The retreat, day by day
What to expect at the retreat
A day-by-day walk through the four days. For founders who have been accepted, and for serious applicants gauging whether the format is right for them.
Day 1
Arrival, ideation, formation
Land. Pitch v1.
- Arrival + welcome dinner with the cohort and Inception team
- First-round pitch delivery to the full cohort — raw, unrehearsed, a baseline
- Small-group breakouts: what is the actual story you are telling investors
- Group formation around pitch-feedback pods that stay together through Day 3
Energizing and slightly destabilizing. You arrive with a deck you thought was good; you leave Day 1 knowing what is actually weak about it.
Day 2
Intensive building
Tear down. Rebuild.
- Morning: 1:1 advisor sessions — operators and investors with directly relevant experience
- Afternoon: working time, with pod feedback throughout
- Evening: founders-only dinner with informal cross-pollination
- Pitch v2 delivered late Day 2 — the structural rework is in
The most building-focused day. Many founders describe Day 2 as the inflection point — when the narrative starts to actually click.
Day 3
Pitch refinement, multiple rounds
Polish. Stress-test.
- Morning: rapid-fire pitch rounds with rotating advisor critique
- Mid-day: investor-perspective drills — what objections does this raise
- Afternoon: refinement and rest in equal measure (you will need both)
- Evening: alumni dinner — past cohort founders join, bringing pattern-matching from their own raises
Tighter, more practiced. By end of Day 3 the pitch is unrecognizable from where it started — in the right way.
Day 4
Demo Day
Deliver.
- Morning: final-version rehearsals and last advisor passes
- Afternoon: Demo Day with invited investors and operators in the room
- Post-Demo Day: investor conversations continue informally
- Closing dinner with the full cohort, advisors, and Inception team
The reason it all happened. The pitch you deliver on Day 4 is the one you will keep using to fundraise — sharper, tighter, and grounded in real feedback.
What to bring
- A current version of your pitch deck and any supporting one-pagers
- A working demo or product you can show in person
- A short, honest list of what is broken or unclear about your fundraise
- Notebook and laptop charger; the rest is taken care of
What not to do
- Do not over-rehearse before arrival — Day 1 is most useful when the pitch is fresh
- Do not skip the evenings — much of the value happens around dinner, not in sessions
- Do not treat this as a passive program — you get out what you put in
From past cohorts
How Kazuki turned a near-death experience into Glasp's thesis-driven fundraise — and what Inception Studio's retreat sharpened along the way.
Common questions
Can I bring my co-founder to the retreat?
Yes. Co-founders attend together when both are on the founding team. The retreat is built for founding teams, not solo participants only.
Is there pre-work before I arrive?
A short prep brief: current pitch deck, list of the questions you most want help with, and a short summary of where you are in the fundraise. The point of the prep is to make Day 1 productive, not to over-rehearse.
What is the typical pace?
Intense. Mornings are structured (advisor sessions, group critique). Afternoons are mixed coaching + working time. Evenings are dinners with advisors, peers, and visiting operators. Sleep is real but not abundant.
What happens on Day 4 / Demo Day?
A refined version of your pitch in front of an invited audience of investors and operators. After Demo Day, alumni dinner and informal follow-up conversations continue into the evening.
Not yet accepted? Start with the main retreat page or read the full FAQ. Application is at /apply.