Any founder starting a company is eligible to apply to PearX. Most founders who join PearX haven’t raised any money beforehand, though some teams have raised up to $2M when we invest.

We have an open application process and each company is reviewed by an investor on our team. If you are selected, there is one interview followed by a partner meeting where you will pitch to our team.

We invest between $500K and $2M, depending on your stage and capital needs.

Absolutely—we welcome solo founders. If you’re looking for a co-founder, we can help with that too.

Most PearX founders haven’t raised before joining, but if you’ve raised up to $2M, you’re still eligible to apply. Many teams raise additional capital alongside our PearX investment.

Most founders wait until Demo Day to raise a large seed round, but many companies do raise additional capital alongside our PearX investment.

Yes, but not your average one. Most accelerators run large batches with dozens or hundreds of companies that get minimal individual attention. By design, each PearX cohort is no more than ~25 companies so founders get dedicated time with partners. We find that teams have the highest chances of success when we partner with them closely on a tight timeline to tackle the hardest early questions and lay the foundation for a lasting business.

Our cohorts are intentionally small so that founders get tailored, personalized attention. We accept no more than 25 teams per cohort and each company works with a dedicated partner who specializes in their vertical.

All partners at Pear are former founders or operators who have worked with PearX companies across a wide variety of sectors. We have a team of investors focused exclusively on PearX and you’ll be paired with the partner who has the most relevant experience and expertise in your space.

We run two cohorts each year. The winter cohort runs from January to April and the summer runs from July to October. We fund companies year-round and start working with teams even before their cohort officially kicks off.

All PearX teams are required to relocate to the SF Bay Area for the duration of the program. We’ve found that companies have the best outcomes when they participate in person with the Pear team and other founders in the cohort.

12 weeks. Each week includes a group check-in, at least one meeting with your Pear partner, and a mix of tactical workshops, speaker events, and cohort activities, averaging around 2 hours of group programming per week. Partners and Platform team members are also available for additional support as needed.

PearX is a small, high-touch program built around long-term relationships with exceptional founders. We invest primarily in high-potential people, often before their ideas are fully formed, and we don’t intentionally fund direct competitors at the time of investment.

That said, as companies pivot, grow, and evolve, overlap in markets or customers can sometimes emerge. We take confidentiality seriously and maintain strict policies to protect each company’s information. If overlap does occur, we assign separate team members to support each company independently — so every founder gets our full commitment and integrity.