Join us on a 12-month journey of intense startup navigation.
No two paths will be the same.
This 6 or 12-month Startup Program is a full-time professional development program and 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 with contact time of up to 20 hours per week, 1-2-1 meetings with mentors, and introductions to our network of industry ecosystem.
Paris’ best partner for fashion creators & innovators
Phase 1:
Discover & Define
Phase 2:
Develop & Deliver
Acquisition of Professional Competencies and Skills
Demo Day
*Note: The previous fashion tech Startup Program is now solely operated by our partner Beyond Form. Check their website for more information. The information on this page represents the new incubation format inside our lab.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Engage with our mentors who prepare you for the next stages of your startup
Are you the future pioneer that we’re looking for?
“Gloo feels privileged to be part of Foundry as a startup. I believe that their ambitious and holistic vision to integrate tech and fashion, coupled with concrete actions to build a vibrant ecosystem, is undoubtedly the right approach to create meaningful change.”
We’re looking for early-stage startups & entrepreneurs with big ambitions and drive to create change. Your idea must be suitable for the fashion industry - for example a designer brand, fashion tech, or fashion service. We welcome applications from all over the world and the program is run in English.
You don’t necessarily need to have a working prototype yet to join the program, but it must be in your immediate intention to launch a solution within 12 months of commencing the program. The program is for you if you need support in: a base to build your business and access to specialist facilities, understanding and defining your proposition, business set up, building a team / network, finding clients and partners and being investor ready. We believe that creating a startup is a full time job, so we encourage all our members to have full time engagement inside Foundry as much as possible. You never know which potential client may be stepping through the doors that day.
Sustainability Values of the company – As a CSR certified institution, IFA paris has put sustainability at the center of its pedagogical strategy. Startups that address the following issues will be prioritised according to the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) set by the United Nations:
- No Poverty – How is your concept providing future employment prospects to local communities?
- Reduced Inequalities – How is your concept championing diversity and inclusivity?
- Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – How are the innovations you propose going to improve the efficiency of the fashion industry supply chain framework?
- Responsible consumption and Production – How is your concept championing the circular economy?
We’ve built a unique ecosystem to ensure that you’ll be surrounded by the right people
From day 1 we’ll nurture your startup
We know that being a startup means that you need all the unfair advantages that you can get. All incubatees enjoy everything as listed in our Space section plus:
Hot desk access
Masterclasses with industry experts.
1-2-1 mentoring sessions.
Access to industry advisors.
Free credits to use towards Makerspace facilities.
Free credits for Demo Space bookings.
20% discount on selected IFA Paris training courses.
Access to industry resources free of charge (WGSN)
Discounted business support services (e.g. legal, PR & more).
Doors opened to potential clients / partners / investors.
Demonstrate your potential to the Foundry network like Kering, Lectra, LVMH, Coty & more
Ready to kickstart your business?
Next cohort begins August 2024
Application Requirements:
Full time residency (12 months): fee of €4500TTC per founder*
Masterclasses only (6 months): fee of €2500TTC per founder*
Each cohort has up to 15 startups and you may join us as a lone entrepreneur or apply as a team**.
Foundry Powerwed by IFA Paris is officially recognised as a provider of incubation activity and services for technology-led startups. This means that fashion tech related startups may obtain the neccessary paperwork from us to acquire the French Tech Visa (Talent Passport) to develop their project for 4 years in France.
Submission requirements: Completed online application form.
There is an application fee of €50TTC
*12 months residency: A 50% deposit is required up front to secure your place. Full balance in one payment for the entire program will benefit a 5% discount. The full balance needs to be paid before masterclasses commence.
*6 months masterclasses only: 100% payment is required up front to secure your place.
**For team applications there should be one lead applicant. Each team member will need to pay a fee to access the program & space.
International applicants must ensure that they are legally able to live and work in Paris. A one-off admin fee is charged to process international paperwork (visas, bank details etc.).
Have questions? Check out our FAQ section.
