Episode Details
Back to Episodes“So you want to start something for animals: a map of the incubators” by SofiaBalderson
Description
Tl;dr: A few years ago, if you wanted to found an animal advocacy organisation, there was basically one incubator. Now there are at least nine programs, plus several adjacent accelerators, and the hard part has shifted from finding support to choosing the right kind. This post maps the main options across focus, format, funding, and fit, so you can spend your energy on your idea rather than on decoding the landscape.
AI disclosure: I asked Claude to research the current programs and draft the comparison, then I verified the details, added a few more programs, added my own take on fit, and edited the result. Program details were checked against each organisation's website in July 2026. If you spot any inaccuracies, please flag them in the comments, and I will correct them!
Recently I was chatting with a fellow board member, Cam, and we realised neither of us could confidently list all the incubation programs in animal advocacy anymore. That's a good problem. When I started in this movement, “founding something” mostly meant one route or self-found. Now there's a choice, and the programs serve various founding stages and needs. I’d love all aspiring founders to have the lay [...]
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Outline:
(02:21) The programs
(02:24) 1. AIM (Charity Entrepreneurship)
(03:56) 2. Kickstarting for Good
(05:22) 3. Welfare Matters (Farmed Animal Welfare Incubator)
(06:49) 4. Animal Advocacy Africa
(08:04) 5. Myrias
(08:52) 6. Rethink Priorities EOI (Special Projects and founder support)
(10:36) 7. Sentient Futures Project Incubator
(11:42) 8. Spring Innovation Fund
(13:00) 9. The School for Moral Ambition (Food Fellowships)
(14:23) Which one is right for you?
(16:05) If you're unsure whether founding is for you at all
(16:40) What this list says about the movement
(17:04) A note on for-profit accelerators
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First published:
July 22nd, 2026
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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.