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ACCELERATOR · DIRECT INVESTMENT

Pear VC

PearX / Pear Competition

Independent editorial profile; DNA Future is not affiliated with or endorsed by this institution unless expressly stated. PearX is Pear’s early-stage program; Pear Competition is a separate university-founder route with different terms.

Source checked · Check current cycleView application ↗
WHAT IT ISACCELERATOR / DIRECT INVESTMENT
BEST FORPre-seed founders
CURRENT STATUSSource checked · Check current cycle
MAIN SUPPORTPearX investment commonly stated as $500K–$2M
FUNDING WARNINGPearX targets roughly 7% ownership; Competition terms differ and must be checked separately.
EVIDENCE GRADEB · Official sources, with material limits or unresolved current terms
ADMISSION GUARANTEENot assumed · Confirm the final offer and current official terms
SOURCEOfficial institution and program pages
01

THE INSTITUTION

What is Pear VC?

Pear VC is an early-stage venture firm founded by Pejman Nozad and Mar Hershenson.

The firm focuses on pre-seed and seed companies and supports founders from company formation onward.

FOUNDED & WHY

Pejman Nozad and Mar Hershenson founded the firm in 2013 as Pejman Mar Ventures and renamed it Pear in 2016.

PUBLIC SCALE

Pear describes a team of more than 20 and hundreds of pre-seed and seed investments. It does not publish one current AUM number on the PearX page.

PORTFOLIO & TRACK RECORD

Representative companies include DoorDash, Gusto, Vanta, Guardant Health, Cognition and Listen Labs; these are firm-level examples, not expected PearX outcomes.

LATEST OFFICIAL SIGNAL

PearX is Pear's small-batch pre-seed program. Pear Competition is a separate university-founder route; its former landing page is no longer live, so this profile links to an accessible official Competition record instead of the retired page.

PearX official overview ↗Pear Competition official record ↗

02

THE PEOPLE

Who leads Pear VC and this program?

Mar Hershenson

Co-founder and Managing Partner

Engineer, entrepreneur and early-stage investor; co-founder of Pear VC.

Official profile or team page

Pear does not identify one permanent public lead for every PearX cohort.

03

THE PROGRAM

What is PearX / Pear Competition?

PearX is a small-batch pre-seed program. Pear Competition is a separate university-founder competition; because its former landing page is retired, this profile uses an accessible official Competition record in the sources above.

Read the official program page

04

WHO IT IS FOR

Who should consider it?

  • Pre-seed founders
  • Teams prepared for an intensive company-building program
  • Student teams should verify which route they are entering
05

SUPPORT

What do you get?

  • PearX investment commonly stated as $500K–$2M
  • Product, recruiting and fundraising help
  • Pear founder and investor network
Do not misread this

PearX targets roughly 7% ownership; Competition terms differ and must be checked separately.

06

PUBLIC EVIDENCE

What does the public record show?

Representative companies include DoorDash, Gusto, Vanta, Guardant Health, Cognition and Listen Labs; these are firm-level examples, not expected PearX outcomes.

How to read this evidence

Examples show institutional or program history. They do not predict admission, funding, ownership terms or outcomes for a new applicant.

07

APPLICATION

How do you apply?

  1. Choose PearX or Pear Competition
  2. Open the current PearX cycle notice
  3. Complete interviews and investment review
  4. Confirm current cohort terms before accepting

Open the current official application or status page

DNA Future research note. This is an independent editorial profile based on official sources. Program terms and availability can change; the institution’s current materials take precedence.

Last reviewed · 13 October 2026