founding sponsor opportunity

$10K buys a front-row seat to what's being built next.

Not a donation. Not a logo placement. A founding sponsor position that gives you talent access, market intelligence, deal flow, brand visibility, and product feedback — worth $20K+ at market rates. One slot available for the beta cohort. May 2026.

$10Kyour investment
$20K+value equivalent
3–5AI startups
30 daysbeta duration

what your $10K gets

Talent Scouting + Assessment — $5K–$8K

Direct access to 3–5 vetted AI builders over 30 days. Weekly demos. 1:1 sessions. Assess technical ability, product thinking, grit. Not from a resume — from watching them ship.

Market Intelligence Report — $3K–$5K

End-of-cohort intelligence report: product metrics, customer acquisition, tech stack decisions, GTM strategy, growth trajectory. Ground-level intelligence on what's actually working in AI.

Deal Flow + First-Look — $2K–$5K

Contractual right of first introduction to any funding round within 6 months. Guaranteed seat at the table before it gets crowded.

Brand + Content — $2K–$4K

Founding Sponsor on all materials. Logo in demos, social posts, podcasts, physical space. 12–20 branded content pieces across the month.

Product Feedback — $1K–$2K

3–5 technical AI builders stress-test your product. Structured feedback, bug reports, UX critiques from builders actively shipping.

the math

TraditionalDouble DownYou Save
Talent Scouting$5,000–$8,000Included$5,000+
Market Intelligence$3,000–$5,000Included$3,000+
Deal Flow Access$2,000–$5,000Included$2,000+
Brand + Content$2,000–$4,000Included$2,000+
Product Feedback$1,000–$2,000Included$1,000+
TOTAL$13,000–$24,000$10,000$3K–$14K

Conservative floor: $13,000 in value. Realistic midpoint: $18,000. If a single hire, investment, or partnership materializes from the cohort, the return exceeds $30,000. Minimum 1.3x. Realistically 2x+. On a $10,000 commitment.

the beta is free for hackers. but free doesn't mean obligation-free.

Every hacker signs a participation agreement that guarantees your return on investment:

  • Weekly demos every Friday. Mandatory. Miss two, they're removed. You have a front-row seat.
  • Data transparency: users, revenue, pipeline, feature velocity in standardized weekly format.
  • Sponsor access session: one dedicated 30-minute session per hacker. Your call how to use it.
  • Content obligation: one piece per week — product update, BTS clip, or founder lesson. Your brand featured.
  • Testimonial + case study rights at program end.
  • Right of first introduction on any funding round. 6-month window.

what you receive. not promises. deliverables.

Intelligence Package

  • Baseline report: starting metrics for every hacker. Delivered week 1.
  • Weekly progress data: standardized metrics update from each hacker, every Friday.
  • Sponsor intelligence report: comprehensive end-of-program report. Delivered week 4.

Access Package

  • 4 demo day recordings: full recordings of every weekly demo.
  • Sponsor access sessions: one 30-minute 1:1 with each hacker (3–5 sessions total). Week 3.
  • Right of first introduction: contractual 6-month window on any fundraising activity.

Content + Brand Package

  • Founding sponsor credit on all program materials, social posts, demo recordings, physical space.
  • Hacker content library: 12–20 content pieces, all featuring sponsor branding.
  • Hacker vlogs: end-of-program vlog from each hacker. Your brand is part of their story.
  • Case studies from the beta cohort, ready for your portfolio or internal reporting.

Product Feedback Package

  • Structured feedback session on your product from cohort hackers (if requested).
  • Bug reports and UX notes in a structured, actionable format.

from $10K to $90K. the growth path.

Beta Cohort

1 month (May 2026)

$10K (you)

Founding sponsor. Lowest price. First access.

Cohort 1

3 months (Summer)

$25K–$50K/sponsor

Your $10K locked the floor. New sponsors pay 2.5–5x more.

Cohort 2

3 months (Fall)

$25K–$50K/sponsor

Retain founding status + preferential terms.

Annual Target

6-month cycle

$90K+ total

Your early bet compounds in access and recognition.

who's behind this

Operated by Double Down House.

  • Products: DocDirector (document automation), AgentGG (meeting intelligence)
  • Ecosystem: Invest Ottawa IOFlex and Traction Series alumnus, Ottawa Responsible AI Hub (ORAH)
  • Team: distributed across multiple countries — CTO, operations, backend, frontend, QA, automation
  • Focus: human-augmented AI (the centaur philosophy), responsible AI development, services-to-SaaS transition

A dedicated Hacker House legal entity will be incorporated upon confirmation of founding sponsorship funding, ensuring clean governance, transparent fund management, and a proper legal home for the program.

FAQ

one slot. $10K. the lowest price this program will ever have.

if one conversation leads to a hire, contract, or partnership, the $10K is recovered instantly.

become a founding sponsor
Sponsors:Clay|Cursor|Vercel|Tavily|Factory|Google|Microsoft|Zapier|Supabase
Connected to:L-SPARK|DMZ|CDL|MaRS|NEXT Canada|Communitech|Elevate