Confident Pose journal

Build in Public

this page answers a simple question: what is Confident Pose building in public? it is a running journal of startup videos, resources, and updates about building a hardware company around a posture device with a muscle sensor.

what is this page? a public build log from Indira Negi about building Confident Pose.

what kinds of updates are here? accelerator research, startup videos, and product-building notes.

what is Confident Pose building? a posture device with muscle-sensing technology that helps train better posture habits.

Preview image from a Confident Pose build in public video showing hardware startup prototyping
Learn about Confident Pose

Accelerator / incubator spreadsheet

this is the accelerator and incubator spreadsheet i've been organizing for myself so i can compare programs more clearly. it includes funding, equity, notes, notable startups, interest areas, deadlines, reputation tier, and how much effort each application takes.

29 accelerators 9 fields downloadable

disclaimer: i built this sheet after spending time doing deep research in Gemini, asking follow-up questions back and forth, and then organizing the results into this format. i may not catch every inaccuracy. if you spot something off, message me on X and i will fix it.

what is this resource? a downloadable accelerator spreadsheet for comparing startup accelerators and incubators in one place.

who is it for? founders and startup operators evaluating where to apply.

what fields are included? funding, equity, notes, notable startups, interest areas, deadlines, reputation tier, and effort grade.

how do I use it? scan the table here, then download the Excel file or open the Google Sheet to sort, filter, and add your own notes.

entry 05

accelerator list preview

mobile tip: swipe sideways on the table if you want to see every column.

AcceleratorNormal FundingEquity TakeFunding Note (Terms)Notable StartupsInterest AreasSF DeadlineReputation TierEffort Grade
a16z Speedrun $750k - $1M 7-10% Direct from a16z; SF/LA based Sekai, k-ID, Fundamental Research AI, Gaming, Consumer Rolling Tier 1 A (High)
HF0 Residency $1M 5% Uncapped SAFE; live-in residency (Elite Repeat Founders) AI-native, Infrastructure Rolling Tier 1 A (High)
Sequoia Arc $1M ~10% Straight equity; partner access (Stealth/Sequoia Seed companies) PMF, GTM, Long-term building Feb 23 (Spring) Tier 1 A (High)
OpenAI Converge $1M Equity Direct OpenAI equity investment Harvey, Cursor, Ambience Frontier AI applications Variable Tier 1 A (High)
Y Combinator $500k 7% + MFN $125k for 7%; $375k MFN SAFE Airbnb, Stripe, DoorDash, Coinbase AI (60%), Generalist May 11* Tier 1 A+ (High)
500 Global $150k 6% Net $112.5k after $37.5k fee Canva, Grab, Udemy, Credit Karma Global Growth, SaaS, Fintech Oct 11 (Batch 36) Tier 1 B (Medium)
South Park Commons $400k + $600k 7% $400k for 7% + $600k guaranteed (Exploratory Stage Founders) "Negative-one" stage, AI, Crypto Aug 03, 2026 Tier 1 B (Medium)
Accel Atoms Up to $1M Variable Seed round participation (India-first technical teams) AI, SaaS, India focus Rolling Tier 1 B (Medium)
Greylock Edge $500k+ SAFE Direct partner mentorship (Early Greylock portfolio) Enterprise, Consumer, AI Rolling Tier 1 B (Medium)
Techstars $220k 5% + MFN $20k for 5%; $200k uncapped SAFE Zipline, SendGrid, PillPack Emerging Markets, Global, Health Jun 10, 2026 Tier 1 B+ (Med-High)
NEO $750k 0.75-5% Variable equity; uncapped SAFE Cursor, Cognition, Pika, Chai Technical talent, AI, Infra June Cutoff Tier 1 B+ (Med-High)
AI Grant $250k Uncapped Uncapped SAFE; open-source focus (Frontier AI researchers) Open-source AI, LLM tools Rolling Tier 1 C (Low-Med)
Antler $250k 9% Includes stipend; co-founder matching Airalo, Lovable, Reebelo Agnostic, Co-founder matching Dec 31 (Rolling) Tier 2 C (Medium)
Entrepreneur First $250k ~9% Two-stage: FORM and LAUNCH Tractable, Cleo, Magic Pony Technical individuals, Deep tech August 1 (London) Tier 2 B (Medium)
PearX $250k - $2M ~10% Small batches; hands-on hiring/GTM Hayden AI, DeepScribe, Viz.ai Pre-seed, AI, SaaS, Climate Apr 12, 2026 Tier 2 B+ (Med-High)
Boost VC $500k 15% Pre-seed; "Sci-Fi" tech focus Unstoppable Domains, Radiant Deep Tech, AI, Space, Crypto Jul 31, 2026 Tier 2 B (Medium)
AngelPad $120k 7% 5% common + ~2% investment Buffer, Postmates, Sensor Tower B2B, SaaS, Precision positioning Rolling Tier 2 A (High)
Berkeley SkyDeck $200k 7.5% Post-money SAFE; academic pipeline Lime, Skyloom, Krisp, MindsDB AI, Bio, Hard Tech Aug 22, 2026 Tier 2 B (Medium)
Alchemist $25k - $36k 5% Net of tuition; focus on sales Rigetti Computing, LaunchDarkly Enterprise SaaS, B2B AI Sep 12, 2026 Tier 2 B (Medium)
MassChallenge Zero 0 No equity; cash prizes awarded Ginger.io, Turo (early) Impact, Climate, Health Feb Tier 2 C (Low-Med)
Google for Startups $350k* 0 Cloud credits only; equity-free (Cloud-native AI startups) AI-first, Cloud infrastructure Jan 22-30 Tier 2 D (Low)
AI2 Incubator Up to $600k Variable $1M compute; Seattle relocation (Research-heavy AI teams) Vertical AI (Health, Logistics) Rolling Tier 2 B (Medium)
Soma Capital 100000 < 1% High-volume fellowship (High-growth pre-seed startups) Agnostic, High-growth Dec 31 (Rolling) Tier 2 D (Low)
LAUNCH 125000 7% $250k follow-on option Uber (early), Calm, Robinhood Traction, GTM focus Dec 31 (Rolling) Tier 2 C (Low-Med)
Conviction Embed $150k Uncapped Run by Sarah Guo; MFN SAFE (Stealth AI companies) AI-native applications Aug 08, 2026 Tier 2 C (Low-Med)
Afore Capital $100k - $500k Variable Product-led growth focus (Early pre-seed companies) SaaS, PLG, Mobile Rolling Tier 2 C (Low-Med)
Founders Fellowship $150k 5-10% Community-led structured checks (Early technical cohorts) Generalist, AI-heavy Rolling Tier 2 C (Low-Med)
Founder Institute No Cash 4% Equity Collective; warrant-based Udemy (early), Realty Mogul Pre-seed, Idea-stage solo Rolling Tier 3 B (Medium)
Pioneer $20k 1% Remote; gamified leaderboard (Niche technical builders) Software, Hard Tech Rolling Tier 3 D (Low)

4 Prototypes, 2 Failures, 1 Working Board

prototyping reality. startup series episode 5. this one captures what actually happens when a hardware idea leaves the sketchbook and runs into the real world.

what is this video about? this build in public video explains the messy middle of prototyping: multiple board versions, failures, and the first board that actually worked.

why does it matter? it documents the real decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons behind building a hardware startup around a muscle sensor and posture device from Confident Pose.

Thumbnail for 4 Prototypes, 2 Failures, 1 Working Board watch on youtube

entry 04

build in public video

the messy middle of prototyping: multiple board versions, failures, and the first board that actually worked.

My $1000 Mistake

the 5 hardware stages you can't afford to skip. startup series episode 4. this was a lesson in where hardware teams lose time and money if they move in the wrong order.

what is this video about? this build in public video explains a breakdown of the hardware stages that matter and the cost of learning them too late.

why does it matter? it documents the real decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons behind building a hardware startup around a muscle sensor and posture device from Confident Pose.

Thumbnail for My $1000 Mistake watch on youtube

entry 03

build in public video

a breakdown of the hardware stages that matter and the cost of learning them too late.

The Surprising Advantage of Being a Solo Hardware Founder

startup series episode 3. a note on how building alone changes speed, decision-making, and the way the company takes shape in the earliest stage.

what is this video about? this build in public video explains why being solo was not only a constraint but also a strategic advantage at the start.

why does it matter? it documents the real decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons behind building a hardware startup around a muscle sensor and posture device from Confident Pose.

Thumbnail for The Surprising Advantage of Being a Solo Hardware Founder watch on youtube

entry 02

build in public video

why being solo was not only a constraint but also a strategic advantage at the start.

How I Filtered 30 Startup Ideas Down to 1

my 7-point test for product ideas. startup series episode 2. this was the process of narrowing a pile of possible directions down to the one worth building.

what is this video about? this build in public video explains the decision framework that helped turn a long ideas list into one focused startup path.

why does it matter? it documents the real decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons behind building a hardware startup around a muscle sensor and posture device from Confident Pose.

Thumbnail for How I Filtered 30 Startup Ideas Down to 1 watch on youtube

entry 01

build in public video

the decision framework that helped turn a long ideas list into one focused startup path.

How I'm Building a Hardware Startup From Scratch

it starts with a muscle sensor. startup series episode 1. this was the first public video in the build in public journey and the starting point for explaining what i'm building and why.

what is this video about? this build in public video explains a short intro to the startup, the hardware journey, and why the muscle sensor is where the story starts.

why does it matter? it documents the real decisions, tradeoffs, and lessons behind building a hardware startup around a muscle sensor and posture device from Confident Pose.

Thumbnail for How I'm Building a Hardware Startup From Scratch watch on youtube

entry 00

build in public video

a short intro to the startup, the hardware journey, and why the muscle sensor is where the story starts.

faq

questions this page answers

what is Confident Pose?

Confident Pose is a posture device with a muscle sensor system designed to help people build stronger posture habits and better alignment over time.

what is this Build in Public page?

This page is a public journal of what Indira Negi is building for Confident Pose, including startup videos, resources, and progress updates.

what is included in the accelerator spreadsheet?

The accelerator spreadsheet includes 29 accelerators across 9 fields, including funding, equity, notable startups, interest areas, deadlines, reputation tier, and effort grade.

who is the accelerator spreadsheet for?

It is for founders, startup operators, and anyone comparing accelerator or incubator programs and trying to decide where to apply.

where can I download the accelerator spreadsheet?

You can download the Excel file from the spreadsheet entry on this page or open the same resource in Google Sheets with the online view link.

where can I watch the Build in Public startup series?

The startup series entries on this page link directly to YouTube and cover the early journey of building a hardware startup from scratch.