Location
Choose a city closest to you.
Silicon Valley Spring 2013
Applications: Mar 17, '13
Sessions: Apr 01, '13 - Jul 09, '13
Vision
Our vision is to Globalize Silicon Valley by creating and fostering local startup ecosystems in promising markets across the globe. We aim to help launch 1,000 technology companies per year in over 50 cities worldwide.
Sponsors
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is the premier legal advisor to technology and growth enterprises worldwide, as well as the investment banks and venture capital firms that finance them. Over the past four decades, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has established its reputation by having an unmatched knowledge of its clients' industries and deep and long-standing contacts throughout the technology sector. The firm's legal expertise serves clients at all stages of growth, from venture-backed start-up companies to multibillion-dollar global enterprises. The firm's clients include some of the most recognized names in the technology, retail, life sciences, venture capital, and finance sectors. The firm has offices in Austin, Palo Alto, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C.
First Republic Bank and its subsidiaries provide private banking, private business banking and the full range of wealth management services with an emphasis on exceptional relationship-based service and a solid commitment to responsiveness and action.
Ravix Group - Ravix Group Inc.provides seasoned consulting expertise to outsource the finance, human resources, and facilities functions of early-stage and middle market companies so that management can focus on their priorities to increase the value of their company.
Purplepatch Services is a strategy consulting firm offering technology firms Marketing Communications and User Experience Design solutions.
Lead
Launch in Your City
Leading a Founder Institute chapter is an exciting way to take a leading role in the local startup ecosystem.
The Institute brings together seasoned founders, new entrepreneurs, investors and community groups to launch meaningful and enduring technology companies in markets across the globe. After a couple four month semesters, a large portion of the new startups in your local ecosystem will be graduates of the program.
As the Founder Institute expands around the world, we are looking for people who love startups to help lead chapters in various cities. It's a rewarding and fun experience. Are you interested in leading the entrepreneurial community in your city and launching amazing companies?
Learn more about leading a local chapter below, and, if the opportunity interests you, please apply to the form at the bottom of the page.
What is the Founder Institute?
The Founder Institute is the world's largest early-stage accelerator, having launched over 800 companies in 40 cities in just three years of existence. Prospective founders apply using advanced social science testing, and through a four month program that meets one night a week they collaborate with local CEOs to discuss company-building subjects in a planned curriculum. You can watch a full session here.
Throughout the program, the Founders build their companies with guidance from the CEOs and by working with their peers, and the Founders do not need to quit their day jobs through the process. By the end of the program, the Institute takes this group of passionate people and helps them to form companies, normally graduating between 15 and 25 businesses per semester.
What is the role of a local leader?
The local leader plays a central role in the startup ecosystem of a city. In less than a year, a large percentage of all the new technology companies will be created by the Founder Institute, and the local leader will be widely recognized for their contributions.
Leading a city usually takes between 10 and 15 hours of time per week, usually during the evenings. The leader helps to recruit applicants for the program in the local market, identifies strong startup CEOs to participate as Mentors, spends a couple hours per week meeting with Founders, and organizes three Mentoring sessions per month in the evening. The Institute provides the curriculum and all of the online tools necessary to run a fun and engaging chapter with as little administration burden as possible. There is also a group of over 50 other leaders around the world.
What are traits of a good local leader?
The ideal local leader has a passion for startups and, preferably, experience helping new Founders navigate basic business building decisions. Being able to communicate with founders in a meaningful way is key. Leaders also tend to have strong connections into the local startup ecosystem, participating in various events and knowing various local startup personalities. Lastly, the local leader has basic organizational skills or can recruit others to help with straightforward logistics of hosting a well-run events.
How is a local leader compensated?
The local leader earns short-term compensation through local sponsorships with service providers, and longer-term compensation through equity upside in all of the graduating companies from a particular semester. Every city has a number of sponsors lined up by the launch. The Institute generally runs two semesters per year in a city, graduating between 30 and 50 companies per year in any location.
What are the next steps?
If being a local leader is of interest to you, please fill out the form below. The Institute will get back to you within a couple of days, and then we will start discussing specifics. Once a reasonable plan to launch a semester is developed, you will sign an agreement and be provided with all of the tools necessary to launch. It normally takes between four and six months to launch a new semester, which includes six to eight weeks for accepting applications.
We look forward to your application. Enjoy!
