From a validated idea to a market-leading startup, we guide founders every step of the way.

Launch your startup journey

We select the best founders to join us in creating outstanding startups.

Before the ideation phase concludes, we meticulously select founders and pair them with ideas, considering factors like market fit, backgrounds, and personal preferences. We believe creation is a group effort, so we match compatible co-founders to create the best team for the job.

In the build phase, Founders drive the venture forward, transitioning from the draft stage to developing a Minimum Marketable Product (MVP). This exciting but critical step involves validating assumptions, engaging with customers to secure market traction, and building the product to demonstrate its technical feasibility. Our hands-on approach lays a solid foundation for the startup's success, including in-depth coaching by our team as well as industry-leading experts, every step of the way.

Once the founders are prepared to launch and all checkpoints are cleared, the company is established and funded. At this point, the founders assume full control, steering the ship as the adventure continues.

Joining before offers you a multitude of advantages.

Seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts coach your every step of the way, accelerating your learning curve and aiding you in navigating challenges effectively.

Your startup is funded, and once launched, we introduce you to senior investors to develop the venture further.

Overall, joining before significantly increases your chances of success by providing comprehensive support, resources, and opportunities throughout your entrepreneurial journey.

Oh, and what’s more, you get a salary and benefits while doing it.

Any questions ?

  • We partner with individuals who view launching a company not merely as a choice but as a deep-seated calling—a passion they're driven to pursue, with or without our involvement. Alongside this fervent drive, we highly prize specific traits: mindsets, soft skills, and qualities that consistently propel successful startups forward. These traits are distilled into three core attributes: ambition, humility, and execution.

  • While it’s true that having prior experience in entrepreneurship is a plus, it is not a pre-requisite; we all have to start somewhere. We value attitude and accountability over experience.

  • Yes, launching a company is tough. We don’t want financial issues to become a burden and prevent your success.

  • Yes, you will have to live in Montreal to join the program. Launching a startup is a very challenging process, and we want you to be able to live it fully. We do not believe in remote working; most ideas are found at the coffee machine.

    If you’re coming from abroad, we can help you get settled and help with your closed visa and immigration issues. The visa would be linked to your time within before.

  • Every founder will typically work within the studio for a year before launch. However, this is not the whole story, as the ideas have matured for about six months before entering the validation phase.

  • At before, we're deeply invested in the success of every project we take on. Over 12 months, our team works closely with founders, providing hands-on support in critical areas such as product development, design, strategy, go-to-market planning, recruiting, and funding. Our goal is to help build resilient, independent companies, both operationally and financially, covering all costs until they achieve independence.

    While our partners contribute significantly to strategic decision-making and tackling complex challenges, we ensure that founders retain control and autonomy. This balance provides a blend of independence and expert guidance, empowering founders to drive their company's direction while benefiting from our support and insights. It's a collaborative journey where founders are encouraged to remain open to different perspectives, ensuring the best possible outcomes for their ventures.

  • Well, to start with, you are at the helm of an incorporated company as a C-level. Choices become yours, as before, it offers services to its startups such as office, legal, and IT support. Whatever you choose to do, your startup remains in the community and, as such, will continue receiving our support if you'd like to.

  • The exact funding is not a fixed value, as it may depend on the project's needs. However, at launch, each startup starts with an initial capital of $ 200.000. This doesn’t include the costs that before has covered pre-launch.

  • The startup studio fulfills twofold functions: first, it acts as a co-founder for each project; second, it shoulders all expenses necessary for project development until the newly established company secures VC funding. Equity is apportioned, so the studio retains 30% of the fully diluted equity post-launch and initial VC funding. Subsequently, as the company progresses and seeks further investment, both the studio and the founders undergo equal dilution by incoming investors.

  • It’s a fair question.

    To answer it, one has to consider that before covers all pre-launch costs, including your salary, and provides the startup's initial funding. But this is only part of the story, as the rest of the support structure represents most of the costs.

    Partnering with us accelerates the creation of your project and reduces risks compared to other early-stage projects. But speed is not the only factor; quality and reliability are also supporting factors to the project's success. The 30% equity asked for each project represents our confidence in the value of what we bring to the table and our commitment to your project.

  • Our studio may be young, but we bring a wealth of experience in entrepreneurship and successful exits to the table. Our partners have been through the trenches of building and scaling companies themselves, experiencing the highs and lows firsthand.