Frequently asked questions.

Minds Fund is an early-stage investment vehicle backed by Animoca Minds. We invest in founders building agentic companies where Minds is a core product layer — not just a wrapper or thin integration. We look for founders with verifiable track records who can turn a strong build thesis into a real company.

Pre-seed and seed. We meet founders at the prototype-to-product stage — you should have a strong build thesis and evidence of execution ability, but you don't need a polished company or significant revenue. The build period is designed to let you demonstrate execution, not to teach you how to build.

Yes. Minds Fund is remote-first and invests globally. There may be optional in-person touchpoints depending on cohort geography, but location is not a filter for investment consideration.

The current structure is cohort-based with a July 2026 kickoff. Future formats — including rolling investments, grants, or open calls — may follow. Reach out to devrel-am@animocaminds.com to register interest.

No. We invest up to US$250,000 per company, with a total of up to US$1,000,000 deployed per cohort. Investment amounts are based on fit, stage, and build performance — not predetermined. Not all accepted founders receive investment.

No. All accepted teams receive platform support, credits, and access to the fund team regardless. We deploy up to US$1,000,000 per cohort, with individual investments of up to US$250,000 per team. Funding decisions are made based on build performance — teams that demonstrate strong execution and real progress are prioritized.

Funded teams give up an equity stake — standard for early-stage fund investment. Our terms are consistent with leading funds like Y Combinator, Techstars, and 500 Global: typically in the 5–10% range, depending on funding amount and company stage. Full terms are presented in writing before you commit to anything. Teams that join the cohort without receiving funding are not asked to give up equity.

You'll need a legal entity capable of issuing equity — this is how early-stage fund investment works across the board. Common options for international founders include a US Delaware C-corp, UK Ltd, Singapore Pte. Ltd, or Cayman Islands holding company. You don't need to have this resolved before applying. If there's a fit, we work through the right structure together — our approach follows the same model used by leading global early-stage investment funds.

Founders and small teams building agentic products with real product potential — engineers, domain experts, operators, and anyone else who ships. A short pitch deck is required alongside your application.

No. Curiosity is the real qualification — the kind that turns a problem you understand deeply into something people actually use. Engineers qualify obviously. So do domain experts: clinicians, lawyers, researchers, operators, and product people who ship real things. AI has significantly lowered the technical barrier, which means we care more about what you've made and why than what your job title says.

Yes. Solo founders are welcome. The strongest applications show that one person can cover the core technical and product surface — or explain why a co-founder is coming.

One application per team is sufficient. If you own the idea and are the primary driver, apply directly. If you're applying as co-founders, one person leads the application and lists the full team — we review the team, not just the individual. How you organise the application is up to you. It's your team; we trust you to present it honestly.

No. You do not need a polished product or company. You do need a strong build thesis, a clear product vision, and evidence that you can execute under real constraints.

No. There is no fee to apply or to join the fund.

Minds-native means Minds is central to your product's value proposition — the orchestration layer, the monetization surface, or the distribution wedge. It doesn't mean you can only use Minds. It means your product wouldn't be as good, or as differentiated, without it.

Products where Minds is core to the user experience, workflow orchestration, or monetization model. If your product could be built just as well without Minds, it's probably not the right fit — and we'll tell you that honestly.

Not exclusively, but Minds should be central to the product — not a peripheral integration. The more native your use of Minds primitives, the stronger your application will be.

The CLI is targeting a June 2026 release — teams joining the July cohort will have full access from day one. We commit to a stable, build-ready toolchain for kickoff. If you're building before June, you can use: AgentMail (available May 2026) for agent-to-agent messaging workflows, the Minds REST API for direct integrations, and documented workflow templates with direct DevRel support for custom integration needs.

Yes. Minds has a creator rewards system built into the platform — you earn every time someone uses or equips your skill. The first 100 uses pay $1 each; subsequent uses pay $0.10. Earnings are paid in tokens, redeemable to USD — no crypto knowledge required. During the early period, earnings are capped at $250 per skill and $1,000 per creator (revisable as the platform scales). This is available to all Minds builders, not just fund participants — a skill you build during the cohort can start generating revenue immediately after launch.

No. You do not need to build anything related to crypto, tokens, or Web3. Animoca Brands has a web3 history, but the Minds platform is general-purpose infrastructure for agentic products. SATs and Circles are optional Minds primitives — your product can be entirely traditional SaaS or enterprise software.

Cohort 1 is targeting a July 2026 kickoff. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis — apply early for the best chance of early review.

Each cohort accepts 8–15 teams. We keep cohorts small intentionally — it means more direct access to the Animoca Minds team and a tighter peer group.

The build period runs 8–12 weeks from cohort kickoff. Demo Day follows at the end. Follow-on support is available for the strongest teams beyond the cohort.

Minds Fund is remote-first. There may be optional in-person sessions depending on cohort geography. Demo Day format will be confirmed before cohort kickoff.

All submissions receive a confirmation within 24 hours. We review on a rolling basis — shortlisted founders typically hear back within 2–4 weeks of submitting. Shortlisted teams are invited for a 30-minute call; final decisions follow shortly after. We review continuously, so applying earlier increases your chance of early feedback.

The Animoca Minds team reviews every introduction. Shortlisted founders are invited for a 30-minute call. Investment decisions are based on founder quality, product conviction, and build performance — not cohort position or timing. We communicate decisions directly — we do not send mass rejection emails.