Location

Choose a city closest to you.

Winter 2009 Bay Area
Applications: Dec 02, '09
Sessions: Dec 09, '09 - Mar 17, '10

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 30 cities worldwide.

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Sponsors

Aon's Technology Practice seeks to be the preeminent provider of innovative risk management and insurance solutions for Technology companies across the globe. Through our TechShield network, we are able to offer proprietary insurance products and risk management services to emerging companies as they progress in each stage of their business. We can provide basic business owners programs - with premiums as low as $500 - in addition to other coverages, which include but are not limited to:  Errors and Omissions, Cyber Liability / Privacy, Directors and Officers Liability and Workers Compensation. The TechShield insurance programs are backed by carriers with strong financial ratings and a reputation for exceptional service in the technology space. Visit www.TechShield.aon.com for a quote or more information.

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.

Women 2.0 is committed to increasing the number of women entrepreneurs starting high growth ventures by providing the resources, network, and knowledge for the launch and growth of their company. Our vision is to be a catalyst for innovation, mobilizing a global community of women entrepreneurs seeking to advance the world through technology. Women 2.0 is headquartered in San Francisco.

Visit our partners here.

Events

Join us for a free event to meet local startup founders, and learn about FI.

• Guadalajara Startup Ideation Bootcamp (Feb. 22, 6 - 9 PM)

See all of our upcoming events here. 

Twitter (@founding)

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The Final Application Deadline for the New York City Founder Institute is tomorrow - Saturday, February 4th. If you or someone you know could benefit from expert training and feedback to launch a technology startup in New York City, then click here to apply. 

Leading the New York Founder Institute are two leaders of the local entrepreneurial scene; Gabe Zichermann, Founder of gamification.co; and Bryan Janeczko, Founder of Wicked Start. 

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Inside FI gives you exclusive access inside the training sessions of the Founder Institute.

Whether we realize it or not, our exposure to video games has changed the way we look at problems and services. Utilizing game design in a product is a powerful tool to engage audiences, and as Gabe Zichermann, author of "Game-Based Marketing" describes, “is the only force that allows users to do something they didn’t know they wanted to do in a predictable way.”

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Elance, the world’s leading platform for online employment, helps startups hire and manage in the cloud. Elance generously helps many Founder Institute companies by offering a $100 credit in Elance services, and $1,000 in credit to the highest rated company of each Fall 2011 graduating class. The following Guest Post from Kirstin O'Donovan was orignally published on the Elance blog. In it, she explains how you can make efficient use of your time and maximize your results using three simple concepts—the three P's.

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Founder Feedback gives you insights from the startup trenches.

In a story posted by our partner, Women 2.0, Kati Bicknell, Co-Founder of Kindara, describes her journey as a first time founder, her experience with the Founder Institute, and five pearls of wisdom she learned along the way. Kati, and fellow Co-Founder William Sacks, are Graduates of the New York Founder Institute, which has a Final Application Deadline on Saturday, February 4th (Click here to apply). 

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Founder Feedback gives you insights from the startup trenches.

On his blog Forest Trees Bark, Dave Parker, Co-Founder and CEO of Bundled.com, Co-Founder and Board Member of OneAccord Partners, and Director of the Seattle Founder Institute (which is currently accepting applications here), shares his thoughts on the FI program and where it fits into the Seattle Startup Ecosystem.

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Founder Feedback gives you insights from the startup trenches.

In a story posted to her blog Escaping the 9 to 5, Maren Kate, founder of Zirtual, details her first year experience as the Founder of a new startup. The most valuable thing she learned was that focusing on cultivating persistence is the key. 

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The Founder Institute has graduated over 400 companies in over 20 cities worldwide. 

Over the past week, iRewardChart won a Best Parenting App award, Spinnakr won the 9th Founder Showcase, Zirtual wrote a great post, and Udemy was mentioned in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation annual letter. 

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Just a few months ago, we announced a large partnership with Microsoft BizSpark to give our startups scholarships, software, support, and visibility to help them succeed. Well, today we are excited to annouce an even deeper relationship that will give our companies more support - including up to $60,000 in Windows Azure Cloud services over two years. It's called the BizSpark Plus Program, and the Founder Institute is one of a select few launching partners. 

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Since 2009, the Founder Institute has helped launch over 50 startups across Los Angeles and New York City. Now we're getting ready to launch many more, as we gear up for new Spring 2012 Semesters in both cities. If you or someone you know could benefit from expert training and feedback to launch a technology startup in Los Angeles or New York City, then apply today. 

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Inside FI gives you exclusive access inside the training sessions of the Founder Institute.

It's important to understand the details and negotiate favorable terms that align the interests of the entrepreneurs with the investors. However, as Barry Silbert,  Founder and CEO of SecondMarket explains in this video, “it’s worth taking a less attractive term sheet to work with investors you like.”

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