Miami Founder Residency

by focal x The Lab

The most talent-dense, high intensity inception stage founder program where you get all the benefits of a top accelerator without the heavy dilution.

A highly curated launchpad for the best technical AI founders to start a venture scale company.
intense
3 months with minimum 6 days per week in office and office hours with focal on Sundays
elite
1% acceptance rate | limited to 10 technical AI builders / teams
in person
All founders move to Miami for the duration of the program (costs offset) - the US’ fastest rising city
impactful
Built to be the best place for you to get your startup off the ground with velocity
Ideate, experiment, and execute at breakneck speed with the space and support to fail, learn, iterate, and win big - shoulder to shoulder with your best peers.

All while being mentored by unicorn founders who push you to think bigger.

Meet our
past residents.

"The best startup program we've been part of as founders. They pushed us hard and opened up a deeply talented network that's been essential to Eclipse's growth."

Ben Carlson - Co-Founder Eclipse (2nd time founder / MIT grad)

"Focal created an environment that pushes you to think from first principles, move with intensity, and become venture-ready MUCH faster than you would on your own."

Jack Lau - Co-Founder Searcle AI (3rd time founder)

"I'm genuinely grateful for everything that's come out of this residency — the strategic conversations, the introductions, the advice that accelerated our trajectory. The best environment to be building in early on."

Fifi Siddiqui - Founder Maxed (High school dropout)

"Most startup programs give you resources and frameworks. The focal x LAB residency pushed us to stop preparing and start closing. As academics, it's what we needed."

Chance Li - Co-Founder Mohan Media (MIT Media Labs grad)

"The residency has been a game changer. The mentorship and clarity we've gained in such a short time have accelerated our growth. The talks with successful founders have been invaluable, and being surrounded by like-minded founders has pushed us to move faster."

Anthony Sistilli - Founders Fallom (2nd time founder)

"Joining the residency was the push we needed to move from academic researcher to startup builder. In the first few weeks, we talked to more customers than in the previous few months."

Dawei Liang - Co-Founder Cool Labs AI (UTexas AI PhD)

"Focal gave us real backing early with structured support that helped us catch mistakes we would’ve spent months recovering from otherwise along with the connections opening many doors!"

Siddharth Dhanasekar - Co-Founders Kairo Security (Georgia Tech dropout)

"Being part of the residency has been a game changer. We're surrounded by deeply technical, driven founders building in person every day, with direct access to the focal team and their network of founders who've built unicorns and had multiple exits."

Zeeshan Shahid - Co-Founder Searcle AI (3rd time founder)

Searcle AI
"Being part of the residency has been a game changer. We're surrounded by deeply technical, driven founders building in person every day, with direct access to the focal team and their network of founders who've built unicorns and had multiple exits."

Zeeshan Shahid - Co-Founder Searcle AI (3rd time founder)

Kairo Security
"Focal gave us real backing early with structured support that helped us catch mistakes we would’ve spent months recovering from otherwise along with the connections opening many doors!"

Siddharth Dhanasekar - Co-Founders Kairo Security (Georgia Tech dropout)

Cool Labs AI
"Joining the residency was the push we needed to move from academic researcher to startup builder. In the first few weeks, we talked to more customers than in the previous few months."

Dawei Liang - Co-Founder Cool Labs AI (UTexas AI PhD)

Eclipse
"The best startup program we've been part of as founders. They pushed us hard and opened up a deeply talented network that's been essential to Eclipse's growth."

Ben Carlson - Co-Founder Eclipse (2nd time founder / MIT grad)

Searcle AI
"Focal created an environment that pushes you to think from first principles, move with intensity, and become venture-ready MUCH faster than you would on your own."

Jack Lau - Co-Founder Searcle AI (3rd time founder)

Maxed
"I'm genuinely grateful for everything that's come out of this residency — the strategic conversations, the introductions, the advice that accelerated our trajectory. The best environment to be building in early on."

Fifi Siddiqui - Founder Maxed (High school dropout)

Mohan Media
"Most startup programs give you resources and frameworks. The focal x LAB residency pushed us to stop preparing and start closing. As academics, it's what we needed."

Chance Li - Co-Founder Mohan Media (MIT Media Labs grad)

Fallom
"The residency has been a game changer. The mentorship and clarity we've gained in such a short time have accelerated our growth. The talks with successful founders have been invaluable, and being surrounded by like-minded founders has pushed us to move faster."

Anthony Sistilli - Founders Fallom (2nd time founder)