A digital marketplace startup accelerator.
May 31-July 8, 2022.
A special cohort for digital marketplace startups.
4thly is Silicon Valley’s global startup accelerator. Fee-based so you keep 100% of your equity, Zoom-based so you can join from anywhere.
We turn early-stage startups into scale-ready, funding-ready ventures with zero equity dilution.
Read our success stories.
Apply now
Takes less than 2 mins!
Some of the most successful ventures today are digital marketplaces – platforms for connecting buyers and sellers. From Etsy to Airbnb, from Instacart to Mercado Libre, digital marketplaces have transformed entire industries and are creating billions of dollars in value today.
But they are also highly dynamic, complex business structures that are notoriously difficult to design and profitably grow. Many have difficulty gaining critical mass, establishing a compelling value proposition for all their participants, or monetizing without negatively impacting growth.
This special cohort in the 4thly Startup Accelerator is an intensive 6-week experience designed specifically for digital marketplace startups. The program is a unique mix of live lectures, intensive group collaboration, 1:1 coaching, and the creation of a comprehensive Venture Stack that will drive your next round of funding and beyond.
This accelerator also features content focused on key objectives that every marketplace start-up needs to master, including developing a winning marketplace strategy, attaining marketplace product/market fit, and designing a program to unleash the flywheel of growth.
The program also features an extraordinary range of guest speakers ranging from venture capitalists to Silicon Valley attorneys, from online marketing experts to leading technologists.
The program culminates in a “Demo Day”, where participants pitch to an audience that includes Silicon Valley venture capitalists, executives, and other investors.
You keep 100% of your equity.
Unlike many startup accelerators, we do not take any of your startup equity. Instead, you pay a simple program fee. At today’s startup valuations, the 5-10% that some accelerators take is equal to hundreds of thousands of dollars. We’re interested in driving your success, not taking your equity.
$50,000 worth of value in six weeks.
Our goal with the program is to provide $50K worth of value to your startup in six weeks, including credits your startup will receive from AWS, Google, HubSpot, Zendesk, Vouch, and more. Read about The Venture Stack.
No travel required.
It all takes place via Zoom so that you continue to focus on your business and your family while you participate in the accelerator.
Raise your next round of funding.
By the end of the program your venture will not only be poised for success, it will also be ready to raise its next round of funding armed with a full Venture Stack and connections to the right sources and structures of capital.
Our team becomes your team.
The program is co-led by startup expert Bret Waters and digital marketplace expert Rob Mihalko, using methodologies they have developed in their years of teaching at Stanford University. In addition, the 4thly CTO becomes your technical co-founder during the program, while the 4thly Project Manager helps you to stay on track and get the resources you need.
Ready to apply?
The first step is a 2-minute initial application.
Immersive experience.
The whole cohort meets together 3x/week, plus each startup has individual meetings with Bret, Rob, and their team of experts. This mix of group collaboration plus 1:1 coaching is part of what makes the 4thly experience unique.
Cross-pollination is the secret sauce.
We carefully select participants who we believe will add to the experience for all. Our cohorts tend to represent a wide range of entrepreneurs, markets, and technologies – but are linked by a common theme or industry sector to foster rich collaboration on topics essential start-up success in a given cohort.
Tangible Deliverables.
Some accelerators are all talk. Ours is focused on doing and delivering. You will emerge from the program with a complete, refined Venture Stack – all the components required for a funding-ready, scaling-ready venture.
Demo Day with investors.
On the last day of the program we hold a “Demo Day” where each startup delivers their pitch to an audience that includes investors, venture capitalists, and executives from across many sectors.
Apply now:
The first step is this quick application and then you’ll receive an email with further instructions!

“After 6 weeks in the 4thly program I was ready to launch our new product. It never would have happened without the guidance, support, feedback and encouragement from the team. 4thly will always feel like family to me.”
– Noelle Acosta, CEO/Founder of Noula
“The generosity of the 4thly team with their time, advice and assistance was amazing. The 4thly accelerator sessions were informative, interactive and thought provoking- a real highlight each week. We successfully raised capital a month later.”
– Ashraf Rizvi, CEO/Founder, Gilded
Apply now.
Takes 2 mins.
“We had been working on our startup for some time, and were nearly ready to launch. But the two months we spent in the 4thly Accelerator, immersed on Zoom with the amazing 4thly team and the other participants, got us over the finish line. We now feel truly prepared for launch, and our startup is ready for success”
– Aram Novikov, CEO/Founder, BikeOn
“The support we received in the 4thly accelerator was amazing. It felt as if everyone in the 4thly ecosystem — leadership, colleagues, advisors, and even the frequent guest speakers — were all on our team and in our corner helping us to be successful.”
– Lana Guernsey, CEO/Founder, Living Strategy.
“Being a part of the 4thly Accelerator was a truly insightful experience, with all things startup! We learned a great deal from the 4thly team, the guest speakers and a diverse cohort of extremely smart startup founders. I highly recommend it for startups looking for structured accelerated growth.”
– Aniket Malvankar, CEO/Founder, ProductBricks
“Participating in 4thly was motivating, challenging and just what I needed to move my business forward. I had moments of discomfort, but the camaraderie built confidence and I felt like I had an extended team always there for me.”
– Sandra Hook, CEO/Founder, PetsRN
“Not only did 4thly give us the roadmap and structure we needed but relationships made within its network of founders and advisors has been essential to growth.”
– Jesse Link, CEO, Rella