Frequently Asked Questions
Is Outliers an internship?
No, Outliers is not an internship or a replacement for an internship. All of our members are either students, young builders working full-time in crypto, or founders and participate in Outliers on top of those obligations.
What is the time commitment for Outliers?
Over the summer during our 10-week educational program, we expect Outliers to attend all sessions from 5-6:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Each of these sessions may have additional reading and assignments, so plan for 6-10 hours per week during this time. After the program concludes, we ask for continued participation in our 45-minute weekly DAO meetings along with contributions to the community in the area you choose to focus on (see front page for more details)! Think of this commitment as participating in/running a community organization for 12 months until the next cohort arrives.
Do I need to be technical to apply?
Yes, but we do not care where you got your technical knowledge from. In fact, we’ve found the best builders are the ones who are constantly teaching themselves and working on projects outside of classes.
Do I need to know how to code in Solidity, Rust, etc.?
No! We’ve found some of our best community members had little to no crypto experience when they joined. However, we do look for A+ builders in Outliers (in whatever realm you are building). Teaching you how to code on-chain will not be included in Outliers programming, so we expect that your coding/learning ability will be sufficient to allow you to participate in our building projects. To support you along the way, we will provide relevant resources and technical mentorship.
Do I need to be working on a startup to apply to Outliers?
No! Outliers is not an accelerator/incubator. While many of our members are hacking away on side projects, we are selecting builders based on their technical skills and aptitude for leadership. Outliers is not intended to be a replacement for an accelerator program.
Does Outliers provide funding?
No, Outliers is a community-run program. We have limited funds to help cover minor project deployment costs, but we do not provide any direct funding. When our community members do start companies, we do our best to connect them with the best investors out there (ourselves or otherwise)!
How long is the Outliers program?
The summer program will last ~10 weeks. The community commitment lasts for 12 months. Many of our members stay involved long after that, but we ask that at a minimum Outliers commit to stewarding the community for 1 year.
What are the 2023 program dates?
Our 10 week program will officially start in June and run through August. We will meet twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 5:00 pm PT. Exact dates to be announced after the cohort is selected.
Will Outliers teach me how to be a VC?
No, Outliers is focused on turning builders into entrepreneurial leaders. While we will cover the basics of VC, this is not a program for individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in VC.
Who runs Outliers?
Outliers is run by a group of passionate educators and crypto experts. Check out the Community page for more!