Yes. We're an incubator, not an accelerator, our whole purpose is helping founders go from idea to a real company, so being pre-product is completely fine. What matters most is a strong founding team, a clear thesis, and the commitment to build. Early traction helps your case but isn't a requirement.

Absolutely. A core part of what we do is helping Web2 and Web2.5 founders navigate Web3, tokenization, on-chain distribution, community, and the Solana ecosystem. If you have a great product or company and want to bring it on-chain through a token, we'll guide you through the parts that are new to you.

No. ICM.RUN backs both tokenless protocols and tokenized projects. If a token is part of your roadmap, we'll help you design and launch it the right way, strategy, tokenomics, launchpad, and distribution. If it isn't, we can still incubate you on product, go-to-market, and Solana ecosystem connections, and a token can always come later if it ever makes sense for your project. Apply either way.

As early as you're serious about a token launch. Applying before you've locked your tokenomics and go-to-market is ideal, because those are exactly the decisions where early mentorship has the biggest impact, fixing them after launch is far harder than getting them right up front.

ICM.RUN incubates curated cohorts of projects over the DAO's lifecycle rather than running thousands of permissionless launches. Once you're accepted, incubation is structured around your own launch timeline rather than a fixed semester. For the current cohort timing, apply at apply.icm.run and the team will share where things stand.

It's a simple DAO process with four steps: (1) Apply to join the incubator. (2) Mentor review, your application is shared with our mentors, who vote and give feedback. (3) Acceptance & commitment, accepted teams commit a small share of their token supply to the DAO treasury. (4) Incubation support, the General Manager and mentors guide you through rollout, go-to-market, tokenomics, and ongoing advisory.

There's no cash fee to apply or be incubated. Accepted projects commit both a token allocation, 1–5% of total token supply into the ICM.RUN DAO treasury, and an equity stake in the company. Taking both tokens and equity aligns us with your success across the full life of the project, not just the token launch, so mentors and contributors are motivated to help you win long-term.

We don't write a traditional seed check, but we actively help you raise. Founders can fundraise through our platform Fair.club, where we aggregate angel investors looking for early-stage teams, and we also help teams apply for ecosystem grants. On top of that, we open up our mentor, contributor, and investor network. For most founders, that fundraising access and distribution is the bigger unlock.

Yes. Beyond mentorship, incubated teams get warm introductions across the Solana ecosystem, launchpads, infrastructure, tooling, and distribution partners, plus Solana network outreach and access to our contributor network. The point is to plug you into the partners most relevant to your specific launch.

After acceptance and the supply commitment, the General Manager and mentors work with you across the full launch journey: token strategy and design, tokenomics, go-to-market, launchpad selection, legal/compliance structure, and community growth, through launch and beyond. It's hands-on and tailored to your project rather than a one-size-fits-all curriculum.

Three things: it's the first incubator focused specifically on Internet Capital Markets token launches; it's launchpad-agnostic, so we advise on the best launch route for you rather than funneling you into one platform; and it's a DAO, each project's supply commitment feeds a shared treasury, so mentors, contributors, and $ICM holders all win when founders win.

Your application is shared with our mentors, who review, vote, and give feedback. If you're accepted, we walk you through committing 1–5% of supply to the DAO treasury and kick off incubation with the General Manager and mentor network. Apply at apply.icm.run to get started.