How to get into EWOR and WHY?

The one request I get most often on LinkedIn every time EWOR opens their application cycle is: "Hey Moises, I have seen you have been an EWOR fellow for X long, i was wondering if you had 15 minutes to tell me more about it/to nominate me/to tell me if I should apply or how to increase my chances of success".

I get one form or another of that question and honestly, let me tell you... I do not have 15 minutes (which I know you'll later send a 30 minute invite) to tell you if you should apply to EWOR or not. If you are going to dedicate the next few weeks building an application and taking meetings with them you should already know something about them. Then ask more informed questions like: "how often do you get to have one on one meetings with Unicorn founders?" or "how fast do they expect you to grow given 25% of all EWOR fellows raise at a 9-figure valuation within a few months of joining?".

Questions that prove you have done your own research before asking someone you have never met for their time, a resource that is scarce and should not be taken for granted when you ask for something.

But for those that are willing to put in the work, even if i cannot accommodate you in my schedule, here are my thoughts to your questions, whether already pronounced or not.

For me, EWOR changed everything. Even in the slow and traditional space of healthcare, I started to move faster and to think bolder. Expanded the reach of what my technology could do to genuinely believe i can change the status quo inside the operating room. They were by my side every time i wanted to do a fundraise or connect with someone in particular. But most importantly they gave me a community of people with the same thirst I had to change the world.

The Fellows share similar experiences of been high performers and EWOR put all of us in the same room. These people have become some of my best friends. We have shared couches in hacker houses around the world. They have been there in the lowest points, sharing advice and listening when you just had to rant. Because we all have been there through this journey. And a long list of amazing support from the people through the 2 years i have already crossed with them in our cap table.

Well, if you have an idea, starting out, or already seeing your first $1M ARR and are looking for:

• * Mentoring from Unicorn Founders every single week on 1 on 1s
• * The expertise and 100s of warm connections to raise your first proper round within a few months of joining
• * Hire your first 10 cracked employees
• * Find big clients faster
• * Join a community of OUTLIERS that will challenge every thought you had about entrepreneurship and build urgency in your soul to literally THINK IN DECADES AND BUILD IN DAYS...

Then yes, you should!

Whether you are software or hardware, in a regulated or unregulated industry, if you are looking for this type of support, you should apply. Unless...

UNLESS your mindset does not align with their ambition.

They want to back the next CENTICORN. If you are applying already thinking about an exit for a few hundred million usd, this is not your place. If you have a TAM too small that cannot justify you generating hundreds of millions or billions in revenue within the first 10 years or less, this might not be for you. If you are still 7 years away from regulatory approval this might be too early for EWOR. I came onboard the year before our first FDA registration, carried the weight of regulation far enough that I de-risked that variable for them.

Now, the more interesting question is... should EWOR spend time talking to you? There are over 35,000 applicants every year. The success rate is 0.1%. Do you have what it takes to be an outlier?

From my experience, the first thing EWOR looks for in anyone they speak with is WHY YOU?

Who are you that will make you succeed where no one else has? and that often means: who are you outside of your startup, your company, that makes you so unique. What is that trait that proves you will succeed against any adversity?

For me I believe it was been a professional magician while I was studying in High School, becoming a National Champion and performing 250 shows across Europe takes dedication especially as I was preparing the access to university. Or perhaps it was building Dark Matter detectors and working on novel-grade research before dropping out of my PhD to start CLARO Surgical.

Perhaps, it was also the ability to attract the TOP people in my industry to fill the gaps I didn't have experience in. Bringing on board a PhD in AI and Spatial Computing, the former Medical Director of the Spanish Government and an operator with 25 years of experience bringing 40 medical devices to market meant I had the right team.

Or it could actually be the fire and personal connection i had to this problem, I grew up inside the operating room, my whole life has been dedicated to solve this problem and no one will take it as far as I will.

Now that is my experience, we have people that used to DJ for Marshmellow in Tomorrowland when they were 16 years old, the best mathematicians in India, international and national gold medal winners in sports, boxers, pianists, refugees with stories that will blow your mind. We have founding teams that have hundreds of publications under their name to back the science or ex-engineers/founders at top startups/companies that want to go bigger this time.

If we are to remove your startup from the CV, who are you as a person? have you done something very few people in the world have achieved?

Now that we have established that YOU and/or YOUR CO-FOUNDERS are the first gateway, we also have to look at what is it that you are working on.

And what I have seen at EWOR, unlike other investors/accelerators that invest in a hundred companies doing the same thing to mitigate their downfall, EWOR invests by conviction. So you must be building in a space where you can build a category defining company, a problem so big it will change the status quo, a team so very well positioned that no one can win you on speed, skill and motivation and a MOAT, an approach that no one has thought of yet and that it is actually the right approach. If you put together all these ingredients, you have a potentially successful recipe to a centicorn outcome. If you are applying to EWOR make sure you can defend this case. Because if EWOR believes you are the winner in the space, they will not invest in competitors, they will push you through the whole ride to see you WIN.

There are application cycles open twice a year and nominations accepted throughout. EWOR pays attention to everyone but if you are nominated you have a higher chance of getting a meeting with the partners faster. That does not mean any fellow will nominate you. Every fellow has their own view of who should EWOR speak with so if you do not get a nomination from a cold message on LinkedIn do not be discouraged, although there is a large portion of us that, if the pitch is good, will be happy to nominate you.

At the end of the day we do believe EWOR is the best early investor you can have by your side so we want to get the best entrepreneurs in front of them.

But also make things easy for us, if you are asking for a nomination you'll be asked 3 questions most probably:

• * Why are you exciting?
• * Why is your company exciting?
• * Why should EWOR speak with you?

And do not give me the AI generated answers. Do not vomit words on the paper without saying anything. None of the hard working, problem solver, passionate about change BS I hear every other day. Every single human is a problem solver. I want short sentences packed with metrics and quantifiable information.

e.g. top 5 physics student in the UK. Improved AI token efficiency by 90% against OpenAI and Anthropic models. Winner of the national gold medal in [X]. Competitive gamer, top 5% in [X]. Crossed $500k ARR within 4 weeks.

You are selling yourself, stand out against the other 30,000 applicants. The people reading your application are successful entrepreneurs and very smart people.

I have had many people reach out stunned because EWOR wants to interview them for the ideation fellowship when they wanted traction.

EWOR is not just another investor accelerator. This is not YC where they invest in 200+ companies every quarter, give you a tutorial once a week, and 3 months later they say goodbye leaving you to your network of alumni and a demo day that raises on average shy of $1M seed.

EWOR stays with you through the whole journey, every day, for years. So yeah, the traction deal is sweeter than the ideation, but, when you tell me your startup which has been running for a year but has not crossed $20k ARR yet is been invited to interview for ideation makes all the sense in the world. It is an opportunity to learn what worked for others and what didn't to make you move faster.

I have seen companies that crossed $2M ARR in 6 weeks and were not even selected to interview for the traction track.

It all goes back to the first point in this document. Do you have the right team, the right market and the MOAT that proves you are going to win?

Especially for those early in their journey, EWOR helps you move the needle, the speed in which you raise, the higher valuations you unlock in every round just thanks to their massive machinery and connections, the caliber of the people in their network that become employees, clients, friends... that is worth more than anything any other early stage investor can offer. Unless you are already all set and have those things aligned, as I said at the beginning, you should know if EWOR is the right partner for you.

I like EWOR, I am a massive fan. With them I raised capital, I found great people I call friends, I travelled the world, from surfing in Maui to sleeping on a couch in SF. I grew my mindset as an entrepreneur. Became FORBES 30 Under 30 Europe 2026. And I know I am going to WIN in my mission. It is inevitable.

These are the two last things I can leave you with.

They are looking to back the next Centicorn!

If you THINK in DECADES and BUILD in DAYS. This might be for you.