Founder Institute Defense & National Security Accelerator

The Founder Institute provides a global support network and a proven methodology to get your startup to traction, contracts, and funding

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Virtual First

Program Dates

Aug 25, 2026 Nov 17, 2026

Early Deadline

May 24, 2026

Early Entrance Fee

$799 $999

The Core Experience

Defense tech is a different game. Alongside mission-driven entrepreneurs, you'll build your company through a structured, proven process that is purpose-built for the realities of government contracting and defense markets.

Critical Support Network

Join an Equity Collective of mentors, founders, and defense investors that are all personally invested in your success.

Get lifetime access to partners across the defense innovation ecosystem that far exceeds any comparable program.

Structured Methodology

Know what to work on, and when, with our proven business-building sprints and structured process.

Leverage the world's largest founder and mentor network, with direct connections into the defense community.

Challenging Process

Less than 40% of Founders make it through the program because we challenge you every step of the way.

Get fast-tracked to our Funding Lab and Demo Days; your best shot at defense-aligned investors and customer connections.

Learn more about FI core

Session Calendar

Below are the dates for the upcoming program

Onboarding

Aug 18, 2026

06:00pm PDT

Accelerator Kickoff

Aug 25, 2026

05:00pm PDT

Vision & Mission

Aug 26, 2026

05:00pm PDT

View Full curriculum

Featured Grad

From our Silicon Valley chapter, Udemy is the global leader in online learning, with nearly 200,000 courses. The company went public on the NASDAQ in October 2021, raising $421 million.

The real question is: can the Founder Institute be game-changing for your business? The answer is yes. Without FI, Udemy may have never raised any money.

Gagan Biyani

Udemy (IPO, 2021)

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Join an Online Information Session

Sign up for an upcoming info session to learn more and chat with our team. There are several sessions per week across most time zones.

Events

Join us for an upcoming event - local or global - to meet other founders and experts. Learn what you need to know now to scale your startup.

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Leadership

Our leaders are experts with hands-on experience in defense innovation, government contracting, and national security - ready to guide you from day

Daniel Shires

Managing Director @ Founder Institute

Greg Coleman

Managing Director @ Founder Institute & 5Side Strategy

Mike Sherbakov

General Partner @ The Veteran Fund

Ryan Micheletti

Head of Global Operations @ Founder Institute

FI Defense & National Security Mentors

Build a business efficiently through video conferences, office hours, and material reviews from a roster of top startup mentors.

Dan Madden

Investor @ Squadra Ventures

John Goodson

CEO @ Darkhive

Jeff Decker

Managing Director, Tech Transfer for Defense @ Stanford University

Nicholas Frazier

Former Director @ Office of ARSOF Autonomy

Jim Rabuck

Director @ DIU

Dave Rolen

Director of BD Enablement @ Reveal Technology

See all Defense & National Security Mentors

FI Partners

Get special deals and support worth over $3 million from top support organizations and partners.

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The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 8,900 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.