SEASON ONE · PARTNER OPPORTUNITY
The AI Era,
Told by the People
Building It.
Founder Mode combines a global founder search, a Silicon Valley investment competition, and premium unscripted storytelling. Partners can discover qualified startups, support real product use, engage the next generation of builders, and carry the resulting stories into their own channels.
Season One targets · measurement plans tailored by partner
01 · THE OPPORTUNITY
The defining story
of the decade is still being written.
AI is reshaping how companies are built, how careers begin, and what the next American dream looks like. Founder Mode gives partners a front-row position inside that change.
DEPLOYED INTO U.S. STARTUPS IN 2025.
NVCA · PITCHBOOK DATA ↗OF U.S. VENTURE DEAL VALUE WENT TO AI COMPANIES IN 2025.
NVCA · PITCHBOOK DATA ↗OF GEN Z HAVE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED STARTING A BUSINESS.
LENDINGTREE ↗OF GEN Z FOUNDERS USED AI TO LAUNCH.
GUSTO ↗OF U.S. UNICORNS HAVE AN IMMIGRANT FOUNDER.
NFAP ↗OF GEN Z NEW BUSINESSES WERE FOUNDED BY WOMEN.
GUSTO ↗STUDENTS ENROLLED ACROSS U.S. COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
NATIONAL STUDENT CLEARINGHOUSE ↗A NEW U.S. BUSINESS APPLICATION WAS FILED THROUGHOUT 2025.
5.64M APPLICATIONS · U.S. CENSUS / FRED ↗
THE AI GOLD RUSHYoung. Global. Hyper-ambitious.Real builders—not invented characters.
The new
American dream
Make entrepreneurship feel possible, legible, and culturally urgent for a mass audience.
A window into
the AI future
See tomorrow’s companies while their products, teams, and market positions are still taking shape.
Open the black box
of Silicon Valley
Turn closed-door founder and investor decisions into premium, practical storytelling.
Build more
female-led empires
Center ambitious women, immigrants, and diverse builders as protagonists of the AI economy.
02 · THE PARTNER VALUE MODEL
Accelerator value.
Media-scale reach.
Choose a value path to see the working scale, activation picture, and what can be measured.
01 · DISCOVER
Qualified startup discovery
Casting operates as an opt-in, high-intent discovery funnel across founders, campuses, accelerators, and venture communities.
WHAT A PARTNER CAN DOSource companies by category or technical fitHost founder office hours and casting activationsBuild an opt-in pipeline before relationships harden
MEASUREQualified opt-insFounder leadsCategory fitApplication completion
03 · THE YEAR-LONG ENGINE
Pipeline before premiere.
Media value after.
The partnership begins with applications and community activation—not with the first episode.
OCT 2026 – JAN 2027 · DISCOVERY
Enter the story at the first founder touchpoint.
Partner credits, tools, and brand identity can travel with the application campaign, founder toolkit, and community distribution from day one.
PARTNER VALUE IN THIS PHASECo-branded application and campaign materialsLogo and credit across the launch toolkitDistribution through partner founder channels
MEASUREApplicationsQualified opt-insToolkit activation
04 · THE FORMAT
Real decisions make
the best television.
Rookie investors, ambitious founders, veteran mentors, and an expert Observation Room collide around real decisions. The format lets viewers learn, argue, choose sides, and predict who will win.
REAL SILICON VALLEYTHE FOUNDER
POWER FLIPFounders choose among investors—reversing the usual pitch-room dynamic.
POWER FLIPFounders choose among investors—reversing the usual pitch-room dynamic.
Rookie student investorsGen Z becomes the audience point of view: growth arcs, team competition, diverse backgrounds, and a near 50/50 gender balance.
Founder journey under pressureFounders compete for real investment, debate teams and one another, and face selection and elimination.
Mentor guidance across generationsVeterans guide rookies, surface generational tension, and reveal how Silicon Valley investment decisions are actually made.
Observation RoomLegendary founders, investors, celebrities, and educators deconstruct raw moments and spark social discussion.
Real capital. Real stakes.The investment is genuine. Viewers can judge the companies, follow the competition, and predict who earns the final commitment.
ON CAMERA
120+ startups12 student investors4 VC mentors10+ legendary + expert voices$2M founder investment target
APPLICATION + AUDIENCE REACH
40K+ startup applications120K+ founders in motion5M planned campus footprint18M+ season view target1B+ impression target
05 · THE TEAM + MOAT
Hollywood craft.
Silicon Valley access.
A bridge between premium storytelling and closed-door capital.
CO-CREATOR · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Bill Guttentag
Two-time Academy Award-winning writer, producer, and director; Peabody winner and three-time Emmy winner. His work has premiered at Sundance, Cannes, Telluride, and Tribeca. He directed the 2025 theatrical release Rule Breakers and has taught at Stanford GSB since 2001.
Stanford GSB profile ↗
CO-CREATOR · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Jing Kuang
Venture capitalist, founder, and Stanford alum focused on early-stage AI. Jing connects founders, investors, operators, and students across the Stanford and Silicon Valley ecosystems.
Stanford profile ↗
DEVELOPED WITHCommercial instinct. Director-driven craft.
Anonymous Content’s film and television legacy includes Spotlight, The Revenant, True Detective, Mr. Robot, and Schitt’s Creek.
View film + TV work ↗
THE BUILT-IN PIPELINEHighly regarded, selective venture training.
The practitioner-led Stanford fellowship admits 12 students from more than 240 applicants, mirrors the series’ investment simulation, and provides a credible recruitment and investor network.
Visit RootedIn ↗“A proprietary bridge between the next generation of AI founders, Gen Z investors, Silicon Valley capital, and premium global storytelling.”
06 · WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
Fund the season.
Power the founders.
The best partnerships combine production cash with capability, access, or distribution that founders can genuinely use.
Own the broadest Season One platform.
- Premier designation + broad category exclusivity
- Signature activation across campaign, production + release
- Strongest billing, content, PR + brand-lift study
Lead one essential founder category.
- Official designation + negotiated exclusivity
- Two to three flagship integrations or activations
- Casting presence, partner assets + measurement
Create one high-value founder or student activation.
- One primary activation + selected campaign visibility
- Authentic product, service or expertise integration
- Co-branded content + engagement reporting
◉Editorial trust is the product. Every integration must serve the founder journey and remains subject to participant consent, editorial control, creative fit, production approval, and final written agreement.
THE NEXT MOVE
Choose the role.
Set the priority.
Select the ways your company could participate and the outcomes that matter. This takes less than a minute.