Your name on the theme
"Presented by" your company on the cohort page and homepage, with a founder call-out through Horkos channels, co-hosts and your own.
Meet the startups building in your space.
Sponsor a fundraising cohort for founders who hate pitching and getting ghosted. You pick the theme and what is on the table. We bring founders and investors, run the round and show you what happened.
Relevant founders, screened
We check every application against the theme. Founders apply with their existing product: no free work, and they keep their IP.
Meetings your team chooses
Your team requests meetings and marks top picks alongside other investors and partners. Founders accept the ones they want.
A report you can use
Applications, meetings held, pilot candidates, what founders asked for and why teams were passed on. Aggregate only, no personal data.
Three formats, about 12 weeks
- Open callNo deck. Founders apply, investors and partners pitch to them, founders choose.
- RoundtableA small closed session on the topic, then 1:1 meetings. Good for deeptech and regulated sectors.
- ChallengeAdd a prize or paid pilot. Winners are judged on the application and a short call; a pitch night is optional.
What the report shows
- Applications
- 120
- Approved teams
- 24
- Meetings accepted
- 41
- Pilot candidates
- 3
Sample figures to show the format, not results from a real cohort. Pass themes appear only where three or more backers passed, so nobody can be identified.
Fair for founders, so the best ones apply
- IP
- Founders keep their IP. Entering never assigns or licenses anything to the sponsor.
- Prizes
- Prizes and pilots are agreed in writing, and shown only after you sign off the terms.
- Data
- You see the teams that accept your requests and an aggregate report, never the full applicant list for marketing.
Questions
What does it cost?
A fixed cohort fee for promotion, screening, running the round and the report, plus any prize or pilot you choose to fund. We quote per cohort.
Who is it for?
Companies looking for startup customers or pilot partners, innovation and venture teams, ecosystem bodies and funds building deal flow on a theme.
Do founders have to pitch?
No. Pitching is optional in challenges and absent in open calls and roundtables, which brings in teams that avoid pitch events.
Can you run the whole call-out, events and provider offers too?
Yes. For a full programme with online and offline sessions and provider deals, we run it together with The Signal, our sister platform for business campaigns. Horkos runs the capital track inside it.
Can we co-host with others?
Yes. Communities, funds and non-competing partners can co-host and appear on the cohort page.