The incubator that charges you

The email flatters first, “nos pareció interesante tu hoja de vida”, and asks him to read the terms before continuing. The terms, once he digs: The Cube Ventures helps professionals with 10-15 years of experience start companies without quitting their jobs, for $2,000 a month, capped at ten months ▸ 19:35. Julia’s counter-arithmetic arrives before he can finish: “con $20.000 yo contrato cinco personas, un developer, uno de marketing, y en un año yo saco” ▸ 20:30, and she hasn’t heard the spoiler yet: they also keep 20% of the company ▸ 20:53. And the $5,000 they “contribute” to your startup’s expenses? “Eso termina siendo simplemente un descuento de los 2.000 que yo estoy pagando” ▸ 21:43.

The deal restated as he sees it: you give 20% plus up to $20,000; they give back $5,000 and “coaching”. Tómalo o déjalo ▸ 22:00. He’s careful with the verdict, maybe the contacts are real, maybe someone senior and salaried genuinely benefits, but the mechanism is what earns the entry: the “we loved your CV” mail is a bot, the LinkedIn posting is bait with easy-apply, “utilizan el LinkedIn para pescar” ▸ 23:00, and the fear of quitting a good salary is the product being monetized.

una incubadora que cobra mensualidad es una suscripción con derecho a tu empresa →

The test that survives for any accelerator offer: run the deal through Julia’s question. If I simply spent this money and equity on the open market, what would it buy me? When the answer is “a small team for a year,” and their answer is “advice plus a discount on your own fees,” the incubator isn’t investing in you; you’re investing in them…