Great Founders
Start Here.

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

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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 get to traction and funding 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 Sprints, feedback, and evaluation.

Challenging Process

Less than 30% of Founders make it through the program 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 Alum.

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

Europe's fastest growing service to rent your car. $22M+ funding, acquired 2018. Paris FI Alum.

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

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

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

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

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

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

App-connected fertility thermometers. $8M+ funding, acquired 2018. New York City FI Alum.

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

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

See our Alumni

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

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Our Global Network

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

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Featured Mentors

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

Danielle Tate

Founder & CEO, MissNowMrs.com & Elegant Entrepreneur

Ali Sorbi

Principal, Pendulum Advisors

Ed English

Chief Product Officer, Higher Logic

Ronald Uba

Senior Business Development Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce

See our Mentors

Our Partners

See our Partners

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

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Great Founders Start Here.