Female Founders Circle
An intimate founder circle of female engineers, guided by successful female founders and leaders.
Applications Closed for Spring 2025 Cohort
Applications are closed for the Spring 2025 FFC AI cohort. Our next cohort will open in the summer.
10 weeks in SF.
A community for life.
We are looking for the next generation of female technical entrepreneurs.
Be inspired by AI visionaries.
Attend intimate fireside chats with visionaries and successful female leaders and founders in AI.
Learn from experts on how to sell, hire, market, and build a world class AI product.
Valuable workshops on building from 0 to 1 in AI, including go to market, product marketing, hiring and idea validation.
Support from OpenAI and AWS.
The cohort is supported by generous credits, and OpenAI Technical Workshops and GTM Workshops.
Learn from visionary leaders and founders.
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Niki Parmar
Co-Founder of Essential, Co-Author of Seminal paper on Transformers, Former CTO/Founder of Adept
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May Habib
CEO and Founder of Writer
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Ami Vora
CPO Faire, formerly VP, Product and Design Whatsapp and FB
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Julianna Lamb
CTO and Co-Founder, Stytch
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Kate Ryder
CEO and Co-Founder, Maven Clinic
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Laura Wu
CEO and Co-Founder, Shippo
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Vivien Ho
Partner
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Claire Hughes Johnson
Former COO of Stripe
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Most of my time as an engineer and now founder is in male-dominated spaces, and I had no idea how much I’d value having a strong group of female founders in my life. I’m grateful to Vivien for inviting me to join and the entire Pear team for being such warm (and brilliant) humans!
Helena Merk
CEO and Founder of Streamline
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I can’t speak highly enough about the Pear VC community…I’m continuously in awe at the team’s brilliance and groundedness. Thank you, Pear (and especially Vivien Ho!) for curating amazing conversations and friendships through the Female Founder Circles.
Ashe Magalhaes
CEO and Founder
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Most of my time as an engineer and now founder is in male-dominated spaces, and I had no idea how much I’d value having a strong group of female founders in my life. I’m grateful to Vivien for inviting me to join and the entire Pear team for being such warm (and brilliant) humans!
Helena Merk
CEO and Founder of Streamline
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I can’t speak highly enough about the Pear VC community…I’m continuously in awe at the team’s brilliance and groundedness. Thank you, Pear (and especially Vivien Ho!) for curating amazing conversations and friendships through the Female Founder Circles.
Ashe Magalhaes
CEO and Founder
-
Most of my time as an engineer and now founder is in male-dominated spaces, and I had no idea how much I’d value having a strong group of female founders in my life. I’m grateful to Vivien for inviting me to join and the entire Pear team for being such warm (and brilliant) humans!
Helena Merk
CEO and Founder of Streamline
-
I can’t speak highly enough about the Pear VC community…I’m continuously in awe at the team’s brilliance and groundedness. Thank you, Pear (and especially Vivien Ho!) for curating amazing conversations and friendships through the Female Founder Circles.
Ashe Magalhaes
CEO and Founder
Frequently asked questions
Who is eligible for this program?
Any woman that has a background in STEM or engineering
Actively working on a startup idea full-time or part-time outside of work
At least a few years out of school – we have separate programs for students
How does Pear choose FFC members?
If you’re nominated or apply, we will reach out to conduct a 15-minute interview to see if you are a good fit given your stage, eligibility and background. We only accept 30 founders per cohort and we get over 800 applicants. We encourage nominations and referrals!
How much does it cost?
It’s free – no strings attached. We just ask you to commit to being an active member. We have a <5% acceptance rate.
Do I need to have started a company to join?
No, but we require everyone to be actively working on a startup idea full-time or part-time
What are the dates of the program?
Spring 2025 runs Wednesdays from end of March to mid May.
What’s the time commitment?
We expect individuals to commit to coming to as many sessions as possible and getting to know the community, and attend all events.
Where is FFC based?
FFC is in person in the San Francisco / Bay Area.
How can I find out more / get in touch?
Feel free to reach out with any questions to vivien@pear.vc. We look forward to reviewing your application!
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