Program Overview

Q: What is the Plug In Ventures Enterprise Growth Residency?

The Plug In Ventures Enterprise Growth Residency is a 12-month, outcomes-focused program designed to help late seed-stage Enterprise AI and Automation companies bridge the gap between early traction and Series A readiness. Each cohort is intentionally small (3 to 4 companies) enabling deep, high-touch engagement built around non-dilutive capital, enterprise sales development, curated investor access, and a high-caliber mentor network. The program is purpose-built for a specific founder at a specific moment: someone who has already built something real and is ready to turn early traction into a repeatable, scalable business.

Q: Who is this program intended for?

The Enterprise Growth Residency is built for Black, Latinx, and underrepresented founders who have raised institutional seed capital, built capable Enterprise AI or Automation products, and demonstrated early traction, but have not yet crossed the threshold into Series A readiness. Ideal candidates have completed at least one enterprise pilot, are generating ARR in the $100K–$500K range, have runway remaining, and are targeting a Series A raise within 6–12 months of program completion. Companies must have a strong California presence to meet grant eligibility requirements.

Q: What type of AI startups should apply?
The program is designed for Enterprise AI and Automation companies building horizontal solutions, meaning products that serve business functions found in every organization, regardless of industry. The strongest applicants will fall into one or more of these categories:
AI Agents & Workflow Automation: AI-powered agents and automation tools that operate across enterprise software platforms (e.g., Salesforce, SAP, internal tools) to streamline cross-functional workflows. These solutions apply broadly because the underlying workflows — approvals, handoffs, data entry, task routing — exist in every organization.
Enterprise AI Infrastructure: Tooling that sits beneath AI applications to enable observability, evaluation, testing, and monitoring of LLM-based systems. Every enterprise deploying AI needs this layer, making it naturally horizontal and highly pilot-friendly.
Function-Specific AI for Internal Teams: AI tools built for legal, HR, finance, or knowledge management teams. Because these departments exist across all industries, solutions in this category can land in one function and expand across the enterprise, a land-and-expand model that maps directly to the program’s goals.
AI Security, Governance & Compliance: Solutions that protect AI systems from adversarial threats, manage model risk, or ensure regulatory compliance. As enterprise AI adoption scales, security and governance have become required infrastructure — not optional.
Revenue Operations & Sales AI: AI tools that automate or enhance sales engagement, support workflows, meeting intelligence, and customer success operations. Measurable ROI and broad applicability across B2B companies make this category especially well-suited for rapid enterprise pilots.

The common thread across all of these: they sell to functions, not industries; they integrate into existing enterprise systems; they can be piloted in weeks, not months; and they generate measurable ROI. If your company fits that profile, we want to hear from you.

Program Structure and Timeline

Q: How is the program structured?

The program runs 12 months and is organized around four core pillars: non-dilutive capital (a minimum of $50K per company, with potential up to $100K for high performers); sales and go-to-market development through structured curriculum and hands-on mentorship from senior operators and CROs; curated investor access through structured touchpoints at Months 2, 6, and 12; and a dedicated mentor network aligned to the specific needs of enterprise AI companies at the growth stage. Monthly in-person sessions, weekly mentor support, and milestone-based accountability are built into the program throughout.

Q: When will acceptance emails be sent?

Applications close on March 31. Following a review and interview process in early April, acceptance and rejection notifications will be sent during the week of April 7–11. Selected companies will move into a pre-launch onboarding phase (April 14 – May 2), with the program officially kicking off the week of May 5–9, 2026.

Q: Is there a specific industry focus for this program?

Yes. The upcoming cohort is focused exclusively on Enterprise AI and Automation, specifically horizontal solutions serving business functions such as legal, HR, finance, customer support, sales, and operations. This focus reflects where enterprise customers are actively piloting early-stage startups, where pilot cycles are faster, and where the capital environment is most concentrated around enterprise adoption signals.

Qualifications and Support

Q: What stage should my startup be in to qualify?

Your company should be at the late seed stage with institutional capital raised in the $1M–$3M+ range. You should have completed at least one enterprise pilot (ideally two or more) with ARR in the $100K–$500K range and a minimum of 12–18 months of runway remaining. You should have identified the need to build a repeatable enterprise sales process and be ready to invest in doing that work. A strong California presence is required for grant eligibility.

Q: Will I receive direct fundraising support through this program?

While the program is not a fundraising vehicle, investor access is a structured component. Residents will participate in a speed dating investor event at Month 2, a mid-program offsite at Month 6, and a Series A readiness event at Month 12, all designed to put founders in the room with the right capital partners at the right moments. The program’s design is also explicitly oriented toward making companies Series A-ready by program completion, including building the documentation, traction, and narrative that investors expect.

Funding and Resources

Q: Are there any grants or funding tied to this program?

Yes. Each resident company receives a minimum of $50,000 in non-dilutive funding to underwrite enterprise-facing execution, including pilot support, compliance readiness, integrations, and key sales activities. High-performing companies may receive up to $100,000. This funding is structured as a lump sum (not milestone-based), giving founders flexibility to deploy capital where it matters most. An optional equity investment component is also available, negotiated on founder-friendly terms and not a precondition for participation. Companies must have a California presence to meet grant eligibility requirements.

Next Steps and Future Opportunities

Q: What happens after I complete the program?

The target outcome of the Growth Residency is a company with 2 or more signed enterprise customer contracts, a documented and repeatable sales process, and a Series A-ready business. Graduates will have established relationships with program mentors, investors, and enterprise partners that extend beyond the program itself. Plug In Ventures has supported more than 1,200 founders and helped raise over $30M in capital, the Growth Residency is designed to accelerate that trajectory for the companies most positioned to generate outsized outcomes.

Q: How does this program support underrepresented founders?

Supporting underrepresented founders (primarily Black and Latinx) is the core mission of Plug In Ventures and the animating purpose of this program. The Growth Residency is specifically designed to address the structural disadvantages that underrepresented seed-stage founders face when trying to reach Series A: limited access to enterprise networks, underdeveloped sales infrastructure, and a funding environment that has raised the bar without providing the support to clear it. The program provides non-dilutive capital, so founders build enterprise proof points without giving up leverage. It connects companies to enterprise partners with supplier diversity commitments. And it connects founders to investors with demonstrated track records of backing diverse founders at the growth stage.