On Deck used to be the default answer.
Want ambitious people around you? Apply to ODF, join a remote cohort, meet 100 builders from your laptop.
That version is gone.
The current On Deck Fellowship (ODF28 kicks off Q3 2026) requires a full five-business-day sprint in San Francisco. After that week, you're largely on your own inside the online community. Pricing is pay-what-you-can with a suggested $1,000 contribution.
That's a fair deal if you're idea-stage, can fly to SF, and want to raise venture money.
But if you're bootstrapped, already at revenue, or living nowhere near California, one week in SoMa won't fix your real problem: having no one to call when you're stuck on a pricing decision at 10pm.
I know that problem well. I paid $13,000 for a mastermind when I was making $15K to $20K a month. Stupid decision, right? Six months later I was at $75K a month.
The right room works. On Deck is just one room, and in 2026 it's not the right one for most of the founders reading this.
Here are 7 On Deck alternatives, with real prices and who each one is actually for.
1. Profitable Founder Club
Full disclosure: this one's mine.
I built Profitable Founder Club because nothing like it existed when I needed it.
It's a private group of bootstrapped SaaS founders between $5K and $50K MRR, all pushing to $100K MRR. Everyone in the room has revenue and a real business, which changes what the conversations sound like.
How it works:
- Bi-weekly problem-solving calls. Each call, we go deep on 3 member problems and leave with a plan.
- Monthly Q&As with founders already past $100K MRR. You ask them exactly how they did it.
- A private daily chat for the 10pm questions.
Batch #1 is capped at 20 founders and 10 spots are already taken.
Where On Deck gives you one intense week and then a big Slack, the Club gives you the same 19 faces every two weeks. That repetition is what creates accountability. People notice when you didn't ship the thing you said you'd ship.
Price: a fraction of the $13K I paid for my mastermind, and you only apply if you're in the $5K to $50K MRR range.
2. South Park Commons
South Park Commons is the closest thing to what old On Deck promised: a room full of dangerously smart people who haven't decided what to build yet.
They call it going from -1 to 0. You join before you have an idea, not after.
The community membership is invite-only, charges no dues, and runs like a 6-month exploratory residency out of San Francisco and New York. They just announced Fund IV at $575M, so the money side is serious too.
If you're further along, the SPC Founder Fellowship gives you $400K upfront on a SAFE plus $600K guaranteed in your next round, with an 8-week in-person bootcamp in SF, NYC, or Bengaluru.
Who it's for: technical people between things (just left a FAANG job, just sold a company) who want the VC track.
Who it's not for: bootstrappers. Taking $400K on a SAFE is the opposite of what most of us are building.
3. Hampton
Sam Parr's Hampton sits at the other end of the spectrum: not for people starting out, but for founders who already made it and stopped having peers.
The pitch on their homepage says it straight: "Stop making $50M decisions alone."
You get a personal board of roughly 10 vetted founders who meet monthly in your city. Show up with your hardest problem, leave with a plan by dinner.
The numbers:
- $8,500 per year.
- You need $3M+ in revenue, $3M+ raised, or a $10M+ exit. They raised the revenue bar from $1M, so it keeps getting more exclusive.
- 18 chapter cities, from New York to Vancouver.
If you're at $3M+ and reading this, Hampton is probably the best money you'll spend this year. If you're not there yet, I broke down cheaper options in my post on Hampton alternatives.
4. Founders Network
Founders Network has been doing peer mentorship since 2011, which makes it ancient in this space. They've helped 2,000+ startups.
The model is stage-based: dues run from about $75 to $348 a month (billed annually) depending on your funding or revenue, plus a joining fee. No equity, ever.
You get monthly peer roundtables, full-lifecycle mentoring, and private events in major cities. Admission is by nomination from an existing member, with a new cohort admitted every month.
It's less flashy than On Deck ever was. No cohort hype, no Twitter energy. Just tech founders quietly helping each other for 15 years.
Who it's for: full-time tech founders who want structured mentorship from people a stage or two ahead, without moving to San Francisco.
5. MicroConf Connect
MicroConf is the home of bootstrapped SaaS, full stop. Rob Walling's crew has been running it for over a decade, and Connect is their private community arm.
Their homepage nails the thesis: "The SaaS founders who figure it out faster aren't smarter. They have better people around them."
For $49 a month or $499 a year you get a vetted private community, honest feedback on your actual numbers, and the event network (MicroConf Europe runs in Reykjavik this September).
If On Deck's problem is that it optimizes for people starting companies, MicroConf optimizes for people running them. The average conversation is about churn, pricing, and hiring your first support person. My kind of room.
Who it's for: bootstrapped SaaS founders at any revenue stage who want peers without a five-figure price tag.
6. Small Bets
Daniel Vassallo's Small Bets is the anti-On Deck.
On Deck wants you to commit to one venture-scale idea. Small Bets wants you to stop doing that and place many small ones instead.
One payment of $450, yours forever. You get 54 expert-led recorded classes and a community of 7,728 members figuring out portfolios of small products: info products, templates, tiny SaaS, freelancing.
I don't fully buy the philosophy (I think SaaS compounding beats a portfolio of small products once something works), but as a $450 lifetime purchase it's hard to argue with. The community alone is worth it while you're finding your thing.
Who it's for: solo builders pre-revenue or early revenue who want optionality, not a single big swing.
7. Y Combinator Startup School
This one is free, with no application and no equity.
Startup School is YC's open online program: the course material, weekly accountability, and the world's largest co-founder matching platform (100,000+ matches made).
Here's the thing. Half the people who joined old On Deck were really there to find a co-founder or absorb startup fundamentals. If that's you, YC gives both away for free, and the content comes from the most successful accelerator on the planet.
You won't get a tight peer group out of it. It's a firehose, not a dinner table. But as a starting point, it embarrasses every paid option on this list.
Who it's for: anyone pre-idea or pre-launch who wants fundamentals and a co-founder without spending a dollar.
Which one should you pick?
Match the room to your stage:
- No idea yet, want VC track: South Park Commons (or On Deck itself, if the SF week works for you).
- Pre-launch, no budget: YC Startup School, then Small Bets at $450 if you want community.
- Bootstrapped SaaS, any stage: MicroConf Connect at $49/mo.
- $5K to $50K MRR, pushing to $100K: Profitable Founder Club. That's exactly who it's built for.
- $3M+ revenue: Hampton.
The pattern I keep seeing on the podcast: founders who get to $100K MRR almost never do it alone. They're in some room. The specific room matters less than the stage-match.
A room full of idea-stage dreamers will drag you into idea-land. A room of founders one step ahead of you will drag you forward.
Before you pay for any of these, read my list of questions to ask before joining a mastermind. It'll save you from the expensive mistakes.
FAQ
Is On Deck still worth it in 2026?
If you're idea-stage, can spend a week in San Francisco, and want the venture path: yes, especially at the pay-what-you-can price (suggested $1,000). The community is 3,000+ members strong. If you're bootstrapped with revenue, or can't do the SF week, one of the alternatives above will fit better.
How much does the On Deck Fellowship cost?
ODF now runs pay-what-you-can, with a suggested contribution of $1,000. That covers the five-day San Francisco sprint (venue and food) and year-round access to the community. It's non-dilutive: On Deck doesn't take equity or invest.
What's the best On Deck alternative for bootstrapped founders?
MicroConf Connect ($49/mo) if you just want to be around bootstrapped SaaS people. Profitable Founder Club if you're at $5K to $50K MRR and want a small, capped group working toward $100K MRR with structured calls and real accountability.
Are free communities good enough?
To start, yes. YC Startup School costs nothing and the co-founder matching is genuinely useful. But free rooms have no skin in the game, so the median commitment is low. Once you have revenue, a paid room where everyone shows up changes the quality of every conversation. That difference took me from $15K to $75K a month.
If you're a SaaS founder between $5K and $50K MRR, apply for Profitable Founder Club Batch #1. 20 spots, 10 taken.
