Arbitrum Mentorship Program Cohort 2: Applications Now Open
The Arbitrum Mentorship Program is back for Cohort 2 in collaboration with Robinhood Chain.
Following the success of the first cohort, the Arbitrum Foundation is opening applications for the next group of early-stage teams building the next generation of products on Arbitrum One and Robinhood Chain.
Cohort 2 is a 12-week program built around two things founders need most as they move from early product to scale: access to capital and hands-on support to execute. Selected teams will work closely with mentors, operators, investors, and ecosystem partners throughout the program, with $100K in prizes available for the top-performing teams. The program concludes with Demo Day, where participating teams will present to an audience expected to include 50+ investors.
Applications for Cohort 2 are open until December 6th , 2026.
Building on Cohort 1
The first cohort showed what can happen when strong founders get direct access to the right operators, investors, and ecosystem partners early.
More than 900 teams applied for Cohort 1 with ten teams presenting at Demo Day. Since then, Cohort 1 teams have collectively reported raising more than $10M, teams launched across Arbitrum One and Robinhood Chain, and dozens of investor introductions were made throughout the cohort.
Cohort 2 builds on those learnings with a more curated mentor network, closer support around fundraising and go-to-market, earlier investor engagement, and a greater focus on measurable progress throughout the program.
The objective is straightforward: help strong founders build, launch, grow, and raise on Arbitrum.
What Founders Can Expect
Cohort 2 is designed around two core pillars: fundraising support and strategic execution.
Fundraising Support
Fundraising support starts from the beginning of the program, not just at Demo Day.
Teams will work directly with investors and experienced operators to strengthen how they position their companies, structure their fundraising story, communicate traction, and pitch.
The program will include investment-readiness sessions, investor pitching workshops, pitch reviews, curated introductions to venture funds, and dedicated Demo Day preparation.
Teams will also begin with an internal Demo Day, giving mentors an early view into each company and helping identify the biggest gaps to work on over the following 12 weeks.
By the time founders reach the final Demo Day on the 25th of March 2027, the goal is for them to have a much stronger company story, investor pipeline, pitch, and understanding of what institutional investors are looking for.
Strategic Execution & Mentorship
Cohort 2 is designed to help founders make meaningful progress on the challenges that matter most to their companies.
Throughout the program, teams will take part in hands-on sessions covering areas such as product strategy, go-to-market, positioning, user acquisition, partnerships, data and growth, tokenomics, stablecoin infrastructure, AI tooling, and building on Robinhood Chain.
Rather than broad lectures, sessions will focus on practical execution and real company challenges, with the aim of helping founders leave with something they can apply directly to their business whether that is a clearer roadmap, growth experiment, partnership strategy, positioning framework, investor deck, or launch plan.
Founders will also work with contributors and teams from across the Arbitrum ecosystem and wider industry, including Robinhood Chain, Pantera, Pendle, Variational, USD.AI, Paxos, Entropy, Offchain Labs, & others alongside the Arbitrum Foundation. Ongoing access to mentors, ecosystem partners, and investors will give teams opportunities to pressure-test ideas, strengthen their companies, and build relationships ahead of Demo Day.
Who Should Apply?
The Mentorship Program is designed for ambitious teams that are already building or are committed to building on Arbitrum One or Robinhood Chain.
We are particularly interested in teams that can demonstrate:
- A working prototype, MVP, testnet deployment, or early live product
- Preseed or seed stage teams
- A committed founding team with the ability to execute quickly
- A clear problem and differentiated product thesis
- Ambition to build a category-leading company
- A commitment to launch or scale on Arbitrum One or Robinhood Chain
- The ability to make meaningful product, growth, or fundraising progress during the program
Teams do not need to already be deployed on Arbitrum to apply. Founders currently exploring ecosystems can apply if they are prepared to commit to building on Arbitrum One or Robinhood Chain as part of the program.
From Application to Demo Day
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, with selected teams progressing through the review and interview process ahead of the program kickoff. Kick off date for the program is planned for the 5th of January, 2027 and ends with Demo Day on the 25th of March, 2027. Dates are subject to change.
Demo Day will bring together participating teams, investors, ecosystem partners, and mentors, giving founders the opportunity to showcase what they have built and the progress they have made throughout the program.
Cohort 1 was the starting point.
Cohort 2 is about going further: giving founders earlier access to investors, deeper strategic support, and a clearer path from early product to a company that can launch, grow, and raise on Arbitrum One or Robinhood Chain.
Applications are now open.
Legal Disclaimer: Participation is subject to the Arbitrum Mentorship Program Terms and Privacy Notice . Prizes are awarded at the Arbitrum Foundation's sole discretion and are subject to eligibility, KYC and sanctions screening, as well as entering into a legal agreement with the Arbitrum Foundation which may include project exclusivity provisions, milestones or KPIs to unlock the full amount of the prize and investment rights. Program sessions are educational and don't constitute legal, financial, tax or investment advice. The Arbitrum Foundation doesn't guarantee any investment or funding outcome. Dates and program content may change.