Our community of entrepreneurs is named Shiva in honor of the Hindu god of transformation. The statue of Shiva Nataraja represents the cosmic dancer and the universe’s perpetual cycle of transformation. Nataraja rests one foot on a dwarf symbolizing the ego, which can be an entrepreneur’s greatest enemy on their journey.

The three devotees bowing at the base of the statue represent the Shiva team, including its founder, always in service of the community’s entrepreneurs.

We look for entrepreneurs who are obsessed with creating something incredible for their customers: people hungry to build something great and memorable, who will not give up until they leave their mark on the world!

Three profiles tend to appear most often in our community:

• Underdog: Young entrepreneurs without experience, money, or a track record, but with grit, energy, and the ability to learn very quickly. Some grew up in extreme poverty, others in rural areas; some grew up without a father, while others were picked on for being too nerdy. What they share is the desire to turn experiences of hardship and limited opportunities into great products and companies.
• Blacksmith: Entrepreneurs who were always top performers at the companies and startups where they worked but had never started a business themselves. They do not know where to begin, and some are still a little afraid. But they have decided it is time to take the leap and believe that, with Shiva’s support, they can turn their knowledge into incredible products.
• Veteran: People who have already started businesses or been partners in other startups. Experienced entrepreneurs eager to use everything they have learned to build incredible companies with the power of AI.

Any entrepreneur can be part of Shiva, regardless of their knowledge, experience, background, sexual orientation, race, or social circumstances.

Our selection process is extremely rigorous, ensuring that the community brings together exceptional, determined entrepreneurs: people who want to learn quickly and can do so, who find solutions to their challenges, and who never give up.

We generally prefer startups that have not yet received any investment, but we may make exceptions depending on the terms of the funding they have received.

On average, we take 30 days to respond to applications. AI is amazing, but we deliberately choose not to use it for this. We read every application with great care and attention.

Every entrepreneur in the Shiva community has free access to a network of outstanding mentors across fields such as growth, software architecture, security, finance and accounting, SEO, AI, sales, and product, among others.

In addition to our ongoing mentor network, our team can find specialists to help with the particular challenge an entrepreneur is facing.

In Kalpa, our one-year program, entrepreneurs also receive weekly guidance from Shiva’s CEO and may connect with other entrepreneurs who have taken companies public or built major success stories.

Entrepreneurs who stand out for their business progress and their contributions to the community may be invited to apply to Kalpa, our one-year program.

In Kalpa, in addition to the benefits described in area 11 of the map, selected entrepreneurs take part in three major in-person events:

1. Immersion in Atibaia: A 22-day stay at a guesthouse, with talks and workshops led by some of Brazil’s best entrepreneurs on topics such as marketing, sales, AI, finance, and daily routines. Meals, yoga classes, and accommodation are included at no cost to participants.
2. Demo Day: Halfway through the program, Shiva introduces the startups to leading Brazilian entrepreneurs. Much like on The Voice, a successful entrepreneur may choose to become an advisor to their favorite startup.
3. Roadshow in San Francisco: At the end of the 12 months, we take every entrepreneur in the program on a roadshow with investors in Silicon Valley.

After Kalpa: entrepreneurs can stay in the community and continue benefiting from the entire Shiva ecosystem. Once in Shiva, always Shiva!

Shiva has several partners that support the community with investments, credits, and other benefits:

• Monashees: Brazil’s largest venture capital fund supports Shiva companies with mentorship, investments, and networking.
• Google: Provides between US$100,000 and US$300,000 in Google for Startups credits.
• Microsoft: Provides US$250,000 in credits for Azure and OpenAI models.
• OpenAI: Provides US$10,000 in API credits.
• Amazon Web Services: Provides US$25,000 in AWS credits.
• Stripe: Provides US$1,500 in credits.