The annual list
The founders worth backing, chosen once a year and published every January 1st.
The inaugural Shortlist publishes January 1, 2027. Applications are open now.
Apply to be consideredWhat it is
Once a year, on January 1st, the Shortlist names the pre-seed and seed founders worth backing.
Chosen from thousands of applications and measured against years of venture outcomes, it is the shortest list in the Valley and the one investors open first. Making it is the credential.
The cadence
How a name makes it
Send your deck. Every founder who applies gets an answer, on the record, before the list is set.
Measured against venture outcomes, then gone through line by line before any tier is set. Everyone gets written feedback back.
The top few percent are named to the Shortlist on January 1st. The rest keep an open door to reapply.
Applications open