Frequently Asked Questions

A 6-month structured accelerator for SaaS and CPG founders. You get matched with an advisor bench, fractional operators, fractional leads, and residents to build out your team and your business. The program ends with a live pitch to the Tapped In Capital syndicate at Demo Day, where qualified founders raise from $100K to $5M (equity SPV) or $10K to $100K (revenue-share agreement).

We focus on SaaS and CPG specifically because that's where our partner network and capital base have the most leverage. We're not generalists.

The program is virtual-first with select in-person moments — cohort kickoff, mid-program working sessions, and Demo Day. You do not need to relocate. Founders run the program from wherever their business is based.

This is intentional: SaaS and CPG founders shouldn't have to abandon their suppliers, partners, or local market for six months. We come to you, virtually.

Six months, end to end. Six structured phases — Kick Off, Compress & Clarify, Build Your Team, Access, Ship & Pressure-Test, Demo Day. After Demo Day, you graduate to the alumni network with ongoing access to the advisor desk, deep work sessions, and partner pool.

Plan for 8 to 12 hours per week on cohort activities — advisory sessions, pitch reps, scheduled working blocks, and pitch prep ramps up in months 5 and 6.

The rest of your time is building your business. The accelerator is a forcing function, not a curriculum you have to study around your real work.

Applications for the next cohort close in early June. The cohort kicks off shortly after the close. Specific dates are listed on the application page.

If you're applying to a future cohort, you can still submit your application now and indicate which batch you're targeting.

Apply now and note on your application that you're actively raising. If you're a strong fit, we can connect you with the Tapped In Capital syndicate ahead of the next cohort under the same terms — you'd then go through the accelerator alongside the live raise.

We don't make you wait if the deal is ready.

Probably not. We accept founders across stages, but we look for a product that's been used by real customers — even at small scale. If you have early usage data (paying customers, active users, real revenue, or strong retention signals), apply.

We rarely accept pure idea-stage founders without a built product, because the accelerator is structured around shipping, scaling, and raising — not validating an idea from scratch.

No. A meaningful percentage of each cohort is companies several years in. If you've raised a seed round but not a Series A, the accelerator and syndicate can still help you. We work differently with later-stage founders — the bench leans more on strategic positioning, fundraise architecture, and team scaling than on early product-market-fit work.

If you've already raised a Series A from a name-brand VC, the accelerator is probably the wrong fit. Tapped In Capital's syndicate may still be relevant for a follow-on round.

Yes. Many cohort founders have already raised pre-seed or seed capital. If you're between rounds and gearing up for the next raise, the accelerator is designed for exactly that moment.

We ask about prior raises on the application so we can calibrate the program around where you actually are.

Yes. The accelerator and the syndicate are both SaaS and CPG focused. Our advisor bench, fractional operator network, and LP base are deepest in these two categories. Outside those verticals, we don't have the leverage to deliver what we promise.

If you're in a related vertical (consumer tech, marketplaces, dev tools, vertical SaaS, beauty/wellness CPG), apply — we'll tell you if you fit.

Yes. Solo founders are accepted regularly. That said, building alone is harder, and the cohort tends to treat co-founder formation as a goal rather than a permanent state. If you're a solo founder and open to it, we can introduce you to potential co-founders from the alumni and partner network.

For SaaS, having technical capability on the founding team matters a lot. If you're non-technical applying to a SaaS company, we'll want to know how you're handling product engineering — co-founder, lead engineer, technical advisor with skin in the game.

For CPG, technical co-founders are less critical. Operational excellence, supply chain, brand, and distribution matter more.

We expect founders to be full-time on their company by the start of the cohort. We accept applications from founders who are still employed, but acceptance is contingent on a clean exit before kickoff.

The time commitment plus the depth of work in months 2 through 6 isn't realistic alongside a W-2 role.

The Tapped In Accelerator is built for Black entrepreneurs. That's the audience we serve, the network we've built, and the mission of the firm. We don't apologize for that focus.

Non-Black founders who want access to Tapped In Capital as LPs or who fit the syndicate's external sourcing pipeline can still engage with us, but the accelerator is reserved for Black founders.

Three things, in order: a product that's been used by real customers, a founder team that can execute, and a business shape we believe we can either fund through Tapped In Capital or grow 2x+ over the six months. The cohort is intentionally kept under 15 founders so we can deliver on the partner bench.

At Demo Day (month 6), qualified founders pitch the Tapped In Capital syndicate — a curated room of accredited investors and family offices. The syndicate then decides whether to back the company. If they do, the raise happens through one of two tracks: Equity SPV (Sydecar-administered, $100K to $5M) or Revenue Share Agreement (direct bilateral, $10K to $100K).

Tapped In Capital is the syndicate manager — we run the vehicle and the reporting layer. LPs make their own investment decisions. We don't direct use of proceeds or function as a portfolio manager on their behalf.

Equity SPV is the right path for priced rounds — pre-seed, seed. Capital is pooled from multiple investors into a single Delaware LLC, which appears as one line on your cap table. You give up equity. Range: $100K to $5M.

RSA is the right path if you're a revenue-generating business and you don't want to dilute. Each investor signs a direct bilateral Revenue Share Agreement with you. You repay through a small monthly revenue share until an agreed cap is hit. No equity given up, no debt, no interest. Range: $10K to $100K.

Most founders pick one track. Some pitch both. You make the call at Demo Day.

Equity SPV raises range from $100K to $5M. RSA raises range from $10K to $100K. The actual number depends on your traction, your ask, and the syndicate's interest. We don't guarantee any specific amount — the room decides.

Historically, founders who clear the bar raise their full target or more.

Two things, that's it:

A 3% post-money Advisor SAFE. Granted at the start of the cohort. Covers the full 6-month engagement, the three in-person touchpoints, and lifetime alumni access. Converts only at your next priced round, an exit, or a 36-month fallback. No cash changes hands.

A Revenue Milestone Fee. Activates only when your monthly revenue crosses $10,000. From that point, Tapped In Capital receives 1% of monthly revenue until a $7,500 lifetime cap is reached. Pre-revenue founders pay nothing. Founders who never cross the threshold pay nothing. You only pay once the program has helped you hit real revenue.

No upfront cash. No success fee on future raises. No platform fee. See the full deal at /deal.

A standard post-money SAFE granted to Tapped In Capital in exchange for the full Tapped In engagement: the six months of structured advisory, the three in-person touchpoints, lifetime alumni access, and ongoing pro-rata participation in your follow-on rounds. The consideration is the durable value of the engagement, not a 6-month workshop fee.

There's no cash injection from Tapped In tied to this SAFE. It converts only at your next priced round (most common), an exit event, or a 36-month fallback if neither has happened. Until conversion, the SAFE is dormant — meaning if your company succeeds, Tapped In benefits; if it doesn't, the SAFE is worth nothing. Alignment is real.

Nothing is owed until your monthly revenue crosses $10,000. From that point, Tapped In Capital receives 1% of Gross Revenue per month until a $7,500 lifetime cap is reached. You only pay once the program has helped you hit real revenue.

Gross Revenue is your monthly revenue as recognized in your financial statements under GAAP or your consistent accounting method. It excludes capital raised, taxes collected on behalf of government, refunds, and related-party transactions.

Example: you cross $10K in monthly revenue three months after Demo Day. If you bill $15K/$20K/$25K in the next three months, you owe $150 + $200 + $250 = $600. The fee accrues monthly until it hits $7,500 total, then stops forever. If you never cross $10K/month, you owe nothing. Founders who fail pay nothing. Founders who succeed pay a small share of that success, capped.

Yes. The Advisor SAFE includes a pro-rata participation right on future priced rounds. This means Tapped In Capital has the option (not the requirement) to invest in any future priced round at the same terms as other investors, up to the amount needed to maintain its ownership percentage.

When exercised, capital is deployed through the Tapped In Capital syndicate SPV. If we decline to exercise on a given round, we accept dilution like any other holder.

After the Advisor SAFE converts at your priced round: Tapped In Capital — 3% (less option-pool and round dilution).

If you also raise through the Equity SPV at Demo Day, the SPV appears as a single line on your cap table — one Delaware LLC, regardless of how many individual LPs invested through it. That's one of the cleanest cap-table outcomes available in early-stage fundraising.

If you take the RSA track instead, there's no equity impact at all. The RSA is contractual, not equity.

No. If you're accepted and not yet incorporated, we'll help you do that during the first month of the cohort. Most accelerator founders incorporate as Delaware C-Corps to make the priced round and SPV mechanics clean.

If your company is incorporated outside the US, Canada, Cayman Islands, or Singapore, you'll typically need to set up a parent entity in one of those jurisdictions to participate in Tapped In Capital's Equity SPV path. Your existing entity becomes a subsidiary of the new parent.

This is a real effort — a few weeks of legal work — but it's the standard pattern for international founders raising US-based capital. We connect you with counsel to handle it.

The RSA track is more flexible across jurisdictions, since it's a direct bilateral agreement and doesn't involve a US-based SPV.

No. Pick your favorite idea and apply with that one. If you can't decide, you're probably not ready to apply with either.

Submitted applications enter our review queue immediately, so we don't allow continuous editing. If something material has changed — a co-founder addition, a new round closed, a major pivot — reach out through the application portal and we'll attach the update to your application.

You'll get a confirmation email with a copy of your application. If you don't see it, check your spam folder. If it's not there either, the application probably didn't go through — log back into your account and resubmit.

Yes, and we encourage it. A meaningful percentage of cohort founders applied multiple times before being accepted. Demonstrated progress between applications — new customers, new revenue, new clarity on the business — is a strong signal.

You can only submit one application per cohort cycle.

Not unless you're invited to interview. Application volume makes individual written feedback impractical. If you make it to the interview round and aren't selected, we'll share detailed feedback on what would move the needle.

Request access through the /inside page. We do a brief vetting call to confirm fit, accreditation, and that the syndicate's investment thesis (early-stage SaaS and CPG, accelerator-prepared deal flow) matches what you're looking for. Once cleared, you get login access to the syndicate platform — live deal pipeline, data rooms per deal, in-app founder Q&A, and a direct line to the syndicate manager.

$5,000 minimum per SPV. Most LPs commit between $5,000 and $25,000 per deal. Larger checks are welcome and routinely accommodated — family offices and institutional LPs come in at $100K+ per allocation.

Yes. Tapped In Capital's syndicate is restricted to accredited investors and qualified institutional buyers under Regulation D 506(b)/506(c), depending on the offering. We verify accreditation at the time of LP onboarding.

15% carry on net profits for the Equity SPV track. Carry only kicks in after LPs receive their committed capital back — no profit, no carry. There is no annual management fee.

The RSA track has no carry. Returns flow as a monthly revenue share between investor and founder per the signed agreement.

No. Tapped In Capital charges $0 in annual management fees on the Equity SPV track, forever. The only LP-side fees are a one-time 2% Sydecar administration fee and a 2% syndication fee, both deducted from committed capital at close. No recurring drag.

Equity SPV. Pool capital with other accredited LPs into a single Delaware LLC. Returns flow at exit (acquisition, IPO, write-off). Hold period: 3 to 10+ years typical. 15% carry on profit only.

RSA. Direct bilateral agreement with the founder. Returns flow as monthly revenue-share payments until an agreed cap is reached. No SPV, no pooling, no carry. Faster path to capital return for revenue-generating businesses.

LPs can participate in either track or both, depending on the deal.