What is Atto?

Atto is a tech entrepreneurship school for the world’s most promising female founders. Our non-equity-based programs are delivered 100% online meaning you can be anywhere in the world to take part.

Atto is named after the metric prefix ‘Atto’ – championing that great things can be built through tiny actions and micro amounts of capital.

Founded in 2019, Atto was created to fill a gap in the education space by creating hands-on and action-oriented programs that teach women to create a startup on their own terms.

We run various different programs that support founders from idea to launch to growth to scale across Atto Academy, Atto Aspire, Atto Accelerator, and Atto Angel.

Why does Atto exist?

Atto exists to develop the pipeline of female founders by helping them make their ideas happen in an independent, scalable, and sustainable way. Created by a serial founder for founders, Atto is a hands-on program that shares real-world experience from global founders, experts, and operators. Atto focuses on building startups in a lean, customer- and revenue-centric pathway, this means that the programming is about day-to-day startup challenges, and not just how to raise money from investors.

How is Atto different from other startup programs?

1) We welcome emerging and aspiring founders

Atto’s flagship program is an accelerator program, meaning it’s perfect for early-stage female founders who are starting from scratch and might not be at the level to raise funding or apply to later-stage startup accelerators like Y Combinator (who like to see traction, technical skills, established founder reputations, networks and more).

You might be unsure what a tech startup even is – and that’s okay!

2) We champion freedom

Atto is an equity-free accelerator that champions all pathways to building a startup. This means that founders have the choice of going on to raise capital without diluting their cap table (some programs take over 10% for little investment, which limits a founder’s ability to raise follow-on rounds in the future), raising alt funding such as equity crowdfunding – or even proceeding down the indie pathway by building their company through revenue.

Our program content isn’t just focused on raising funding or pitching investors!

3) We are incredibly practical

Atto is all about making things happen. So much of building a startup is about action, focus, and velocity. Sure, there will be some theory involved, however, we believe entrepreneurship is about getting your hands dirty and learning how to DIY things where possible. That’s why we love the no-code movement and what this means for non-technical founders.

Does Atto take equity?

No. If we move to an investment-based model, this may change.

Does Atto make an investment?

No. We are currently exploring a micro fund for early-stage female founders.

How much does Atto cost?

Atto Academy is an ongoing membership program fee starting from AUD $29/month. The cost is per member so each founder who wants to participate should subscribe. Further information can be found at Atto Academy and Academy Agreement.

Atto Aspire is a one-time program fee of AUD $990 for the 8-week program. Payment plans are available. The cost is per company, so multiple co-founders can participate. Further information can be found at Atto Aspire and Accelerator Agreement.

Atto Accelerator is a one-time program fee of AUD $1990 for the 12-week program. Payment plans are available. The cost is per company, so multiple co-founders can participate. Further information can be found at Atto Accelerator and Accelerator Agreement.

Atto Scholarship places are limited and assessed on either a needs or merit basis. Needs-based scholarships are aimed at regional founders, BIWoC, people with a disability, people receiving low-income benefits, people unemployed due to COVID-19, and university or TAFE students. Merit-based scholarships take into account a startup’s traction, the founder’s experience, and impact on the community. Further information can be found at Atto Scholarships.

Why are there program fees?

Atto champions building sustainable companies and this is how we operate too. As our programs are equity-free, we charge a program fee to cover our costs. Everyone who teaches at Atto is compensated for their time, this means we can source higher quality and more diverse educators who don’t want to or aren’t able to teach or mentor startups for free.

Who is Atto run by?

Atto was created by our program director Kate Kendall, a serial entrepreneur, community builder, and company advisor with 15 years of experience in tech across Silicon Valley, New York, Australia, and some EU markets. Kate has pursued various pathways when building startups, including raising a $1M+ USD angel round, raising $55K in crowdfunding, $375K in government grant funding as well as following an indie approach. It was through experiencing the challenges female founders face (including being told by investors not to have kids) that inspired her to create a new school program for female founders.

We’re also proud of our growing team Atto HQ team. You can view the full team here.

Who teaches at Atto?

Our courseware is taught by global startup operators, founders, and investors. Our number-one requirement is that educators have either started a company or worked at a fast-growth startup so can share their first-hand practical experience. You can view the full list of educators here.

Who should apply to Atto?

Atto is perfect for early-stage female founders, this includes both emerging founders with a brand new idea or existing founders with an already established company.

It’s perfect for those interested in building a tech startup without spending tens of thousands of dollars outsourcing an MVP, those who don’t have a technical cofounder, and those looking to take meaningful action in an accountability-driven environment.

Atto is open to founders located across the globe.

Can I apply to Atto multiple times?

Yes, absolutely. We evaluate all applications with fresh eyes so if you have previously been rejected, please consider applying again. There is no limit to the number of times you can apply to any program at Atto.

What kind of ideas and markets do you look for?

We are open to any idea or market as long as it is capable of scaling to be a multi-million or billion-dollar business. This means that small businesses, service-based businesses, trades businesses, non-profits, and charities might not be the best fit.

We are especially interested in the following models:

• Marketplaces

• SaaS

• B2B (including enterprise)

• DTC (direct-to-consumer) & Ecommerce

• Education (Courseware & Communities)

In these markets:

• Creator Economy

• Sustainable Consumer Products

• Women’s Health

• Parenting & Child

• Beauty & Wellness

• Productivity Tools

• Future of Work & HR Tech

• Remote Living

• FinTech & Economic Empowerment

Do I have to be a first-time founder?

No. While Atto is great for first-time founders with a new idea, we also accept early-stage founders who might be already working on something but are pre-product-market fit, pre-growth, or in need of a pivot.

Can I apply to Atto if I work full-time, am finishing university, or am a stay-at-home parent?

Yes, some of the most successful tech companies originally started as side projects. Some founders worked on their products for years before they became successful enough to go all in. So, you don’t have to quit your job to go through Atto – you do, however, need to be available to attend the online sessions, ‘show up’, take action, and focus on metrics and hitting goals. Right now, our program is scheduled during business hours so some flexibility by your employer is needed.

We recommend founders have at least five hours per week available for Atto Academy and at least 10 hours per week for Atto Accelerator. More details about commitment can be found in Atto’s Accelerator Agreement and Academy Agreement.

We also welcome applications from university students and recent grads who want to go down the entrepreneur path. You don’t have to be studying computer science or a business degree.

Atto is pro-family and against hostile startup environments for women and parents. That’s why we designed our programming with flexibility at its heart. We often have Zoom cameos from Atto founder’s children. 🙂

Can I apply if I don’t have a cofounder?

Yes, we accept and welcome solo founder teams.

Can I apply if I have a cofounder?

Yes, we accept and welcome cofounding teams.

Can I apply if I don’t have a technical cofounder?

Yes, we accept and welcome non-technical founder teams.

Can I apply if I have a male cofounder?

Yes, we accept and welcome female and male cofounding teams. However, the expectation is that the female founder participates in the program and is leading the company’s pitches, investor communication if relevant, press interviews, and more.

Do we need to be incorporated before applying?

No. Atto’s program and ecosystem partners can help with this.

Can you sign an NDA/confidentiality agreement if I apply?

No. We do not sign NDAs in order to receive or review applications. There is a common misconception for founders new to the startup world that their idea is the most valuable part and must not be shared. The reality is most ideas have been thought of before and execution is everything. You will limit yourself greatly if you require NDAs prior to discussing your ideas as most investors, fellow founders, educational providers, and the like will not sign them.

There is a case for legal protection mechanisms for later-stage companies or companies in biotech or deep tech, however, these areas are often not the right fit for Atto. You should be also able to pitch and talk about your product without disclosing proprietary information.

Can I be anonymous if I get accepted into Atto?

No. In order to build a startup, you will need to be comfortable and able to be publicly associated with your startup. This is needed for a variety of reasons such as gaining traction, making the most of press opportunities, building trust with your users, for legal purposes if you intend to operate a company, and more. In Atto Accelerator, founders are expected to pitch their startup and what they’ve been working on at an open demo day event. By taking part in an Atto program, you need to be able to have your identity associated publicly with your startup. You will also receive a program agreement, which outlines how Atto may use videos, photographs, your name, company name, and product offering in our public channels and marketing collateral.

If you work for an external employer, we assume you have disclosed and sought permission (if required) for your involvement in an Atto program prior to submitting an application or expression of interest.

When does Atto take place?

The first batch of Atto Pre-Accelerator program will run from March 2 until April 30, 2022. Applications are currently closed.

The next batch of Atto Accelerator will run from August 31 until November 23, 2022. Contact hours are weekly on Wednesdays from 10:30 am (Melbourne, Australia) until 12 pm AEST. Applications will open in July.

Atto Academy takes place now! You can join anytime by submitting an Expression of Interest.

Where does Atto take place?

Atto is 100% remote/online.

When do applications open and close Atto?

Applications for Atto Accelerator 2022 are currently closed. They will open in July 2022.

Applications for Atto Aspire 2023 are currently closed. They will open in January 2023.

Applications for Atto Academy are open now.

You can express interest now by submitting an Expression of Interest.

What can I expect to get out of Atto?

At the end of Atto Accelerator, you should expect to have researched, tested, and built your idea into an MVP that has its initial customers and a revenue model. There’s a good chance you will have started to make some money.

You should have the momentum and confidence to either apply to leading accelerator programs, raise early-stage capital, or continue to build your company in a sustainable and scalable way.

With Atto Academy, you can expect to have a supportive community of fellow female founders, quarterly founder coaching, monthly masterclasses, accountability masterminds, and more.

I’m interested in being an Atto Educator.

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I’m interested in sponsoring Atto.

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I have a question that hasn’t been answered.

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