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Mozilla Accepting Applications for its Open Source Accelerator

121 points| breck | 13 years ago |webfwd.org | reply

28 comments

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[+] davidascher|13 years ago|reply
David Ascher here, I oversee WebFWD. I'm happy to take questions here if the HN crowd has them.
[+] sohamsankaran|13 years ago|reply
Would you consider accepting a hardware based internet-of-things/robotics startup?
[+] jmathai|13 years ago|reply
Don't pass up this opportunity!

Mozilla is chock full of great folks with tremendous experience.

The WebFWD team is top notch.

* I was in their first "batch" and with their help I'm still building OpenPhoto / Trovebox.

[+] suyash|13 years ago|reply
How much $ do they give to startups?
[+] QuantumGuy|13 years ago|reply
Is it wrong to say this is the peak(IMO) of what the Internet should be? What with people building cool stuff, open sourcing it, and getting help from others who have already gone down the road.
[+] josephg|13 years ago|reply
Is this program just for startups?

I've got an opensource project that I would like coaching & mentorship on, but I'm not convinced I want to monetize it. Should I apply anyway?

[+] davidascher|13 years ago|reply
If it's Good for the Web, I at least am happy to chat, give advice, mentor, to the extent that I have free time. I do that on a regular basis for local companies, but that's just because it's more convenient. I expect many Mozilla folks do the same.

(and if it's a thing that should/could be a Mozilla consumer product someday, then yes, check out the Hatchery, that's a more structured program w/ a bunch of coaches).

[+] mcpherrinm|13 years ago|reply
To me, it seems that question is answered pretty clearly in the "What" on their homepage:

A 3-month hands-on accelerator designed to help entrepreneurs from around the globe build healthy businesses.

(with "build healthy businesses" in bold)

[+] Lerc|13 years ago|reply
I'm in a similar boat. I have a few things like that where I think the best thing for it would be to get it where to the point where a bunch of people would fork it and make their own cool things.

I don't want to be in business, I want to make cool stuff.

[+] joshontheweb|13 years ago|reply
Do they provide any funding? It's hard to tell from the site.
[+] srobertson|13 years ago|reply
No, nor do they take equity.. They do provide a ton of "goodies". Credits to hosting providers, lawyers etc... And the mentoring is priceless.
[+] davidascher|13 years ago|reply
See my answer above. We should tweak the site to make it clearer, thanks for the feedback.
[+] dwinston|13 years ago|reply
The application is unviewable with Javascript disabled.* Note to applicants: please consider the value of progressive enhancement.

* I had temporarily disabled Javascipt on Firefox for debugging something a couple days ago. I had been using Chrome since then, but decided to open Firefox for this. I was confused until I tried to check my Gmail, whereupon I was informed that I had Javascript disabled. Oops. I've re-enabled Javascript.

[+] unweb|13 years ago|reply
WebFWD is an awesome experience! It's helping us turn mist.io into a solid business with a great product, without having to give away any equity. The mentors are top notch and very engaged in the whole process. Being a part of the Mozilla community is the best thing ever. If you're working on an open source startup, complete the short application form now! It's totally worth it.
[+] damdam|13 years ago|reply
Apply now if you are building mobile/web technologies

...to make the Web better and more open ...open source (at minimum, a component) OR leveraging HTML5 ...actively exploring its business model(s) ...at a prototype stage or beyond

Our three-month program is global, no relocation is required!

For more info visit webfwd.org

[+] jessevondoom|13 years ago|reply
I've also got to sing the praises of WebFWD — my organization, CASH Music, was part of the first class and it was invaluable to us. Great people, continued support, and an experience that helped shape the organization. Highly recommend you share your open project ideas and apply.
[+] new299|13 years ago|reply
I wish there were more things like the for C/C++ and backend developers like myself.
[+] ergo14|13 years ago|reply
I would also like to mention that all webFWD participants can use all plans of http://errormator.com free of charge!

Best of luck Mozillians!

[+] diwank|13 years ago|reply
WebFWD is a great program for startups involved heavily in open source.

-- I was in their first cohort, feel free to ask any questions.