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● The Cohort Experience

10 days that change the trajectory of your company.

An intensive in-person residency in El Segundo — daily sessions with unicorn founders, investor office hours, peer accountability, and a Demo Day in front of 100+ investors.

Apply to the cohort → See the outcomes →

01 Example day

What a day looks like inside the Cohort.

The most productive 10 days of your company’s life — from a 6am workout to dinner with a guest speaker.

06:00Founder workout
08:15One-hour session from a guest speaker
09:15Unicorn founder office hours
15:00Investor office hours
19:00Dinner with a special guest speaker

02 How it works

From day one to Demo Day and beyond.

01

Apply

We select ~10 founders per Cohort for technical depth, mission alignment, and intensity.

02

Arrive

Move into the El Segundo house. Meet your Cohort — the people you’ll build alongside for 10 days.

03

Train

Daily sessions with unicorn founders and defense operators. Office hours. Peer pressure that compounds.

04

Demo Day

Present to 100+ investors at the Demo Day for the Western Interest. Walk out funded.

05

For life

Ongoing mentorship, fundraising support, and lifetime access to the El Segundo network.

03 Why El Segundo

The new center of gravity for American hard tech.

El Segundo is home to a growing cluster of defense, aerospace, and deep tech companies. The Cohort plugs founders directly into this physical ecosystem — the actual people and buildings where the work is happening.

Featured companies in the ecosystem

Anduril Industries ↗
Defense technology
Shinkei Systems ↗
Robotic fish processing
Impulse Space ↗
In-space transportation
Valar Atomics ↗
Nuclear energy
Epirus
Directed energy systems
Rainmaker Technology ↗
Weather modification technology

04 Inside the residency

Ten founders. One house. One chef.

Inside the Discipulus residency in El Segundo
Cohort founders during a session
A working day inside the Cohort
Founders at the El Segundo house
A guest-speaker session
A cohort workshop session
Office hours during the residency
Cohort founders together
A moment from the residency
The Cohort at work
Founders building in El Segundo
Inside the El Segundo house

05 Common questions

Frequently asked questions.

Who is the Cohort for?
We welcome founders in the early stages of building — or seriously exploring building — hard tech and software for the Western interest. We seek individuals driven by a unique set of values that motivates them to solve the West’s hardest problems and attracts them to the culture of El Segundo. We’ve worked with student founders, full-time founders, and those balancing full-time jobs, so we don’t exclude any particular persona.
What’s the timeline and commitment?
The in-person part of the program runs for two fully paid weeks in El Segundo, CA, with attendance required for the entire duration. Other programming will be provided both before and after the Cohort. Founders will also be invited to yearly retreats with other founders.
Do I need to quit my job or drop out of school to participate?
No, you just need to take two weeks off for the program. However, we look for founders who are interested in pursuing their ventures full-time or already doing so.
Is having a team a requirement to apply?
No, it isn’t.
Should every team member complete an application?
No, only one team member needs to complete the application.
Is having an incorporated company necessary to apply?
No, it isn’t.
Do you accept applicants from outside the U.S.?
Yes, we welcome international applicants. However, please note that the in-person program requires travel to El Segundo, CA for two weeks.

● Admissions — join us

Build the future with Discipulus.

Applications for the Fall cohort are open. Take two weeks and change the trajectory of your company.

Apply now → Back to the Cohort →

Next residency · Sep 29 – Oct 8, 2026 · El Segundo, CA

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