The AI2 Incubator partners with entrepreneurs who are using groundbreaking AI models to create products that people love. Since our birth at the Paul Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2), our unwavering focus has been on supporting entrepreneurs to advance AI-first companies. From the beginning stages of ideation to the pivotal Series A funding round and beyond, we offer comprehensive support that guides founders through the journey of business creation. Financially, we invest up to $500K and we facilitate access to up to $450K in cloud credits. But our involvement goes deeper than mere financial backing; we invest our heart and soul into every aspect of your startup.
Learn more about How We Help
Note: We do not have application deadlines or cohorts. Please feel free to apply anytime. You may apply as a solo founder or as a team.
Success and Traction
In just a few short years, we have helped to create 35+ startups that have raised $220M+ in funding. This small group has now achieved a collective valuation of $1B+ and counting, with 5 companies raising Series A, and one company raising Series B (a remarkably high breakout rate). Further, these startups have created over 700+ jobs, and two have exited. Read more about some of our track record here:
TechCrunch - Apple Buys Edge Based AI Startup XNOR AI
Geekwire - Khosla makes a rare Seattle investment, leading $11M round for Lexion
TechCrunch - AI2 Incubator’s $30M fund triples down on early-stage AI startups
View our Portfolio Companies
Our Goal
You will become the founder of a startup and we will help you build your vision, extensively augmented with our own experience and with customer feedback. All of our support is designed to help you achieve three critical things in the first year (or sooner):
- Create/position the best product
- Build the best team possible
- Raise millions of dollars in venture funding to scale
Who We Help
We've helped dozens of entrepreneurs - who hail from all different backgrounds - succeed, and we can almost certainly help you as well. Both first time founders and experienced entrepreneurs alike are encouraged to reach out to us. That said, there are four types of entrepreneurs that most commonly succeed here:
AI Researchers
- Have a background in A.I. research and feel a calling/desire to commercialize their work, or the work of others in their related field.
- Are interested in the startup career path as an alternative to BigCo or academia.
Software Engineers
- Work for top tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Uber, etc.
- Or, work for a deep tech startup, and are ready to be founders themselves.
- Or, are a senior, principal, or distinguished engineer.
- Or more junior engineers who have been rapidly promoted in the last few years as a sign of strong technical skills.
Scientists (Life, Bio, Physical, Health, Climate, Etc.)
- Have a background in life science, medicine, physical science, or engineering and feel a calling/desire to commercialize their work, or the work of others in their related field.
Product Leaders (Business, Design, PM, TPM, Etc.)
- Have the wherewithal to go from zero to something.
- Have clear leadership qualities, product vision, and the magnetism to attract talent.
- Experience taking an idea and turning it into a product that people love.
Small Existing Teams/Startups
In addition to working with individual founders, we also work with small teams that may already have an early product/prototype and even a pilot customer. It is absolutely fantastic to have a bit of momentum.
Learn more about Who We Help
Diversity
At the AI2 Incubator, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive environment and to encourage these values in our wider entrepreneurship community. We provide an environment of mutual respect where equal entrepreneurial support opportunities are available to all founders without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our founders is critical to the success of our incubator and our spin-outs, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Invitation to our incubator program is decided purely on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
Ready to invent the future?
Please complete the form below!
Important note: This application and the application on our website go to the same place, so you only need to do this once! Additionally, if you have a team you can submit just one application for one person in the group. Just mention in your submission below that you are part of a team.
Privacy Notice & Disclaimer: This job post is managed by The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2). AI2's job posts may include open roles for third parties, where applications are coordinated with the hiring party. By submitting your application, you hereby consent to AI2 processing your information as described in its Privacy Policy. You further consent to AI2's disclosure of your information and application materials to AI2 Incubator Inc. or AI2 Incubator startup companies.
