Operated by Negative Zero Ltd · Synthetic Signal is the Claude consulting arm of Negative Zero.
Last updated: 1 July 2026
Applies to: the Founding Cohort 2026 application and programme.
This summary is for convenience only and does not replace the full terms below.
1.1 These terms (the "Terms") govern your application to, and participation in, the Synthetic Signal Associate Programme (the "Programme"), operated by Negative Zero Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 15412959), registered office 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, England, United Kingdom, EC2A 4NE ("Negative Zero", "we", "us", "our"). "Synthetic Signal" is a trading arm and brand of Negative Zero.
1.2 "You" / "your" means the individual applying to, or taking part in, the Programme (an "Applicant" before selection and an "Associate" after selection).
1.3 These Terms apply from the moment you submit the application form and, if you are selected, throughout your participation. By ticking the consent box and submitting the form, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms.
1.4 These Terms are not a contract of employment and are not the agreement under which any paid consulting work would later be carried out. Any such work is governed by a separate written agreement (see clause 7).
2.1 To apply you must:
2.2 You confirm that the information you provide in your application is true, accurate, and complete. We may withdraw an application or end your participation if information you have given is materially false or misleading.
2.3 Eligibility does not entitle you to a place. Selection is at our discretion (see clause 3).
3.1 The Founding Cohort 2026 has a limited number of places (currently 10). We expect to interview from 1 July 2026 and to make offers by 8 July 2026, but these dates are indicative and may change.
3.2 Submitting an application does not guarantee an interview, an offer, or a place on the Programme. We assess and select Applicants at our sole discretion and are not obliged to give reasons for any decision.
3.3 We may close applications, extend deadlines, change the number of places, run additional selection stages, or decide not to fill all places, at any time.
3.4 An offer of a place is only made in writing by us and only takes effect once you accept it in the manner we specify.
4.1 The Programme is a fully-funded development programme that supports you through structured e-learning and hands-on projects with the aim of preparing you for Anthropic's Claude Certified Architect, Foundations (CCA-F) certification, across roughly an 11-week period.
4.2 The Programme is not employment. Participation does not create a relationship of employer/employee, worker, agency worker, apprentice, or contractor between you and Negative Zero, and does not entitle you to wages, salary, holiday pay, pension contributions, or any other employment rights or benefits in respect of your participation.
4.3 You are not paid to take part in the Programme. The Programme is provided free of charge and we cover the costs set out in clause 6. Any completion reward, stipend, or similar that we may choose to offer is discretionary, is not guaranteed, and does not change the nature of the relationship described in clause 4.2.
4.4 We may change the Programme's content, structure, schedule, format (including online/in-person), trainers, locations, or providers at any time. We may postpone, suspend, or cancel the Programme or any cohort, in whole or in part, at our discretion.
5.1 If selected, we ask you to engage with the Programme in good faith, including the expected time commitment (currently around 6–8 hours per week) and attendance at the in-person hackathons in Central London.
5.2 You agree to:
5.3 We may issue you with a Negative Zero email address and access to systems and tools for the duration of the Programme. These remain our property, are provided for Programme use only, are not personal accounts, and may be monitored, suspended, or withdrawn at any time, including at the end of your participation.
5.4 We may remove you from the Programme, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, behave in a way that is unlawful, unsafe, dishonest, or seriously disruptive, or if your continued participation is otherwise not in the interests of the Programme or other Associates.
5.5 You may withdraw from the Programme at any time by telling us in writing.
6.1 We intend to cover, for selected Associates: access to the required e-learning (Anthropic Academy), the tools needed for the Programme, the CCA-F examination fee, reasonable travel to the Central London hackathons, and a welcome kit.
6.2 Travel and any other reimbursements are subject to our expenses policy, which may require pre-approval and valid receipts and may set reasonable limits. We will not reimburse costs that fall outside that policy.
6.3 Except as set out in clause 6.1, you are responsible for your own costs of taking part (for example your own internet access, personal equipment unless we provide it, and any costs we have not agreed to cover).
6.4 We may change what we cover for future cohorts or where circumstances require.
7.1 Certification. The CCA-F certification is owned, set, and awarded by Anthropic, an independent third party. We do not control the exam, its content, its availability, or its outcome. We do not guarantee that the certification will be available, that you will be permitted to sit it, or that you will pass. Sitting the exam may depend on conditions outside our control, including (as currently understood) all members of the cohort completing the required e-learning, and is subject to Anthropic's own terms.
7.2 The bench. We may invite Associates who pass the certification to join our consulting "bench". Being on the bench is not a guarantee of any work. Any engagements are offered on an ad-hoc basis, depend on client demand and your availability and suitability, and are entirely at our discretion.
7.3 Future paid work. Any paid consulting work is not guaranteed and, if offered, will be set out in, and governed by, a separate written agreement between you and Negative Zero (or a client). Nothing in these Terms, in the Programme, or in any marketing or discussion about the Programme is a promise, offer, or assurance of paid work, a minimum amount of work, particular rates, or any income.
7.4 Permanent roles. Any reference to permanent roles at Negative Zero describes a possibility for exceptional performers only. It is not an offer of employment, creates no entitlement, and any such role would be subject to a separate recruitment process and contract.
7.5 The Programme is not careers, financial, legal, or investment advice, and you should not take part in reliance on any expected income or job outcome.
8.1 The Programme materials, our brand, the Synthetic Signal and Negative Zero names and logos, and all related content remain our property (or our licensors' property). You are given a limited, non-transferable right to use them only for the purposes of the Programme.
8.2 Where you work on real or client-facing projects as part of the Programme, intellectual property in the work product created for those projects belongs to Negative Zero or the relevant client, as we will explain at the time. You agree to do what is reasonably necessary to give effect to that ownership.
8.3 You keep ownership of pre-existing materials you already owned before the Programme and of independent personal learning projects that do not use our or a client's confidential information or materials. We may ask you to showcase Programme projects under the Synthetic Signal brand; we will agree the details with you.
9.1 During the Programme you may be given access to confidential information belonging to us, our partners, or our clients (for example systems, data, methods, and client details). You agree to keep it confidential, to use it only for the Programme, and not to disclose or misuse it, during and after the Programme. We may ask you to sign a separate confidentiality/NDA agreement, and you agree to do so if asked.
10.1 We are the data controller for the personal data you provide when you apply and during the Programme. We process it in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
10.2 What we collect: the details you submit in the application form (such as your name, email, links, location/travel availability, current situation, background, your reasons for applying, and your areas of interest) and, if you take part, information generated through your participation.
10.3 Why, and our lawful basis: to assess your application, run the selection process, deliver and administer the Programme, communicate with you, and keep records. Our lawful bases are your consent (which you give by ticking the consent box) and our legitimate interests in running and improving the Programme. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us, though this will not affect processing already carried out.
10.4 Sharing: we may share your data with service providers who help us run the Programme (for example the learning platform and the certification provider, Anthropic), and with our staff and partners, only as needed and under appropriate safeguards. We do not sell your personal data.
10.5 Retention: we keep application data for 12 months after the selection process, and participant data for 12 months after the Programme, unless we need to keep it longer for legal reasons.
10.6 Your rights: you have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data, and to data portability, as set out in UK data protection law. To exercise them, or with any privacy question, contact privacy@negativezero.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
10.7 Our full privacy notice is available at https://syntheticsignal.io/associate/privacy. If there is any conflict between clause 10 and that privacy notice, the privacy notice prevails for data protection matters.
11.1 With your separate agreement, we may feature you, your story, or your Programme projects in our marketing (for example on the Synthetic Signal or Negative Zero websites or social channels). We will not use your image or personal testimonial in marketing without your consent, and you can ask us to stop using it for future materials at any time.
12.1 The Programme relies on third-party platforms and services, including Anthropic's products (such as Claude and Anthropic Academy) and the certification and any exam-proctoring providers. Your use of those services is also subject to their own terms and privacy policies, and we are not responsible for those third parties or for changes they make to their services, availability, or terms.
13.1 Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under English law.
13.2 Subject to clause 13.1, and because the Programme is provided free of charge:
13.3 You are responsible for your own conduct and for complying with the rules of any third-party platform you use during the Programme.
14.1 We may update these Terms from time to time. The version published on the website at the time you apply or take part applies to you. If we make material changes during your participation, we will take reasonable steps to bring them to your attention.
15.1 No partnership/agency. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, agency, or (as set out in clause 4) any employment relationship between you and us.
15.2 Assignment. You may not transfer your application or participation to anyone else. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to another group company or to a buyer of the relevant part of our business.
15.3 Severability. If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest will continue to apply.
15.4 Waiver. If we do not enforce a right under these Terms, that is not a waiver of that right.
15.5 Entire agreement. These Terms (together with any documents they refer to, such as a privacy notice, code of conduct, expenses policy, or confidentiality agreement) are the entire agreement between you and us in relation to your application to and participation in the Programme, and replace any earlier statements or representations, except that nothing limits liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
15.6 Third parties. Except where stated, no one other than you and us has any rights to enforce these Terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.
15.7 Governing law and jurisdiction. These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes) are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
Questions about the Programme or these Terms: associates@negativezero.com
Privacy and data protection: privacy@negativezero.com
Negative Zero Ltd, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, England, United Kingdom, EC2A 4NE, company number 15412959.
*By submitting the application form at syntheticsignal.io/associate you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Application Terms.*