CRUCIBLE CLUB

7 programs · official pages read on 2 November 2026

Builder residencies and founder programs compared

What seven well-known founder programs publish on their own sites: the money invested, the stake taken, the format and place, and whether applications are open today. Every line has its source and the date it was read (2 November 2026). Anything a program does not publish is marked as not published.

Applications today

On 2 November 2026, 6 of 7 programs show applications open on their official pages.

Compared on what they publish

Listed alphabetically. No ranking and no score.

ProgramMoney investedStake takenFormat, place, durationApplications today
Antler
  • United States Initial commitment of $500K to $1M source
  • Continental Europe €500K at inception source

+1 more on the page

  • United States Not published on the US page source
  • Continental Europe Typically around 10% equity at a €5m valuation: €100K converting into 8.5% and €100K as an uncapped convertible note with MFN source
  • Format United States In person; a select group of operators, builders and founders joins each month source
  • Place United States New York City, San Francisco and Austin offices source
  • Duration United States Up to 3 months source
Open, rolling intake source
Entrepreneur First
  • United States, $250K pathway Up to $250K invested on day one source

+3 more on the page

  • $250K pathway (United States) 8% of the company for $125K (post-money SAFE), plus an optional $125K uncapped MFN SAFE source

+2 more on the page

  • Format Full-time and in person, with cofounder matching and a cohort of peers source
  • Place A local hub (London, Bangalore), then San Francisco; the US residencies are in San Francisco source
  • Duration London and Bangalore 12 weeks in the hub, then 12 weeks in San Francisco for funded teams source
Open

Next deadline: 2 November 2026

source
Founders, Inc.
  • Format Apply, then a one- or two-week stay at the lab before an investment decision; no deck or pitch source
  • Place Fort Mason campus, San Francisco source
  • Duration No fixed end: a long-term home rather than a time-bound program source
Open, no deadline listed source
Neo
  • Startups $750K, uncapped source

+1 more on the page

  • Participation rights in your next equity round, up to 5% ownership; the $750K is uncapped source
  • Format In person: 3 months in a San Francisco space, a 2-week bootcamp, a Demo Day source
  • Place San Francisco, plus a 2-week bootcamp in Texas (Winter 2027 page) source
  • Duration 3 months source
Not published source
South Park Commons
  • Founder Fellowship $1M in total: $400,000 up front, plus $600,000 guaranteed in your next venture round source

+1 more on the page

  • Founder Fellowship 7% equity through a SAFE source

+1 more on the page

  • Format Member Residency Community residency for exploring ideas, with learning groups and workshops source
  • Place San Francisco, New York City or Bengaluru offices source
  • Duration Member Residency 6 months source
Open, rolling intake source
Y Combinator
  • 7% of the company for $125,000, plus an uncapped MFN SAFE for the other $375,000 source
  • Format In-person batch with a 3-day kick-off and weekly meetups source
  • Place San Francisco, at YC's campus source
  • Duration Three months, run four times a year source
Open

Next deadline: 2 November 2026, 8pm Pacific Time

source
Z Fellows
  • $10,000 investment, optional, at a $1B valuation cap source
  • Optional: you can take part without the investment; if you take it, it converts into stock at your next priced round source
  • Format One-week program, mostly virtual, with the last day in person source
  • Place Anywhere; the last day is in San Francisco or New York source
  • Duration One week source
Open, rolling intake source

The 26 questions: what each program answers publicly

Each program is passed through the 26 questions of the Builder Residency Due-Diligence Checklist, using only its own official pages. This counts what is published. It is not a rating of the program.

ProgramPublishedPartlyNot publishedGrid
Antler31112Open the grid
Entrepreneur First4814Open the grid
Founders, Inc.2618Open the grid
Neo0818Open the grid
South Park Commons51011Open the grid
Y Combinator6812Open the grid
Z Fellows1718Open the grid

How these pages were read

Each fact comes from a page on the program’s own site. Every line shows the page it comes from and the day it was read.

Pages were read twice: as plain HTML and in a real browser, in three contexts (language and time zone). A figure is only reported when the readings agree. A figure that differs between readings or between contexts is written as not published. When a site builds its pages in the browser with JavaScript, so that its HTML holds none of the terms, the page says so and the figures come from the browser reading alone.

Pages were read from a server in France. Terms that change by country can differ elsewhere, which is why country-specific terms are labelled by country.

Every day the pages are read again. If the official wording behind a line is no longer found, the line is flagged on the page until it is checked. Pages built with JavaScript are not re-read automatically and keep the date of their last browser reading.

“Not published” means not found on the official pages read. It does not mean the program has no such term. It is a question to ask the program before committing.

Questions people ask

Which of these programs say they charge participants no fee?

Antler (United States: No fee to join the residency); South Park Commons (Member Residency: No membership fee or dues); Y Combinator (No fee charged to participating companies). Source: the official pages read on 2 November 2026.

What does each program say about the share of the company it takes?

Antler (about 10% (Europe)); Entrepreneur First (8% for $125K (SAFE)); Founders, Inc. (5%); Neo (participation rights up to 5%); South Park Commons (7% (Fellowship), none for the residency); Y Combinator (7% plus an uncapped MFN SAFE); Z Fellows (optional, $1B cap). Source: the official pages read on 2 November 2026.

Which programs have applications open today?

Antler (open, rolling intake); Entrepreneur First (open, until 2 November 2026); Founders, Inc. (open, no deadline listed); South Park Commons (open, rolling intake); Y Combinator (open, until 2 November 2026, 8pm Pacific Time); Z Fellows (open, rolling intake). Source: the official pages read on 2 November 2026.

Is Crucible CLUB one of these programs?

No. Crucible CLUB is an independent builder residency project presented by IVRYN. It has no confirmed cohort, so nothing about a Crucible cohort is stated here. It is not affiliated with, paid by or endorsed by any program listed.

Check any program yourself

The grid behind these pages is an open checklist of 26 questions to put to any builder residency before paying or travelling.

Open the Builder Residency Due-Diligence ChecklistResidency method