Built in San Francisco. Inspired by Women.

Funding Breakthrough Lab was founded with a simple mission: to build a better tomorrow by providing non-traditional founders access to education & networks.

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Culture

Diverse Experts & Mentors
Unlike traditional programs with a single lecturer, the lab offers a holistic view with input from VC's, founders, lawyers, and more. We believe that different perspectives paint a better picture of the startup ecosystem.

Comprehensive Curriculum
Covers everything from pitch practice to legal frameworks, offering a "fundraising toolbox."

Inclusivity for Women Founders
We tackle the 2% funding gap for women through grants and targeted outreach. We've purposely kept our cohorts open to men because seeing gender different approaches has been eye opening for all participants. We pride ourselves on having 50% female attendee rate, making our environment highly inclusive.

No Equity Required
Provides value without demanding ownership.

Altruistic Capitalism
The culture in our program is to provide founders with information so that win-win situations enable them to thrive and survive.

Vision
To support founders who want to make positive impact in the world.

Our Values

Diverse Perspectives

We believe that diversity in key in helping gain perspective as well as for building companies that reflect the world we live in.

Transparency

Clear communication and fair pricing. Always.

Human Centered Approach

We believe trust is built through empathy, honesty, and real support.

Natalie's Story

As an Asian American woman and immigrant who became a US citizen 2022, I started my startup journey with no network, no financial backing, and no moral family support to fall back on. In 2023, I lost my job and was on unemployment. I took the leap, I cut back on rent, cut expenses, and fell into a whirlwind of stressful situations. From arguments with my parents, to unstable roommates, to getting comfortable having no source of income, while trying to build something meaningful. Many of my friends who wanted to build companies were in the same place—smart, driven people managing uncertainty and didn't have the networks that help founders succeed. As I kept supporting early founders, I noticed the same pattern everywhere: the stress of being different, the cost of being low-income, the time it took, for founders who didn't have access to capital, networks, or the knowledge, to acquire it. Many assumed VC funding was the best option simply because it was the loudest story—not because it fit their needs. There was no unbiased place to learn how funding actually works while getting the mental support needed. After seven years as a non-profit community builder—including volunteering with Girls in Tech to expand STEM access for young women, helping launch Women Founders Bay, the female founder community—I built Funding Breakthrough Lab, a non-profit to provide a founders first approach in helping people access the innovation economy. Everything I would have wanted. From mindset and coaching to real world stories and perspectives.

Our Team

Provide a general summary of the services you provide, highlighting key features and benefits for potential clients.

Neelam Chakrabarty

Neelam is a 2x founder and seasoned marketing leader with two decades of experience driving growth across startups and enterprises. She has scaled products from zero to $200M and built go-to-market strategies that transformed customer experiences. As a mentor, she helps founders sharpen their problem-solving lens, build traction early, and unlock growth through data-driven decisions.

Holly Uber

Holly Uber is a catalyst for innovation and visionary product leader with over a decade of experience driving technology-enabled transformation. She has developed FDA-registered SaMD products for remote patient monitoring and advanced creative solutions in AR/VR education at zSpace. As an active investor, advisor, and mentor, Holly champions diverse teams and future product leaders. Blending expertise in healthcare, emerging technologies, and ecosystem leadership, she turns bold ideas into real-world impact across industries.

Rochi is a Senior Startup Program Manager at INNOVIT, where she designs and runs startup acceleration programs that help early-stage companies scale and succeed. With a data-driven background spanning MercadoLibre, AON, EY, and General Motors, she blends technical expertise with strong business intuition to drive measurable impact, from launching new platforms to leading digital transformation initiatives.

Rochi Cairo Presepi

There's a lot to love
about Funding Breakthrough Lab

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It free?
Hopefully one day. The program is sliding scale, with minimum contribution ask of $1000.

Do you take equity?
No. We believe you should understand the startup ecosystem before you start giving away your company.

How long is the program?
The program runs for 10-weeks.

Can I do this online?
Yes - the majority of this experience is online, all social events, however, are in person including our retreats and the final demo day.

Can I be in school or have a job?
Yes - However we only take highly committed founders. Lack of commitment hurts the community and downgrades the experience for everyone else.

What is the time commitment?
Expect 10-12 hrs a week. Live content will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between usually between 2-5pm. We may have an additional weekly session at noon. Socials may be on the weekend/or evening. You will also be expected to meet with fellow cohort subgroups once a week.

What about the opening and closing retreat?
Their is an optional opening and closing retreat at a Ranch owned by one of our speakers. It's has been the foundation for founders to build connection with fellow cohort members and speakers. We highly recommend you attend. It's also optional to camp.

What's are alumni perk?
You get continued live zoom access to future cohorts, so you can jump in a watch new talks. We ask you let new founders have priority to asking questions. You will also have access to our alumni what's app group and slack.

Do you provide grants?
We are offering a number of partial program grants to low-income founders and women founders making the program more accessible.