The Startupathon Challenge
Own what you build. We'll help you ship it.
Persist Ventures is a startup studio. We build products and run them. SongGPT and Facesearch AI are live and making revenue today. We have more ideas than builders, so we run a challenge to find the next one.
The challenge
We give you a product idea and a deadline. You build an MVP.
Not the full product. Just enough to show us you can ship. We're not scoring polish. We're answering one question: can this person build?
The deal
If you win, you build the real thing with us.
- Paid while you build. This is not a salary. It's to support you while you're building.
- 10% of the product once it's live and earning.
- You won't build alone. We have designers, editors, and engineers on staff, and you'll have access to all of them.
- We'll put you in front of founders who've already done this.
You'll get all of this on paper before you start. Nothing here is a handshake.
About the 10%
We'd rather over-explain this than have you wonder.
It's equity in the product you build. On day one it's worth nothing — that's just true of any equity in something that doesn't exist yet. It becomes worth something if the product ships and earns. It vests while you're building.
If the product dies, it's worth nothing. We've seen both: products that shipped and earned, and products that failed. That's how we know what to do next, and you'll get those details from us.
Who this is for
Anyone who already builds on their own. You've shipped something, even something small, that people actually used. You want to build a startup, not just a project.
Who this isn't for
Anyone who needs a full income right now. The pay covers you while you build; it isn't a salary and we won't pretend otherwise. If you're looking for a job, this will disappoint you — and we'd rather you know that today than after you've already started.
If that sounds right, see the challenge.