What sectors did Pioneer back?

Pioneer was a generalist program and did not restrict itself by sector.

Which companies has Pioneer backed?

Companies backed by Pioneer include Iron Fish, TextQL, Banana ML, ToDesktop and There.

Is Pioneer still accepting applications?

No. Pioneer is not accepting new applications. This page is kept as a record of the program.

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Pioneer

USA

General

About

Pioneer has wound down. Daniel Gross and Rishi Narang founded it in 2018, backed by Marc Andreessen and Stripe, to find talented people outside traditional startup hubs through an online tournament rather than an application. The tournament ended in April 2023 and Pioneer made its last investment in May 2024; the site now says so directly. Gross went on to co-found Safe Superintelligence and then joined Meta, and Narang moved to Sequoia Capital. The site remains up as an archive of the portfolio.

Key People

Daniel Gross

Co-Founder

Rishi Narang

Co-Founder (now at Sequoia Capital)

Notable Portfolio

Iron Fish

TextQL

Banana ML

ToDesktop

There

Pioneer is not accepting new applications.

Questions about Pioneer

Where did Pioneer run?: Pioneer ran in the USA.
What sectors did Pioneer back?: Pioneer was a generalist program and did not restrict itself by sector.
Which companies has Pioneer backed?: Companies backed by Pioneer include Iron Fish, TextQL, Banana ML, ToDesktop and There.
Is Pioneer still accepting applications?: No. Pioneer is not accepting new applications. This page is kept as a record of the program.

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