Good question. In the normal process, we offer no funding, and take no equity. We give advice and coaching to companies we think are likely to move the web in a positive direction. Keeping money out of it at this stage keeps things simple.
I think the true potential of WebFWD can only be unlocked if/when the funding problem is solved. It can be directly through Mozilla or by very strong partnerships with foundations and firms that do investment.
It's the only missing piece in my mind. I hope it's something the team is thinking about (I've talked with Pascal about it during our stint).
Is it wrong to say this is the peak(IMO) of what the Internet should be? What with people building cool stuff, open sourcing it, and getting help from others who have already gone down the road.
If it's Good for the Web, I at least am happy to chat, give advice, mentor, to the extent that I have free time. I do that on a regular basis for local companies, but that's just because it's more convenient. I expect many Mozilla folks do the same.
(and if it's a thing that should/could be a Mozilla consumer product someday, then yes, check out the Hatchery, that's a more structured program w/ a bunch of coaches).
I'm in a similar boat. I have a few things like that where I think the best thing for it would be to get it where to the point where a bunch of people would fork it and make their own cool things.
I don't want to be in business, I want to make cool stuff.
Another thing you can make clearer is where you are based—I had to go to the blog to figure out it is Mountain View (I’ve seen a lot of things out of Mozilla London recently so I was hoping it was in London!).
The application is unviewable with Javascript disabled.* Note to applicants: please consider the value of progressive enhancement.
* I had temporarily disabled Javascipt on Firefox for debugging something a couple days ago. I had been using Chrome since then, but decided to open Firefox for this. I was confused until I tried to check my Gmail, whereupon I was informed that I had Javascript disabled. Oops. I've re-enabled Javascript.
WebFWD is an awesome experience! It's helping us turn mist.io into a solid business with a great product, without having to give away any equity. The mentors are top notch and very engaged in the whole process. Being a part of the Mozilla community is the best thing ever. If you're working on an open source startup, complete the short application form now! It's totally worth it.
I've also got to sing the praises of WebFWD — my organization, CASH Music, was part of the first class and it was invaluable to us. Great people, continued support, and an experience that helped shape the organization. Highly recommend you share your open project ideas and apply.
Apply now if you are building mobile/web technologies
...to make the Web better and more open
...open source (at minimum, a component) OR leveraging HTML5
...actively exploring its business model(s)
...at a prototype stage or beyond
Our three-month program is global, no relocation is required!
