Great Founders
Start Here.
Build your startup in Washington DC with the world’s premier pre-seed accelerator.
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Who we help
The Founder Institute works with both entrepreneurs and teams at multiple stages:
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.
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.
Are you ready to join the world’s
premier pre-seed accelerator?
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 NetworkFeatured Mentors
Founder Institute Mentors have built or led fast-growth businesses, and are invested in your success through our unique Equity Collective.
Peter Ettinger
FI Mentor
Rosemarie Truman
FI Mentor
Genevieve Nixon
Founder and CEO, Planet with Friends
Sean Makulowich
Founder/CEO, IdeaFire™ Consulting
Our Partners
Are you ready to join the world's
premier pre-seed accelerator?