Foundry Startup Program

A unique program for founders

The incubator at Foundry Powered by IFA Paris is a 12-month program based out of the lab at IFA Paris. The program is aimed at budding entrepreneurs and early-stage startups specializing in fashion tech, innovation, sustainability and future craft.

Applications are now open for the January 2024 cohort.

Join us on a 12-month journey of intense startup navigation.No two paths will be the same.

This 12-month fashion incubation program is designed help kickstart your fashion business. It’s an intense program for entrepreneurs with a big idea wishing to launch their business with the support industry gurus. If you’re an entrepreneur with a vision, big ambition and the hunger to drive change, then we are your best fashion partner.

Cohorts begin every 6 months with access to the lab full time. You may choose to incubate in person in Paris, or, virtually. The focus is on you developing your ambitious idea into a feasible business opportunity, which we then support you in laying the foundations of your startup. This is done by a series of highly focused workshops, 1-2-1 meetings with mentors and introductions to our network of investors, potential clients and partners.

Paris’ best partner for fashion tech and innovation founders

Phase 1: Discover & Define Demo Day

The program is split into two phases designed to take you through a rigorous process. The first phase focuses on identifying industry issues, market gaps, real customer pain points and the potential solutions to solve them. There is a huge emphasis on completing field research as quickly and efficiently as possible in order to find the minimum viable category (MVC) and the potential business opportunity. By the end of month 3 you should be ready to ideate the solution.

Phase 2: Develop & Deliver

The second phase focused on the initial product release for initial customer feedback to find the product-market-fit. There is a huge emphasis on working in sprints, working through systematic iterations to eventually reach an prototype ready to put out into the world. Each founder will be given key milestones to hit throughout their 12-month journey, which they will have accountability to their assigned mentor. If the startup wishes to participate in the demo day, they must hit these milestones. By the end of month 12, founders are expected to have a prototype that is ready for market launch.

Acquisition of Professional Competencies and Skills

In parallel with phases 1 and 2, candidates will be given the opportunity to secure internships with the companies of their choice. The objective is to allow them to validate specific skills and competencies that can be transferred to their entrepreneurial project. All registered candidates, who obtained an official letter of enrolment, will have the possibility to request an internship contract (Convention de Stage) from IFA Paris. For all internships in France, kindly note that the maximum legal internship period is 6 months. For students enrolled in the 12 months’ version of the Foundry Program, registered students will have the possibility to request 2 internship contracts of maximum 6 months each, provided they are concluded with different companies.

Demo Day

Held inside Foundry’s Demo Space, startups that have successfully created a working prototype will be invited to showcase their companies and products at a 1-day Demo Day event held annually. Here, it will be a celebration of achievements so far, but also a chance to network and collate feedback from industry professionals (and even sell to them). There will be the opportunity to pitch to Foundry’s investor network with the goal of securing seed funding. Past demo day attendees comes from some of the world’s most famous fashion & lifestyle brands including LVMH, Kering, COS (H&M Group) and Coty to name a few.