Great Founders
Start Here.

Build your startup in Washington DC with the world’s premier pre-seed accelerator.

Apply to the Program Learn More

180+

Estimated Portfolio Value

Who we help

The Founder Institute works with both entrepreneurs and teams at multiple stages:

Idea Stage

Aspiring, solo, and even FT-employed founders can use FI to validate ideas, build a team, and launch a business.

Prototype Stage

Entrepreneurs and teams with an initial product can use FI to secure advisors, generate revenue, and begin to raise funding.

Early Company Stage

Established companies at the pre-funding stage can use FI to generate traction, scale their business, and raise funding.

See our Admissions Process

How we help

Our proven methodology has helped thousands of entrepreneurs build enduring companies since 2009.

Critical Support Network

Join an Equity Collective of helpful startup mentors and founders that are invested in your success.

Structured 3.5 Month Program

Push your business forward with our structured business-building assignments, feedback, and evaluation.

Challenging Process

Less than 30% of Founders make it to Graduation because we challenge you every step of the way.

Lifetime of Support

Get access to a lifetime of support programs and partners that far exceeds any comparable program.

Global Network

Leverage the world's largest network of startup founders and mentors, based in Silicon Valley.

See our Methodology

Featured Alumni

Many of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used FI to raise funding, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, and more.

Top mobile content distribution platform in Southeast Asia. Series C funding. Hanoi FI Graduate.

The world's largest destination for online courses. 24M+ students, $173M+ funding. Silicon Valley FI Graduate.

Europe's fastest growing service to rent your car. $22M+ funding. Paris FI Graduate.

B2B platform that matches investors with African SMEs. $1M+ Funding. Johannesburg FI Graduate.

Software for hotel managers to fill rooms with maximum efficiency. $5M+ funding. Madrid FI Graduate.

Enterprise social media platform for brand ambassadorship. $8M+ funding, acquired in 2016. Seattle FI Graduate.

The leading online real estate capital marketplace. $85M+ already returned to investor customers. $45M+ funding. Los Angeles FI Graduate.

First bitcoin marketplace and payment services provider to be EU-compliant. $1M+ funding. Paris FI Graduate.

Trip-planning platform for buses and trains. First Chile-based startup accepted to Techstars. Santiago FI Graduate.

App-connected fertility thermometers. $8M+ funding. New York City FI Graduate.

Online platform for receivables discounting with a cryptocurrency. $41M+ in Funding. Manila FI Graduate.

Formerly iCarsClub, StartCar is the leading peer-to-peer car rental service in China. $70M+ funding. Singapore FI Graduate.

See our Graduates

Are you ready to join the world’s
premier pre-seed accelerator?

Apply to the Program Attend an Event

Our Global Network

The Founder Institute operates across 180+ cities and 6 continents. We are #FIworldwide, because great companies can be built anywhere.

See our Network

Featured Mentors

Founder Institute Mentors have built or led fast-growth businesses, and are invested in your success through our unique Equity Collective.

Liz Sara

Managing Director, Best Marketing, LLC

Sanjay Prasad

Founder/ CEO, SurgiPrice/ SurgiConnect

Joseph Daniels

Partner, Co-Chair -- Venture Capital and Emerging Companies Group , McCarter & English, LLP

Peter Ettinger

FI Mentor

See our Mentors

Our Partners

See our Partners

Are you ready to join the world's
premier pre-seed accelerator?