18 months to turn an idea into a Series A company
Ordo brings the capital, the operating team, and the network. You build the product, hire the team, and own the market. We're a co-founder who doesn't disappear after Demo Day.
Residency is not an accelerator. We come in as a co-founder with a pre-seed check up to $150k, place an operating partner with you 2–3 days a week, and stay until your Series A is closed. If the idea fails — we pivot together. If it works — we close a $500k follow-on and pull in funds across Central Asia and MENA.
- Cohort start · June 2026
- Up to 6 teams in the intake
- Application takes 5 minutes
Why strong early-stage teams sink
We've seen it dozens of times — in our own projects and across Startup Garage residents. Three classic traps between idea and Series A.
- ✕
Capital runs out before PMF
A $50–80k pre-seed check buys six months in KR. By the time the first market needs to close, runway is dry and founders end up in an awkward bridge.
- ✕
Operations eats the founder
Bookkeeping, legal structure, the first ten hires, bank accounts in three countries. Half the week is admin — the product stalls.
- ✕
No network — pitches go nowhere
Regional funds and strategics ignore cold emails. Without a warm intro, your deck sits unread for weeks.
The studio kills all three traps at once
We don't teach — we build with you. Ordo enters the project as a co-founder, brings a check, a person, and a network. You stay CEO and product lead; we cover the back.
- $150k pre-seed + $500k follow-on cover runway to Series A — no bridge
- An operating partner takes finance, hiring, legal stack, and quarterly reviews
- 60+ mentors and 12 regional funds — warm intros in your first month
- Founder salary for the first 6 months — no living off savings
What's inside 18 months of residency
Every line is a real person or contract — not a marketing promise. Ask in the interview; we'll show you the team and the templates.
- 01
Capital for 18 months
$150k pre-seed at the start + up to $500k follow-on. SAFE with a 20% discount on the next round. Founder salary for the first 6 months.
- 02
Operating partner
2–3 days a week with the team. Real work: finance, legal structure, the first key hires, customer contracts.
- 03
Mentor network
60+ practitioners from Yandex, Kaspi, inDrive, Wolt and exited founders. A 1:1 every two weeks with the right expert for the current task.
- 04
Founders' School included
All modules — product, sales, finance, hiring — accessible for free. Learn alongside building, no mandatory cohort.
- 05
Legal & tax stack
Incorporation in Kyrgyzstan's HTP + a Delaware C-Corp. Ready SAFE, ESOP, and cap-table templates. The studio handles bookkeeping and tax.
- 06
Infrastructure & community
Pop-up office in Bishkek, Startup Garage's 600 m² hub in Tashkent. A closed founder community across two countries — weekly reviews and peer feedback.
How residency unfolds
Exact timing flexes for each team — this is a frame, not a dogma. Every phase has clear milestones and a partner-committee review.
01Months 1–3 Foundation · Team and product
Legal structure, banks, bookkeeping, first 2–3 hires. Operating partner full-in. Goal — ship MVP and reach first paying users.
- Delaware C-Corp + KR subsidiary registered
- MVP in production, 10–20 paying users
- Cap table and SAFE signed
02Months 4–9 Traction · The PMF search
Parallel experiments on ICP, price, and channels. Mentor 1:1s every two weeks. Operating partner steps down to 1–2 days. Goal — sustainable MoM growth.
- $10–30k MRR with retention above benchmark
- First key hire (Head of Eng/Sales)
- Internal PMF review and ICP decision
03Months 10–14 Scale · Series A prep
$500k follow-on extends runway. Team grows to 8–15. Data room, investment bankers, deck v1–3. Goal — Series A investor shortlist.
- Data room and investment banker selected
- 20+ first meetings with funds
- Term sheet from a lead investor
04Months 15–18 Series A · Close and hand-off
Series A closes, due diligence, signing. Studio keeps a board seat and shifts into shareholder mode. The team graduates from residency.
- Closed Series A or a clear path to it
- Operating partner hands operations to the team
- Studio holds a board seat
Transparent — every number is on this page
We don't haggle on equity in interviews. Terms are fixed and identical across the cohort — only the check size flexes with team stage.
- Pre-seed check
up to $150k
At the start, as a SAFE with a 20% discount
- Follow-on
up to $500k
At Series A, by investment-committee decision
- Studio equity
7–12%
Common equity, fixed in the term sheet
- Founder salary
first 6 months
So you're not living on savings
- Length
18 months
With quarterly partner-committee reviews
- Board seat
1 seat
Studio post-program — observer or member
* Exact check size and equity are agreed at the term-sheet stage after due diligence. All terms in one document — no annexes.
Four steps from application to term sheet
The process is short and human. If we're not the fit, we say so within 48 hours. If we move forward, you get clear feedback.
- 010–2 business days
Application screening
A partner reads your application personally. We decide whether a live conversation makes sense.
- 025–7 days
Operating partner call
30–45 minutes about the team, market, and metrics. No slides — we care about the logic, not the design.
- 031–2 weeks
Due diligence
Deep review: market, legal structure, finance, references. A meeting with the full studio team.
- 041 week
Committee decision
The partner committee votes. If yes, we sign a term sheet and start on the first Monday of the month.
What the company looks like at month 18
Not every company makes it — that's normal. The residency is built so reality lands in the first nine months and we don't drag a dead idea to the end.
Closed Series A or a clear path to it
Term sheet from a lead investor, data room ready, cap table clean. From here it's standard due diligence and signing.
8–15 person team and systemised ops
Key roles filled. Operations run without the operating partner. Head of Eng / Head of Sales / Head of Finance in place.
Revenue and retention above benchmark
$30–80k MRR for B2B SaaS or the equivalent in the niche. Net retention 110%+ for SaaS, NPS 50+ for consumer.
How residency differs from an accelerator and an incubator
All three formats are valid — they solve different problems. Residency is right when you want a co-founder, not a consultant or a coworking.
| Ordo studio | Accelerator | Incubator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check size | up to $150k + $500k follow-on | $25–125k | $0–25k |
| Length | 18 months | 3 months | 6–12 months |
| Operating partner | 2–3 days a week | Mentors only | None |
| Equity | 7–12% (co-founder) | 5–7% | 0–5% |
| Follow-on | Guaranteed on metrics | Sometimes | None |
| Legal & tax | Studio handles it | Templates | DIY |
What admissions answers most
Can I apply solo?
Yes, if you have deep industry expertise. For solo founders, we help find a co-founder in the first 90 days — that's part of the work.
What if the idea doesn't work?
Pivots are normal — we've gone through them with most residents. If the team wants to wind down, we part ways amicably, equity returns to the studio, and founders stay in the alumni network.
Where should the company be incorporated?
The default is a Delaware C-Corp with a subsidiary in Kyrgyzstan (HTP) or Kazakhstan (AIFC). We register it for you. For MENA-focused projects we add a DIFC entity.
Can I work remotely?
At least 3 days a week from the Bishkek office for the first 6 months — speed of decisions depends on it. After that, hybrid mode with trips to Almaty, Tashkent, and Dubai as needed.
What happens after 18 months?
The studio stays as a shareholder and keeps a board seat. The operating partner steps out, the team becomes self-sufficient. We help with Series B as a co-investor and network.
Apply — cohort kicks off in June 2026
Up to 6 teams in the intake. Term-sheet decision in 3–4 weeks after the application. If we're not the fit, we say so in the first 48 hours.