps it open to entrepreneurs in India and elsewhere. It is online at ewor.com.

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