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Digital Innovation Grant for Founders Building Digital Products

Build the structure behind your digital product.
Applications open September 1 and close September 23.
Go Vertical ICM is opening a new opportunity for founders building digital products, software-enabled products, digital health tools, FemTech platforms, wellness apps, SaaS products, marketplaces, and digital-first innovation concepts.
Through the Digital Innovation Grant, one founder or company will be selected to receive Go Vertical ICM’s Creation Accelerator Program, CAP, for free.
Five additional companies will be selected for Hybrid CAP, a structured development pathway for strong applicants who are ready to move forward with deeper product, commercialization, and investor-readiness support.
This opportunity is designed for founders who are ready to move from idea, concept, prototype, MVP, or early launch stage into a clearer and more structured development pathway.
Apply for the Digital Innovation Grant

What This Opportunity Includes

1 Free CAP Grant Winner

One selected founder or company will receive access to Go Vertical ICM’s Creation Accelerator Program, CAP, at no cost.
This is not unrestricted cash funding.
It is a $20,000 services-based investment through structured development support, strategic guidance, commercialization planning, and execution oversight.
The selected founder will receive hands-on support to clarify what they are building, what should come first, what needs to be validated, and how to move toward a stronger product and market pathway.

5 Hybrid CAP Selections

In addition to the free CAP grant winner, Go Vertical ICM will select five additional companies for Hybrid CAP.
Hybrid CAP is designed for founders who are not selected for the full free CAP grant but are still a strong fit for Go Vertical ICM’s development model.
These founders may be offered access to Go Vertical ICM’s structured development pathway under Hybrid CAP terms.
Hybrid CAP is intended for serious founders who want continued strategic, product, commercialization, and investor-readiness support as they build.

What Is CAP?

CAP stands for Creation Accelerator Program.
CAP is Go Vertical ICM’s hands-on development pathway for founders who are building digital or physical products and need more than general advice.
CAP helps founders move from early uncertainty into a clearer, more commercially grounded, and more investor-ready pathway.
Through CAP, founders may receive support across:
  • Product development strategy
  • Strategic Discovery
  • MVP and roadmap planning
  • Market positioning
  • User and customer clarity
  • Commercialization planning
  • Investor-readiness preparation
  • Brand positioning
  • Development roadmap planning
  • Execution oversight
CAP is designed to help founders understand what to build, what to validate, what to delay, and what steps should come next.

Who Should Apply?

This opportunity is for founders building digital products, software-enabled products, digital-first products, or physical products with digital integration.
You do not need to have a finished product to apply.
You may be at the:
  • Idea stage
  • Concept stage
  • Prototype stage
  • MVP stage
  • Early launch stage
What matters is that you are serious about building and ready to move with structure.

Why This Matters

Many founders are not short on ideas. They are short on structure.
A strong idea can create interest.
But structure creates momentum.
That is the gap CAP is designed to close.

They may know what they want to build, but still need clarity around

  • What to build first
  • What to validate
  • What to delay
  • Who the first user, buyer, or customer is
  • How the product should enter the market
  • What investors may question
  • What makes the product commercially credible
  • What the next 90 days should look like

What Selected Founders Will Receive

Selected founders will receive structured support across the areas that often determine whether a digital product can move from idea to execution.

This Is a Services-Based Investment

The Digital Innovation Grant is not unrestricted cash funding. It is a services-based grant valued at $20,000.
Go Vertical ICM is investing through development services, strategic support, commercialization guidance, and execution planning. For early-stage founders, this type of support can be critical.
Cash can help you move faster. Structure helps you move in the right direction.
CAP is designed to help founders build the foundation behind the product before they spend more time, money, and energy on the wrong next step.
Apply for the Digital Innovation Grant

Important Dates

01
SEPTEMBER 1

Applications Open

02
SEPTEMBER 23

Applications Close

03
1 founder or company selected

FREE CAP GRANT WINNER

04
5 companies selected

HYBRID CAP SELECTIONS

Apply for the Digital Innovation Grant

Application Fee

A $99.99 non-refundable application fee is required to submit your Digital Innovation Grant and Hybrid CAP application.

This fee supports the administrative review of your application, including evaluation of your product concept, current stage, development needs, commercialization potential, investor-readiness gaps, and potential fit for CAP or Hybrid CAP.

Important: Payment of the application fee does not guarantee selection, acceptance, funding, services, or participation in CAP or Hybrid CAP. The application fee is non-refundable regardless of application outcome.

What Happens After You Apply?

After you submit your application, our evaluators and the Go Vertical ICM team will review your information to understand:
One founder or company will be selected to receive CAP for free.
Five additional companies will be selected for Hybrid CAP.
If there is alignment, the Go Vertical ICM team may contact you with next steps.
  • What you are building
  • Your current stage
  • Your product category
  • Your development needs
  • Your commercialization potential
  • Your investor-readiness gaps
  • Whether CAP or Hybrid CAP may be an appropriate fit

Who Is Not a Fit?

This opportunity may not be the right fit if:
  • You are only looking for unrestricted cash funding
  • You are not ready to work seriously on your product
  • You are looking for general advice only
  • You do not have a clear product idea yet
  • You are not open to structured development support
  • You are not prepared to complete the application process
CAP is for founders who are serious about building.

If Your Idea Is Worth Building, It Needs Structure

  • Your idea may not need more waiting.

  • It may need a clearer pathway.

  • It may need stronger product strategy.

  • It may need sharper commercialization logic.

  • It may need a roadmap that helps you understand what to build, validate, refine, and prepare next.

The Digital Innovation Grant was created to support founders who are ready to move with more clarity, structure, and execution discipline.

Important Dates

APPLICATIONS OPEN

September 1

APPLICATIONS CLOSE

September 23

FREE CAP GRANT WINNER

1 founder or company selected

HYBRID CAP SELECTIONS

5 companies selected

Apply and tell us what you are building.

Applications open September 1 and close September 23.

Apply for the Digital Innovation Grant
Group 1

Our mission is to turn visionary ideas into tangible products that move innovation and market readiness forward

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