Chennai 2022 Applications closed

Build a Fundable, Global Startup in Chennai

The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses.

Program Dates: Sep 27, 2022 to Feb 14, 2023
Entrance Fee: $299 USD

You pay only after you are accepted

Refund: Full before Kickoff. 75 percent before Session 3.
Format: Virtual
This program will be run 100% online, with in-person networking opportunities before and during the program. Learn more here.

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Chennai 2022 is not accepting applications

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Build your startup with support

A clear path, practical feedback, and a community that wants to see you succeed.

How FI Agentic works

Know what to do next

Follow clear steps shaped around your startup and where you are today.
Get people in your corner

Build alongside founders and get direct feedback from experienced mentors.
Build toward Demo Day

Turn your idea into a stronger company and earn the chance to pitch investors.

Your path through the program

A simple look at the key moments ahead. You will always know what comes next.

View full curriculum

Sep 27

Tue

Orientation
Sep 28

Wed

Vision
Oct 11

Tue

Customer Development
Oct 18

Tue

Revenue
Oct 25

Tue

Branding & Design
Feb 14

Tue

Graduation

Founders who built with FI

What graduates say about the program, in their own words.

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.

GB Gagan Biyani Udemy (IPO, 2021)

My investor materials, my data room, my pitch deck, all of it exists because someone was going to ask for it each Thursday morning. I've never had that kind of forcing function.

KA Kelly Anderson Founder, DyeConverter Silicon Valley AI cohort 2026

First funding offer 2 weeks after Funding Day
Delaware inc. Aug 2026

Before the program I was using ChatGPT for basic tasks. By the end of the summer I had built an AI agent marketing team, 1,500 synthetic customers and a voice AI avatar agent. I didn't even know what Python was.

DW David Williams Founder and CEO, Zuma Internet Silicon Valley AI cohort 2026

AI marketing team built
1,500 synthetic customers
Seed investor list ready

I came in already using AI heavily. The curriculum pushed me past research and content into the company itself: customer discovery, pilot design, pricing, unit economics, KPIs, investor prep, a repeatable pilot-to-enterprise sales process. Our first construction deployment started at one site. The customer asked us to expand to two more. We're in two live proposals and already discussing an annual subscription.

DR Donna Vincent Roa Founder, MicDots Silicon Valley AI cohort

1 site to 3 sites
2 live enterprise proposals

Founder Institute since 2009

companies launched: 9,000+
raised by graduates: $2BN+
mentors and investors: 40,000+

See more graduates

Frequently asked questions

All questions(opens in a new tab)

: Entrance fee varies by city and deadline; your chapter page shows the exact figure. It is fully refundable before Kickoff and 75 percent refundable before Session 3. Payment plans are available through Partial.ly (5 percent service fee). Teams of 2 to 3 founders pay 1.5 times the fee and teams of 4 to 5 pay 2 times; the 2.5 percent Equity Collective pledge is per company, not per founder. See your chapter.
: Yes. About two-thirds of the way through the program, not at enrollment, founders pledge 2.5 percent of future equity to the Equity Collective as a warrant: 0.5 percent to mentors, 1 percent to local leaders, 1 percent to FI. It activates only at a qualified equity financing of $100,000 or more from outside investors ($25,000 if you join a qualifying program such as Y Combinator after graduating), carries no board seat or voting rights, is not a revenue share, dissolves if the company fails, and 60 percent of returns go back to the local ecosystem that helped you. Bootcamps have no equity component. How the Equity Collective works.
: Yes. Come to a free event in your city or online at fi.co/events, where local leaders and mentors take questions, or write to us at fi.co/support. Local leaders are listed on your chapter page.
: If you have an idea and want to build a company, apply to the FI Agentic Accelerator: 10 sessions plus Funding Day, a program generated for your startup (your Playbook), practice pitching an AI investor at any hour (Pitch Gym), Frank and AI Assist on every deliverable, and weekly feedback from mentors. It runs in 200+ cities; apply to the chapter nearest you or to an online cohort. If you want a short, focused course first, FI Bootcamps (Startup Ideation, Vibe Coding, OpenClaw AI Productivity) are short, focused courses of a few weeks with no equity component, and enrolled Agentic founders get one bootcamp free and 50 percent off the others. See the program or see the bootcamps.

All questions(opens in a new tab)

Supported by

Loyal VC
Founder Capital
Female Founder Initiative
IITM E-Cell
KRIA Law
Lifeboat Ventures
MaxBlox
Peaceful Progress

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The Founder Institute is the world’s largest agentic company builder, turning ideas into fundable startups, and startups into unicorns. Since 2009, the Founder Institute program has helped over 9,000 entrepreneurs build 9,000+ companies, including unicorns like Udemy and Esusu, raise over 2BN in funding, and grow a portfolio worth an estimated $20BN. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities and 95 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide. Learn more about the Founder Institute.

Build a Fundable, Global Startup in Chennai

Chennai 2022 is not accepting applications

Build your startup with support

Know what to do next

Get people in your corner

Build toward Demo Day

Your path through the program

Founders who built with FI

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost?

Is there an equity component?

Can I talk to someone about the program?

Which program should I apply to?

Chennai 2022 is not accepting applications