Our Entrepreneur-in-Residence-program: build from scratch, with support and less risk

Our Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) program gives founders a structured way to build a startup from zero. EiRs receive close mentoring and useful introductions, plus a salary that removes the zero-pay phase so focus beats side jobs.

The program suits operators, technologists, consultants—or career switchers—with real drive to build. Seniority matters less than learning speed, judgment, and execution. It runs full-time for up to twelve months, paced by the problem pursued and the traction created.

Day to day, EiRs map the broader mobility space and narrow it to the most promising problems. They speak with users and experts to ask what would need to be true, then design small tests to answer that question quickly. When signals hold, insights become a first product that tests the core value (the minimum viable product), with pilots and letters of intent as milestones. Weekly reviews with our partners keep decisions sharp; clear Go/No-Go moments protect momentum. As evidence grows, we open investor and advisor doors at the right time.

“EiR” does not mean the same everywhere. In many VC firms, accelerators, or universities it can be a part-time advisor or scout role. At Next Mobility Labs, EiR means full-time founder: evidence-led building, tight sparring, and a structure that reduces early financial risk.

The outcome is binary by design: spin out as the founder of an evidence-backed company, or stop early, keep the learnings, and move fast to the next strong opportunity.

Think you might be a fit? Tell us more about you via this short form.

Want the inside view? Read how our EiR Fabian spent the last ten months—what worked, what didn’t, and what he’d do again.