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Schedule

Korea - Japan Fall 2026

At the Founder Institute, you won't "learn" how to build a business. Rather, you will build your business alongside top startup experts using a proven, structured process that has helped some of the world's fastest growing companies raise over 2BN. 

Our core program includes a series of challenging growth sprints, in addition to Weekly Feedback Sessions where you will receive constant feedback on your progress from experienced Mentors and Investors. 

See the schedule for the Korea - Japan Fall 2026 program below.

The Final Application Deadline for the Korea - Japan Fall 2026 program is Oct 27, 2026, and you can apply to the program at FI.co/join.

Onboarding

Learn about the Founder Institute

Date: Nov 03, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

When you enroll in the FI Core Program, you can immediately start onboarding by following a guided process where you will learn how the program works, tips to get the most benefits, and details on the perks of Graduating from the Founder Institute.

Accelerator Kickoff

Meet the Cohort

Date: Nov 10, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll get familiar with the program, set up your AI toolkit, prove your AI proficiency, and prepare to introduce yourself to the cohort.

Vision & Mission

Define a strong business vision

Date: Nov 11, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll explore the biggest possible idea to pursue, validate real customer problems, define your personal purpose, and draft your first pitches.

Customer Development

Analyze your customer feedback

Date: Nov 18, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll select one business to focus on, validate it deeply through customer development, and build an initial mockup of your product.

Revenue & Business Models

Validate a scalable revenue model

Date: Nov 25, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll test pricing with real customers, build a revenue model that can scale, and map out the human and agent roles needed to run your business.

Pitch Mastery

Learn how to build a great pitch

Date: Dec 02, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll turn your mockup into a working prototype that customers can use, co-develop with a lead customer, and prepare for your first major review.

Mentor Idea Review

Test the core business on a mentor panel

Date: Dec 09, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This is your first major milestone. You'll present your business and product to a panel of mentors who will rate you on idea viability, presentation skill, and research thoroughness.

Legal & Equity

Review your legal infrastructure

Date: Dec 16, 2026
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll incorporate your company, set up the legal foundation, protect your intellectual property, and start building your advisory board.

Go-to-Market & Scale

Improve your strategy to launch or scale

Date: Jan 06, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll launch your go-to-market engine, get your product into the hands of paying customers, and set your victory conditions for the rest of the program.

Product Development

Get feedback on your product roadmap

Date: Jan 13, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll push for 10% weekly growth, track both your business and AI performance metrics, and discuss growth strategies.

Investor Progress Review

Test your progress on a mentor panel

Date: Jan 20, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

Similar to the Mentor Idea Review, the Investor Progress Review is the second major test in the program. In this session, Founders will focus on give a long presentation their progress and traction to a panel of Investors and Advisors for a detailed review. Founders will be evaluated based on their progress in the program, the company's scalability, and more.

Co-Founders & Team

Improve your team and hiring

Date: Jan 27, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

In this Feedback Session, Founders will receive feedback from Mentors on their team plans and product progress. In addition, Mentors will discuss how to identify the roles needed to build a world-class company, how to develop a strategy to recruit, onboard and retain the best people, and more.

Growth

Establish a scalable engine for growth

Date: Feb 03, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

Funding

Fix any impediments to fundraising

Date: Feb 17, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This week, you'll prepare for fundraising by organizing your materials, building your investor pipeline, and deciding on your funding strategy ahead of Demo Day.

Graduation

Celebrate & onboard to our post-programs

Date: Feb 24, 2027
Starts at: 01:00 am (America/Los_Angeles)

This is your final milestone. You'll pitch a panel of angel investors and VCs with a five-minute pitch and a live demo for ratings, feedback, and potential investment.