Importing via CSV

If you’ve collected applications through another channel — a Google Form, a partner spreadsheet, an event sign-up — you can import them as a batch directly from the platform. Each imported row goes through the same AI review pipeline as a regular form submission.

For connecting an external system programmatically, see API Integration.

Preparing your spreadsheet

Your spreadsheet can use any column names. The platform reads your headers and uses its analysis engine to infer what each column most likely represents — the problem statement, the solution, the sector, and so on.

The only columns that are genuinely required are:

One column containing the applicant’s full name
One column containing the applicant’s email address

Everything else is optional — the more information you include, the richer the analysis will be.

Tips for better results:

Use descriptive column headers. "What problem are you solving?" gives the engine much more to work with than "Q3" or "Column F".
One piece of information per column — don’t merge multiple answers into one cell.
Clean up your spreadsheet before importing: remove formula cells, merged cells, header rows beyond the first, and any rows that aren’t actual applications.
Save as .csv before uploading. Excel .xlsx files are not accepted.

Uploading the file

Go to your cohort’s Submissions tab
Click Import CSV
Select your .csv file from your computer
The platform reads your headers, creates a schema from them, and begins importing immediately

What happens during import

Each row is processed independently. Valid rows are imported as submissions and queued for AI review. Invalid rows are skipped and reported.

A row is skipped if it:

Has no name value in any recognised name column
Has no email value, or the email is malformed
Is completely blank

After the import completes, a result banner appears showing:

Imported — the number of rows successfully brought in as submissions
Skipped — the number of rows that couldn’t be imported

Skipped rows are listed with the row number and the specific reason — for example, "Row 7: missing email address" — so you can fix your spreadsheet and re-import if needed.

After the import

Imported submissions appear in your cohort’s submissions list within a few minutes, once the AI review pipeline has processed them. They look and behave identically to form submissions — same scores, same report format, same review workflow.

Column structure and schemas

Each unique combination of column headers creates a fixed schema — a record of what your columns represent. The schema is created automatically during import; you don’t need to do anything to set it up.

If you upload another spreadsheet with the same column headers later, the platform recognises the existing schema and reuses it — no new inference is needed.

If you change your column structure — adding, removing, or renaming columns — the new upload is treated as a new schema. Both schemas can coexist in the same cohort without issue.

Limitations

Maximum file size: check with your account manager for the current limit
Only .csv format is accepted (not .xlsx, .ods, or Google Sheets links — export to CSV first)
The cohort must be Open to import into it