one year on
OpenAI launches Grove, a five-week in-person mentorship program for pre-seed AI founders
The program, hosted at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters, targets individuals from the pre-idea to pre-seed stage, offering mentorship, early access to new tools and models, and in-person workshops.
Originally published Published on this site
OpenAI has introduced the OpenAI Grove, a five-week in-person mentorship program for early-stage tech entrepreneurs, with applications open now. The program targets founders at the pre-idea to pre-seed stage — individuals who may not yet have a company, or even a settled idea.
The inaugural cohort will accept about 15 participants and run from October 20 to November 21 at OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters. Applicants have until September 24 to apply. Selected participants will receive mentorship from OpenAI technical leaders, early access to new tools and models, and in-person workshops.
The program is aimed at founders in the earliest stages of company development.
The record
One year later — open only if you can handle spoilers
Grove ran its first cohort that autumn, and OpenAI kept it going: it reopened applications for a second cohort that ran in early 2026, reworked as a hybrid of in-person weeks at its San Francisco HQ and remote weeks, with $50,000 in API credits per participant. It stayed a small, hand-picked program rather than a mass accelerator.
Filed
Compiled and edited by Adam Allcock.
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