Berkeley FAST

$150K Uncapped SAFE or $1M-$3M SAFE for 15%

Investing in the next generation of Berkeley Founders

Decision within 2 weeks. Money in your bank within 3 weeks.

  • For students, researchers & alumni

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  • No idea is too early

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  • Apply by March 23rd, 11:59pm PT

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Submissions will open on February 27th, on rolling basis.

The submission period will open
February 27th.

How FAST Works

FAST helps Berkeley Founders get their startups off the ground, and begin a long term relationship between you and NFX.

  • Private and simple application process.
  • You can choose to apply for: $150K discovery check (uncapped SAFE) or pre-seed/ seed round ($1M-$3M SAFE for 15%).
  • Decision within 2 weeks. Money in your bank within 3 weeks. Up to $10M allocated. First come, first served.
  • Founders who receive funding join the NFX Guild, our portfolio of 400+ top Founders who support each other, and get mentorship from NFX Partners.
  • If you've interacted with NFX within the past 12 months and didn't receive funding, please highlight your key updates.

What types of businesses are most likely to win NFX FAST?

No idea is too early. NFX FAST is targeting pre-seed and seed stage companies that have raised less than $2M of funding.

NFX invests in a broad range of sectors including AI applications, Agents, Marketplaces, Fintech, Proptech, Games, Networks, Computational Biology, Energy, Consumer, B2B, SMB software, enterprise software, etc. See our existing portfolio to get a sense.

Like all investors, we have investment preferences and areas of focus that you should know about. For instance, we strongly favor companies that can have network effects (NFX).

We don't focus on these sectors: semiconductor, medical devices, pure pharma, pure hardware, and network devices.

FAQ

What does FAST stand for?

How do I apply?

Who sees my application?

When will I hear back?

How can NFX invest so quickly?

What is the investment amount?

Who can apply?

Does my company need to be incorporated to apply?

Am I too early to apply to FAST? Should I wait until I have more traction?

Who can I reach out to if I have additional questions?

About NFX

NFX is the largest pre-seed and seed fund in the world with $450M in its latest fund. We have invested in 250+ companies including Trulia, Lyft, DoorDash, Poshmark, Honeybook, and Patreon, and been the first investor in standout companies such as Mammoth Biosciences (Berkeley), Outdoorsy, Houseparty, Zubale, Tomo, and many others.

The Partners of NFX have built 10 companies with more than $10 billion in exits across multiple industries and geographies. We're entrepreneur first because we were entrepreneurs first. And we’re determined to guard the backs of the next generation of fearless founders.

For more insights on who we are, visit www.nfx.com. While there, you can watch, read and listen to the best coverage of fundraising, network effects, marketplaces, and all things startup.