Before we talk about why you should apply to DreamIt as an individual, let's talk about why you should NOT apply.
First, you will be working your butt off for very little money. Second, there is no guarantee that the company you work with will succeed. Third, even if the company does succeed, there's no guarantee that you will have a long-term opportunity to stay at the company.
Still reading? Then let's talk about why you SHOULD apply. The company very well may succeed, and it may succeed in a big way. You will learn a lot and have a blast. You will have the opportunity to impress people who can help you regardless of where your personal path leads. You will have lifelong memories and the opportunity to become one of the many successful entrepreneurs who waxes nostalgic about the early days (and forgets the angst, sleep deprivation, and emotional spikes and dives).
If this gets you excited, you can apply as an individual here.
Selection Process for Individual Applicants
Applications must be received by the deadline. We review applications on a rolling basis, so there is an advantage to applying early. Beginning in late March, we will introduce people who we think might fit with those starting a company or bringing one to DreamIt.
If there is a good fit between you and one of the DreamIt Companies, you will be offered a Dollarship(TM) to participate in DreamIt, a three-month program that will run from late May through late August. You may also be able to establish a long term relationship with the company. The Dollarship amount is between you and the founders to negotiate but we suggest $5,000 for the program.
If you accept a Dollarship, you are responsible for helping a DreamIt Company build their business. You will live in the Philadelphia area. You choose where to live, although we will help you find some good options. You choose where to work—be it a coffee shop, the Art Museum, Citizen’s Bank Ballpark, or the office space and common space we will have available for you.
Throughout DreamIt, there will are dinners and breakfasts featuring leading visionaries, entrepreneurs, public relations experts, emerging growth company lawyers and accountants, private investors, and venture capitalists. There also is ample opportunity for DreamIt Companies to compare notes and progress, and to mingle.
While you might learn more than you have in any other three months of your life, this is not an academic exercise. You have 12 weeks to help build a real business and create significant value.
After DreamIt
Hopefully you will have proven your value to the company and the company will have proven its value to you. It's now up to you and the company to decide what role (if any) you will have with the company going forward.
A Success Story
One of our most successful teams, SCVNGR, was formed when DreamIt matched an individual applicant with a company that had a gap in its team.
The SCVNGR team entered DreamIt with a strong roster of hackers but lacked someone who loved to sell and would pound the pavement to find its early customers. DreamIt introduced the SCVNGR team to Mike Hagan and the rest is history. Mike became one of the co-founders of the company and the person most responsible for bringing in new business.
SCVNGR recently raised $4 million from Google Ventures and booked over $1 million in revenue in its first full year in business, making it cash flow positive.
Want to become the next success story?
>> Apply to DreamIt as an individual