Name: Q&A: Founder Institute - Ask us anything! (Thu 10/29)
Start: 2026-10-29T13:00:00-0700
End: 2026-10-29T14:00:00-0700

Q&A: Founder Institute - Ask us anything! (Thu 10/29)

Get honest answers on cost, workload, outcomes and investors before deciding whether to apply

Date

Oct 29, 2026

Time

01:00 pm - 02:00 pm

Address

Online Event

Timezone

[If you're not able to make this Q&A, there will be another Fri 10/30 @1pm]

🚀 Startup Reality Check

We'll talk about:

Avoiding the mistakes that kill most startups
What an accelerator provides that you can't do on your own?
How do you go from an idea to a real, scalable business?
Or How do you go from MVP to traction and customers?
When to pivot vs. push forward
What the Founder Institute program is actually like under the hood?
Accelerators aren't for everyone, is it right for you?

🔥 Investor Hot Seat (time permitting):

Got burning fundraising questions? Nothing's off the table. Bring yours, or let's tackle some of these:

Why do investors back some founders and pass on others?
What makes an unproven founder worth backing and a startup stand out among hundreds of pitches?
What are the biggest mistakes founders make when fundraising?
Is VC funding even the right path for your startup?
How is AI changing what investors are willing to fund
What makes an AI startup defensible in an increasingly crowded market?

Hi there.

Did you know that 92% of early-stage startups FAIL?
That. Is. Stupid. 😠

When I was a founder, I saw this and it blew my mind.
8 years later this stat has barely moved. WTF. 😡

❓How is that even possible??❓
In this day and age with every resource at our fingertips. Founders today don’t lack information. They’re drowning in it. Every day, they’re hit with new trends, conflicting advice, and shiny objects that pull them off course.

Reviewing hundreds of startup post mortems... it's crazy to me that a huge amount of all the contributing failure factors were avoidable things.
Not. Awesome.

I was also surprised to learn that even though so many founders were surrounded by people... many still wished they had more guidance.

🚨“Focus and lack of direction are the biggest challenges to startups”. Speed and timing are crucial and mis-steps are costly.

With all the noise… Especially in an AI world. It's tough to choose (or what not to choose) which actions will actually boost your startup.

🚀We're hyper focused on helping founders level up & get a better shot at being in the 8%.

We're looking forward to meeting you!:
Jeni & Lucas

Hosted by:
Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland/Vegas & Portland
AI rewrote the rules of startup building and the playbook has changed. Tech & skills are no longer the bottleneck: speed & direction are.
Founder Institute merges structured learning and execution + AI agents that build alongside you.

The Method: Business bootcamp structure + weekly pitch feedback + founder working groups.
The Network: 1:1 mentor sessions, Funding Lab, legal aid, and global event access.
The Result: 9,000+ founders across 100 countries backed by $2BN+ raised

We give early-stage founders the tools, network, and momentum to go from zero to funding.

Learn More: https://fi.co & https://fi.co/aifounder
Interested in our program? Meet the Team: Jeni & Lucas
➡️ Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 30th https://fi.co/san-francisco