Schedule

When you enroll in the FI Core Program, you can immediately start onboarding by following a guided process where you will learn how the program works, tips to get the most benefits, and details on the perks of Graduating from the Founder Institute.

During the Accelerator Kickoff, you will meet the Local Leaders and your cohort of Founders, and establish how your startup will use the program to push your business forward.

In each weekly Feedback Session, Founders will pitch and outline their strategies/ progress to the Mentors for feedback, get tips and insights on the week's topic, and have multiple opportunities to ask questions. This week you'll get tips on how to develop a strong vision for your business.

This session introduces founders to the structure, culture, and workflow of the U.S. defense acquisition ecosystem. It demystifies the relationships between end users, program managers, and contracting officers, and explains how strategy becomes funding and then requirements. The goal is to help founders understand who their real customer is, where decisions are made, and how to align their product vision to mission need. Topics Covered: ·       Overview of the defense enterprise: COCOMs, Service Staffs, PEOs, PMs, and contracting commands ·       The flow of strategy and priorities: NSS > NDS > NMS > POM > Budget > Contracts ·       End users vs. customers vs. contracting officers (who actually buys) ·       Understanding the Defense DevOps cycle (R&D > Acquisition > Operations) ·       Common pitfalls: focusing only on operators or senior leaders ·       How startups can engage each layer of the system early and effectively

In this Feedback Session, Founders will present any customer development progress to the Mentors to examine if they are pursuing a scalable business with a clear and actionable customer problem. The Mentors will also provide tips on how to validate your key assumptions, interview potential customers effectively, and best interpret the feedback you receive.

In this Feedback Session, Founders will share their pitch and revenue model with Mentors for feedback and continued refinement. You will also get tips on how to sustain your startup before receiving financing or revenue, identifying the most lucrative revenue source for your business, testing different revenue sources with your target customers, and more.

An entrepreneur never stops pitching, so this session focuses 100% on helping you build a great pitch. First, the mentors will share the latest best practices for pitching your startup - whether the pitch is for investors, team members, customers, partners, or otherwise. Then, you'll share your most recent pitch and receive constructive feedback on how to improve.

This is the first big checkpoint in the program to determine your progress. During the Mentor Idea Review, you will present a longer presentation to a panel of FI Mentors for extensive review. You will receive a rating, as well as feedback on the long-term viability of your offering, revenue model, growth strategy, and more.

In this Feedback Session, startup lawyers and CEOs will explain various legal agreements, startup legal components (such as equity), cap tables, how to protect intellectual property, the best practices for managing a law firm, and more. As usual, Mentors will also provide Founders with ratings and feedback on their startup pitch and progress.

Topics Covered: ·       Purpose and value of market research in the acquisition process ·       How to interpret and respond to: o   Requests for Information (RFIs) o   Sources Sought Notices o   Industry Days and Capability Briefs o   One-on-One meetings and Tech Demos ·       The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and STTR programs ·       Tools for tracking opportunities and aligning to mission priorities ·       Avoiding the “demo treadmill;” how to turn interest into real opportunities

In this Feedback Session, Mentors will provide Founders with feedback on their current go-to-market plans and progress, and cover topics like marketing messaging, unit economics, customer acquisition, and more.

Topics Covered: ·       The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) overview ·       Key documents: ICD, CDD, CPD, and Capability Needs Statements ·       Urgent and Emergent Needs pathways (JUONs, JEONs, UUNS) ·       The roles of requirements generators, developers, and program offices ·       How priorities are set: strategic alignment, risk, urgency, and resourcing ·       How startups can inform requirements through data, demos, and feedback ·       Maintaining integrity and avoiding “requirements capture”

In this Feedback Session, Mentors will provide Founders with feedback on their current product, and/or product roadmap. Expert in product development will also discuss best practices in product management, roadmapping, managing product teams, and more.

Similar to the Mentor Idea Review, the Investor Progress Review is the second major test in the program. In this session, Founders will focus on give a long presentation their progress and traction to a panel of Investors and Advisors for a detailed review. Founders will be evaluated based on their progress in the program, the company's scalability, and more.

Topics Covered: ·       Overview of PPB&E and the annual budget cycle ·       Program Objective Memoranda (POMs) and Budget Estimate Submissions (BES) ·       Types of funding: RDT&E, Procurement, O&M, and Working Capital ·       Budget hunting: how to identify and track relevant budget lines ·       How reprogramming and below-threshold adjustments work ·       Timing your outreach, where to engage in the cycle ·       Building a business case aligned to funded priorities

In this Feedback Session, Founders will receive feedback from Mentors on their team plans and product progress. In addition, Mentors will discuss how to identify the roles needed to build a world-class company, how to develop a strategy to recruit, onboard and retain the best people, and more.

Topics Covered: ·       Overview of major contract types: o   FAR-based contracts (IDIQ, BPA, SB Set-Asides) o   Other Transaction Authority (OTA) o   Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) o   Grants, prizes, and Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) ·       Choosing between fixed-price vs. cost-type contracts ·       Intellectual Property and Data Rights: protecting your tech while staying compliant ·       Negotiation, pricing, and audit readiness ·       Transitioning from prototype to production (SBIR Phase III, OTA follow-on) ·       Building enduring relationships with Contracting Officers (KOs) and Program Managers

In this session, Mentors will provide Founders with feedback on their current growth, branding, metrics, and strategy. Mentors will discuss various growth tactics, setting growth goals and milestones, communicating your startup's growth progress and setbacks with stakeholders and advisors, and more.

In this session, Mentors will give you insider tip and tricks to raise funding for your startup in the current market, and in your locale. Mentors will also cover numerous topics related to fundraising, including different fundraising options, how to raise funding, and more.

Completing the Founder Institute is an honor. The program is challenging, and the expectations are demanding.In this final session, you will celebrate with your peers, friends and family, as well as select Mentors. Some Founders will also pitch to a live audience, and you will officially onboard to all of the post-program resources and assistance the Founder Institute provides.