Our Investment and Selection Thesis:

How Conquest '26 Selects Startups

Most accelerators reward past, what Conquest reward potential. If a startup has already raised institutional funding and refined its narrative for investors - there's not much we can do for them. Conquest is built for founders who are strong, deeply committed to the problem, but early in shaping their venture's clarity.

We anchor our philosophy in a simple idea: the difference between a startup before and after Conquest should be substantial. Every selection decision is guided by whether we can meaningfully increase that difference.

Conquest is intentionally pre-seed focused. We prioritize startups who are strong on their ideas and vision because at the end of the day, that is what defines a problem solver.

What you have done already does not matter to us that much, what matters more is your drive and passion towards the problem you are solving. Our core mission is to accelerate and help the founders who we believe can become the next big thing.

Startups applying to our program move through a review process where each application is thoroughly evaluated by our team and our panel of investors before progressing to the next stage. This ensures that every decision is informed, balanced and grounded in real ecosystem experience.

Every submission is carefully assessed to ensure alignment with the mission we have here at Conquest.

Conquest '26 uses a structured framework called the Investment Readiness Level. Throughout the accelerator, startups participate in mentor calls, coaching sessions, and investor pitch interactions. Feedback from these sessions is consolidated to help founders understand where they stand and how to improve.

The objective is consistent progression. We treat readiness as something that can be measured, refined, and strengthened over time.

Strong applications clearly demonstrate what has been built, why the problem matters, and where the founder currently struggles. Transparency about weaknesses is often a sign of maturity. Clarity about how Conquest can accelerate specific bottlenecks shows alignment.

Conviction and honesty matter more than perfection.