Visible Hands is a pre-seed venture capital firm and accelerator based in Boston, MA, USA that focuses on backing underrepresented founders (women, non-binary people, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and other overlooked entrepreneurs) through a cohort-based accelerator and early-stage investment program. 

Specific Funding Stage
Pre-Seed / Seed: Core focus on founders at the earliest stages of company building — even pre-idea or before co-founder formation — aiming to help teams validate ideas and build scalable tech startups. 

Investment Amount and Percentage Equity (Company-Level)
Typical Investment Size: Visible Hands’ accelerator model provides initial investments of ~$25,000 at program start, with the opportunity to receive additional funding totaling up to *~$150,000–$175,000 over the course of the fellowship/accelerator.
Equity Taken:
• Visible Hands does take equity when it makes an additional investment after the accelerator — historically, its follow-on investments of up to ~$175K have involved taking around ~10% ownership in the company for that capital (based on reported program deals).
• This ~10% figure reflects the firm’s model when converting follow-on funding into ownership, but the exact percentage is negotiated per company and depends on round size and valuation — like standard early-stage VC practice.
• If founders do not receive follow-on funding, they retain full ownership aside from the initial seed provided in the program; the initial $25K is usually offered as convertible or part of the accelerator terms tied to future investment negotiations, not locked in at an exact equity take upfront. 

Equity Structure:
• Visible Hands invests via convertible or priced equity instruments tied to its pre-seed fund (Visible Hands Fund I) and negotiates ownership percentage during the post-accelerator funding decision rather than having a single fixed requirement for all founders. 

Application / Submission Method
Submission Method: Founders apply through the online application for Visible Hands’ accelerator programs (e.g., Visionaries, VHNYC, VHBOS) which run cohort-based fellowships with structured evaluation and founder support. 
Selection: Competitive process with screening based on founder potential, resilience, and alignment with Visible Hands’ mission to support underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

Sector Focus: Broad tech-enabled startups (no strict sector limitation). 
 Geography: U.S. founders (especially in cohort locations like NYC and Boston) are typical; remote participation is supported. 
 Stage: Pre-founder stage up through early pre-seed startup building. 
 Team: Individuals ready to build or refine tech startups full-time (founder identity and lived experience are central to eligibility).

• Initial Screening: Evaluate founder background, skills, and potential impact.
• Fellowship / Accelerator: 14-week cohort with company-building support and milestone tracking.
• Follow-on Investment Review: Founders pitch to Visible Hands’ Investment Advisory Committee for additional pre-seed funding up to ~$150K–$175K, which may result in a negotiated equity stake (~10% typical). 

Strategic Capital: Initial ~$25K investment inside the accelerator plus up to ~$150K–$175K in additional capital on successful completion. 
Mentorship & Network: Access to a broad community of investors and operators (Visible Hands ecosystem). 
Programming Support: Hands-on accelerator curriculum, workshops, and company-building services.