San Francisco – September 21, 2026 -- Whipsaw, the design and innovation firm behind Tonal, Owala, and Brita, has launched a new 10-week cohort of The Workshop, its accelerator for early-stage hardware founders, with a Demo Day set for December 2026.
New cohort targets health, wellness, and home hardware startups
The program, which kicked off earlier this month, brings together early-stage founders building products across health, wellness, and home categories. Unlike traditional accelerators built on lectures and pitch competitions, The Workshop pairs founders directly with Whipsaw's multidisciplinary team of industrial designers, experience designers, engineers, strategists, and brand experts.
Program delivers investor-ready pitch decks within 10 weeks
Over the 10-week span, founders receive weekly cohort seminars, 1:1 design sessions with the Whipsaw team, and leadership and fundraising coaching led by Principal Advisor Cristina Georgoulakis. Participants also gain access to Whipsaw's engineering and go-to-market networks and a growing alumni community. The curriculum is structured to produce an aligned product concept, brand narrative, and investor-ready pitch deck by program's end.
Demo Day in December will showcase founders to curated investors
The cohort culminates in an invite-only Demo Day at Whipsaw's San Francisco studio in December 2026, where founders present to a curated audience of early-stage hardware investors, operators, and partners. A founder from the Fall 2025 cohort said the program's pace moved their venture further in 10 weeks than a year of working independently.
Whipsaw leadership staffs the accelerator's operating team
The Workshop's operating team includes CEO and Principal Designer Dan Harden, Director of Experience Design Walker Harden, VP Industrial Design Cole Derby, VP Client Relations & Growth Anne Van Itallie, Lead Strategist Laura Ogle, and Principal Advisor Cristina Georgoulakis. Additional advisors contribute expertise in fundraising, storytelling, and hardware go-to-market execution.
Since its 2025 launch, Whipsaw has run The Workshop multiple times per year, with this cohort marking its latest class of hardware founders moving toward Demo Day.