EWOR, a Berlin-founded startup fellowship programme, has raised €60 million in fresh capital to support its mission of backing early-stage entrepreneurs with high-growth potential. The funds will be used to expand the organisation’s flagship fellowship model, which provides €500,000 in funding and mentorship to each selected founder.
The programme, supported by founders of European unicorns such as SumUp, Adjust and ProGlove, is aimed at what it terms “exceptional outliers” individuals selected from a highly competitive global applicant pool.
Founded in 2021, EWOR has gained attention for its selective model and its results. From over 35,000 annual applicants, it selects approximately 35 individuals , a 0.1% acceptance rate.
These fellows receive direct capital support and ongoing mentorship, including weekly sessions with successful startup founders.
EWOR claims that alumni have historically raised €1 million to €11 million within six months of joining, with 100% of them closing follow-on investment rounds.
The new capital injection is divided equally: €30 million will fund EWOR GmbH’s Series A, while €30 million will go into a Luxembourg-based investment vehicle used to finance the fellowships.
Each investment per startup includes €110,000 from EWOR GmbH and €390,000 from the fund, typically via an uncapped convertible note.
This approach places EWOR in the upper tier of early-stage startup support in terms of capital per founder.
By comparison, Y Combinator currently provides $500,000 in total per startup, but only a portion of that is equity-free. Other European accelerators offer significantly less in direct funding.
While this capital intensity is uncommon, it appears to be yielding results. Companies founded by EWOR alumni include Artifact AI , which recently raised $4 million from Andreessen Horowitz , and Thaleron, an energy storage startup that secured a record-breaking $13 million in pre-seed funding.
EWOR distinguishes itself with a virtual-first, decentralized model tailored to the realities of modern startup development.
Founders can be based anywhere in the world, working across geographies and industries. This aligns with global trends toward remote entrepreneurship and the increasing presence of non-Western tech hubs.
“Remote-first startup creation has become standard across emerging markets and developed economies alike,” said a venture capital analyst at Atomico. “Programmes that can adapt to this dynamic without sacrificing quality or selectivity are increasingly attractive.”
The fellowship’s curriculum is designed around bespoke, modular learning and 1:1 mentorship. EWOR also maintains a network of over 2,000 mentors, investors and technical experts.
The programme is run full-time by six partners who themselves have founded companies with a combined valuation exceeding €12 billion.
EWOR was co-founded by Daniel Dippold and a group of serial entrepreneurs including Alexander Grots (ProGlove), Florian Huber (united-domains), and Paul Müller (Adjust). Their combined experience includes exits, unicorn-scale growth, and product launches across Europe and the US.
The founders say the fellowship is intended to offer not just financial backing, but also strategic guidance based on firsthand experience.
Industry observers note that this operational involvement sets EWOR apart. “Most accelerators are light-touch or cohort-based,” said an early-stage investor at Speedinvest. “EWOR is unusual in the way its partners function almost like co-founders, particularly for deeply technical or research-driven ventures.”
The 2025 cohort includes founders from diverse technical and geographic backgrounds. Among them are:
Mark Golab (UK): Developing 3D-printed organ models for transplant planning.
Matthew Pierre-Louis (US): Building AI-powered robotics for recycling, with a team from Tesla and MIT.
Viktoria Izdebezka (Austria): Leading Salesy, an AI-driven B2B sales automation platform.
Nick D’Aloisio (UK): A seasoned entrepreneur working on neuro-inspired deep learning hardware.
Notably, EWOR alumni include Ricky Knox, founder of fintech firms Azimo and Tandem Bank; Andrew Nutter, co-founder of Gama, a space exploration startup; and Tim Seithe, who sold his company Tillhub in a bootstrapped exit.
If EWOR’s model continues to generate outlier outcomes, it could push other accelerators and VC firms to rethink their approaches to early-stage backing, especially for solo technical founders and unconventional backgrounds.
There’s something quietly revolutionary about EWOR. It strips away the pageantry and focuses on what really matters: vision, grit, and execution. In a startup world increasingly saturated with noise, EWOR is betting big on a few rare signals, and putting its money where its mouth is.
For those brave enough to try, applications for the next EWOR cohort are open. But don’t expect an easy ride.
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