Schedule
Startup Ideation Bootcamp
At the Founder Institute, you won't "learn" how to build a business. Rather, you will build your business alongside top startup experts using a proven, structured process that has helped some of the world's fastest growing companies raise over $1.85BN.
Our core program includes a series of challenging growth sprints, in addition to Weekly Feedback Sessions where you will receive constant feedback on your progress from experienced Mentors and Investors.
See the schedule for the Startup Ideation Bootcamp program below.
The Final Application Deadline for the Startup Ideation Bootcamp program is Jul 13, 2025, and you can apply to the program at FI.co/join.
When you enroll in OpenToStart Bootcamp Q3 2025, you can begin onboarding right away with a structured, guided process. Go ahead and review the deliverables in the Onboarding Sprint now.
Kickoff & Ideation is a live session with a Mentor designed to introduce you to the bootcamp, outline what to expect over the next weeks, and explore ideation techniques together. Following the session, you have one week to complete the Kickoff & Ideation Sprint.
Join this week's session with a Mentor and learn about ways to validate the market opportunity for your startup idea. Following the session, continue with the Market Opportunity Sprint to help you achieve that.
Join the Customer Validation live session with a Mentor and get your questions answered. Following the session, continue working on this week's Sprint to progress with your idea validation.
Your goal this week is to finalize your Validation Pitch. Join this week’s mentor session to learn best practices for your pitch and follow the deliverables in the Validation Pitch Sprint to submit your pitch and get the chance to pitch in front of investors at the Pitch Showcase.
Join this week's Ask-Me-Anything session and get feedback and guidance from a mentor. No Sprint this week - continue with customer interviews and pitch practice.
Join this week's Ask-Me-Anything session for more feedback and get your questions answered. No Sprint this week - keep interviewing customers and practice your pitch.
This is the last Ask-Me-Anything session for this bootcamp. Join to ask your questions and get feedback from a mentor. No Sprint this week - keep interviewing customers and practice your pitch.
Congratulations on making it to the final week of the bootcamp! The Pitch Showcase will feature the top founders from the bootcamp who will pitch their startup ideas to a panel of mentors and investors. Visit the final Sprint to discover your next steps to advance your startup journey.
Post Program Resources
The 4 month Core-Program is just the beginning. We have developed extensive support programs and resources for our Alumni that far exceed any other comparable startup program.
Continued Support
- Dedicated Alumni Support Team in Silicon Valley
- Access to the world's largest network of mentors and investors (35,000+)
- Private Alumni mailing lists
- $2M+ in partner discounts
- Invites to FI sessions & network events
- Potentail introductions to investors
Post-Programs
- A series of virtual advisory programs where you work with our Silicon Valley HQ team to reach next milestones
- Funding Lab helps get your lead investor within 6 months
- P/M Fit Lab (2023) helps you get to Product Market Fit
- FI Venture Network helps you get intros to investors
- 100% customized and FREE for Alumni
