Old-fashioned mentoring, for founders moving faster than any generation before them.

You're 18 to 24 and you've just done something that used to take a team and a year of funding: you've used AI to turn an idea into a real product. The Old Fashioned exists to help you take it to market — with the advice, the introductions and the discipline that come from doing this the long way round. We're the sister initiative to Ribbit Consulting, built specifically for your generation of founder.

Two young founders with their mentor at a business event, holding copies of Symbiotic Selling and Revenue, Realism & Resilience

We're called The Old Fashioned because the way we back founders hasn't changed in decades: real relationships, real introductions, real accountability. What's changed is you — you can now go from idea to shipped product faster than any founder generation before you. We make sure the business side keeps up.

Who this is for

We're looking for a small number of founders each year, particularly those from underrepresented and underprivileged backgrounds who now have the tools to build but not always the network to grow.

You're 18–24 and building a real product, not just a slide deck
You've used AI tools to get from idea to something people can actually use
You're ready to treat this as a business, with all the unglamorous parts that involves
You come from any background — we especially want to hear from founders who wouldn't otherwise get access to this kind of network

What you get

Four ways we work with founders — mixed and matched to what your product actually needs, not a fixed package.

Board advisory & mentoring

Regular one-to-one time and a seat at the table when it matters — pricing, hiring, fundraising, and the calls that are hard to make on your own at 22.

Fractional business development & sales

Hands-on help finding your first real customers and closing them, without carrying the cost of a full-time hire before you can afford one.

Network & introductions

Direct lines into investors, partner ecosystems and buyers who take a warm introduction seriously — the kind of access that usually takes a decade to build.

Bespoke showcase events

Events built around your product and your story, put in front of the people who can actually move it forward.

Beyond the business plan

Building a company in your early twenties tests more than your product roadmap. We support MIND and other charities focused on youth mental health, because the people backing young founders should say so plainly — and because we've seen what the pressure of this journey can do.

Register your interest

Tell us what you're building. We read every application ourselves and reply to all of them.