Time to Build: Applications Now Open to Founder Institute Colombia 2023

Founder First, Founder Always. Join us in 2023: Founder Institute is the #1 place in the world to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses.

Today’s economic 'New Normal' is full of reshuffling industries, and new problems in need of solutions - now is a time for entrepreneurs to act.

Whether you need to test and validate early hypotheses before making a large financial commitment to your startup idea, or you are ready to push your startup to the next level through aggressive weekly growth sprints to refine your vision, improve key metrics, and prepare for investor diligence, Founder Institute has the proven processes and network to help you do it.

If you could use a structured process that tells you what to focus on when, and a lifetime of support from Colombia's top investors and entrepreneurs, then apply to the Colombia 2023 Founder Institute today.

We will be hosting several free startup events in Colombia over the coming weeks, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs all from the comfort of home:

Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 7:00pm, may 05, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/369963
Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? Insights from 15 Years of Research: 7:00pm, may 07, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/366295
Corporate Innovation in Action: How to Overcome Roadblocks: 12:00pm, may 08, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/371064
Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with Nathan Beckord: 12:00pm, may 12, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/366377
Lessons Learned Raising from Top Silicon Valley VCs: AMA with Rajeev Behera: 11:00am, may 29, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/371202
How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 12:00pm, jun 02, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/370549
How to Build Your MVP Using Artificial Intelligence : 12:00pm, jun 04, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/371468
Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 7:00pm, jun 09, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/370744
FI Alumni Panel: Meet Portfolio Companies and Ask Questions: 12:00pm, jun 23, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/371748
Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 12:00pm, jun 30, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/371590
Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 12:00pm, jul 07, 2025 (America/Bogota): https://FI.co/e/370434

See all upcoming events

Make better, faster business decisions in 2023 by sharing your latest progress, challenges, and strategies for constant feedback and evaluation from our expert mentors and advisors, every step of the way–scale your team, develop new business opportunities, and recruit an amazing advisory board with the world's largest network of international startup founders, CEOs, advisors, and investors.

The Colombia accelerator is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Guillermo Guzman (.General Partner, Founder Institute Colombia), Jorge H Nieto (Founder & CEO, Expedit Capital). In addition, some of Bogota's top entrepreneurs will be participating as mentors in the program, including:

Adeo Ressi: CEO, Decile Group / VC Lab
Alan Colmenares: Cofounder and CEO, Tappsi / Tpaga / EthicalMe
Alberto Parra: CEO and Founder, BRIX (www.brix.net.br)
Alejandro Gutierrez: CFO y desarrollo de negocios, Puntopay
Alejandro Abdel Aziz: Founder & CEO, Nextonia
Alejandro Gutiérrez: Co-founder, LinkU Ventures SAS
América Castiblanco: Directora de Emprendimiento, Innpulsa Colombia
Ana Maria Ortegón: Socia Gerente, OMAS
Ana María Prieto: Asociada, Brazil Venture Capital
Andres Vejarano Calderon: Socio, Abogado, Director, Invictum Capital, ANDI del Futuro, Kairos
Andres Hernandez: Strategist and Writer, Andreherca
Andres Angel: CEO, Nominapp
Andrés Marcucci: Analista, Torrenegra Accelerator
Andrés Barreto: Managing Director , Techstars Boulder
Andrés Veléz: Founding CEO, Tributi
Andrés Londoño: Head of performance, Platzi
Andrés Bello: Director de Emprendimiento, Fundación Bolívar Davivienda
Andrés Felipe Méndez: Cofounder, Génesis Holding
Andrés Felipe Pantoja Castrillón: CoFounder, Legal Mentors
Anfer Molina: CoFounder & CEO, Tuptip
Angel Celis Botto: Co-Founder, Liftit
Ángela Castillo Llinás: Co-Founder, HelloGuru
Beatriz Dager: General Partner, ChiX Future Ventures
Berg Moe: Chairman, Gründervekst AS
Bernardt Vogel: Sr.Associate, VU Venture Partners
Bibiana Ardila: Co-Founder, Taller A
Byron Hernández: Head of IT Services, Instaleap
Camilo Jimenez: CTO , InstaLeap.io
Camilo Gómez: CEO, Phylo Legal
Carina Batz: Directora Área de Proyectos y Servicios, Cámara Colombo Alemana
Carlos Ortegon: CTO, LOOPAY
Carlos Guayara: CEO, TRII
Carlos Alberto Sánchez Retiz: Coordinador de Aceleración, Torrenegra Accelerator
Carlos Alberto Valderrama: CEO, Grupo Marco
Carlos Andres Valencia Nieto: Machine learning Project Leader | Product Manager, Mercadolibre
Carlos Felipe Gutierrez Camacho: Managing Partner & Co-Founder, INVX, SIMMA
Carlos Ivan Zubieta Leon: Cto & founder Agrapp, Agrapp
Catalina Quintana: Founder, Leancase
Caterine Castillo: CEO, NEIVOR
Cecilia Ezquerro: Associate, 500 Globals
Charlie Cliff: CTO
Chintan Oza: Founder, Anantam Ecosystems
Christian Fresen: Partner, RAD. Estrategias Legales
Christian Daube: Co-Founder, Coach & COO, Torrenegra Accelerator
Conrad Egusa: CEO, Publicize
Daniel Puentes: Associate Founder, Partners Academy
Daniel Otero: CEO and Founder , Muvo
Daniel Escobar: Team Manager , Wolox
Daniel Restrepo: CEO, Taller A
Daniel Cardona: Mentor, Defence Academy Chennai
Daniel Toro: Co-Founder, LinkU Ventures SAS
Daniela Restrepo: VP, PUBLICIZE
Darío Lanchuske: CPO, Omni Bank
David Diaz: CLC, Mesfix SAS
David Camargo: CTO, Bright Financial
David Aponte: CEO & Cofounder, Financial Lab & Taxes
David Wilson: Principal, Franklin Advisory
David Orrego: Ex Chief Growth Officer, Rocketfy.co
David Carvajal: Founder, Cannvest
Diego Caicedo: CEO, OmniBNK
Diego Rodriguez Castillo: Founder - CEO, Linxe
Diego Alejandro Muñoz: Co founder y CMO , Tukarga.com
Eddie Arrieta: CEO, MultiLigual Media
Eduardo Maldonado: Co-founder and Board Member, GDX Travel
Eduardo Rivera: CEO, LOOPAY
Eduardo Hernández, Magma Partners
Edward Cullen: Founder & CEO, Crescite
Elena Dolinski: Philanthropreneur, Executive Board Member, BASE Capital
Elodie Senatore: CEO, Heraclea
Enrique Pons: Founder, Talago & Fincruit
Enrique Echavarria: CEO, WeAreDataLab
Erik Díaz: GP, Blackchiip VC
Fabian Esteban Lopez Morales: Emprendedor incansable, GraciaLab
Felipe Santamaria: Managing Director, Rockstart Colombia
Felipe Rivera Reina: Head Entrepreneur
Felipe Garzon: City Coordinator, Acámica
Felipe Alvarez: CEO , HOBBY CREATIVO
Felipe Cano: CoFounder, LinkU Ventures SAS
Fernando Núñez: VP, PUBLICIZE
Francisco Uriarte: Puerto Rico, ESP Group
Gabriel Castillo Szpoganicz: Founder & CEO, Doc Doc
Gabriel Calderón: CEO, Tu Orden
Gregorio Londoño: Director, Red de Ángeles Inversionistas
Guillermo Guzman: Local Leader, Founder Institute Colombia
Guillermo Ramirez: Managing partner, Oxbridge Capital Partners (VC)
Gustavo Marquez: CEO, Athena Inversion de Impacto
Hans Christian Boehlke: Commercial Director, Celumania.com
Hernando Trinidad Mendoza: FOUNDER, CARLOTA
Iván Ariza: CEO, cargamos.com
Javier Castro
Jean Bernier: CEO y Founder
Jehudi Castro Sierra: Asesor Presidencial, Tecnología
Jennifer Timm: Head of Consulting, Agora Partnerships
Jennifer Poole: CRO, Publizice
Jeremy Bruck: Managing Partner, Data Valuation & Monetization
Jeronimo Silva: Director Ejecutivo , BICTIA
Jessica Mercedes: Country Manager, Holberton School Colombia
Jorge Quiroga
Jorge Quintero: CEO, The Monkey Hat
Jorge Alvarado: CEO, Abbitec
Jorge Rubio: CEO, Foodiverso
Jorge Hernan Nieto Botero: Founder & CEO, Expedit & Elevat-X
Jose Betancur: Director, Nodo
Jose Ovalle: Investor, StartOp
Jose Caparroso: Business reporter & cross-platform coordinator, Forbes
José Miguel Velasco: Head of Startup Acceleration, Corporación Ventures
Joseph DiTomaso: CEO, AllTheRooms
Jose Rafael Donado Vallejo: CEO, S
Juan Colmenares: Growth Lead, Graphite Growth
Juan Angarita: CRO, HoyTrabajas.com (YC W22)
Juan Camilo Vallejo: Co-founder, Co-CEO, & PM, Valienta
Juan Carlos Monroy: Director área de Mercadeo Digital, Departamento de Mercadeo , EAFIT
Juan Carlos Suarez: CEO, Qenta
Juanita Esguerra: Abogada Senior, Sodexo
Juan Manuel Lopera: CEO, TOMi Digital
Juan Pablo Alvarez: Country Managing Director, EnvíoClick
Juan Sebastian Muñoz: Head of Sales, Simetrik Inc
Juan Sebastián Castrillon: Founder, Estratek
Julia Figueiredo: Director Latam, Silicon Valley Bank
Julián Arango: Managing Director, El Hub Ventures Studio, LLC
Julián Vergara Albán: Digital Talent Acquisition , Lulo Bank
Karen Mesa: Entrepreneurship & Innovation consultant, Independent
Khaliq Yar Haidary: CEO, Netzone, Ltd.
Laura Lopera: Coordinadora I+D, Sura
Laura Jimenez Tatis: Financial Mentor, Leancase
Laura Rudd: CEO, BabyTopia
León Papu: Founding Partner, Marathon Lab
Leonardo Gaitan: CEO & co-founder, Autoparti
Lorena Sanchez Garcia: Erudit AI, COO & Board Member
Luca Albertinazzi: Global Evangelist , Startup Grind
Luis Betancourt: Digital Marketing Advisor, Luisbetancourt.co
Luis Barrios: CEO, ARKANGELES
Luisa Navarro: Co-Founder &CMO, PROCONTAR
Luis Felipe Giraldo: Gerente de Expansión, Sociedad Operadora de Franquicias Colombia
Luis Naranjo Duplat: CMO - Growth Hacker, Kairos
Mads Schmidt Petersen: CEO , HippoBuild (Y Combinator W22)
Maika Hoekman: Director, Torre Social
Maira Betancur: Jefe de Investigación y Patentes, Grupo Bolivar
Manuel Bardales: Co-Founder, Movitext
Manuela Sánchez Villamarín: Co-founder & Growth, Laika
Mara Rada: Chief Operations and Strategy, Loon (loonbio.com)
Marc C Lange
Marcela Lopez: Estratega de Marketing, Alexander Torrenegra
Marco De Biasi: Startups Investor & Advisor /Program Director, FI/LGA /LAAS
Margarita Martinez, Blackshiip VC
Maria Camila Gonzalez: CEO, Sarta SAS
Maria Camila Salazar Castro: CEO, Vivir a conciencia
Maria Camila Ortegon: Coordinadora Legal, RapiCredit
Maria Isabela Muñoz: Partner, MAS Equity Partners
Marian Villa: Co-Founder & President, PionerasDev
Mariana Velásquez: Founder - CEO, BRANDDU
Mariano Doncel M.: Business Accelerator Leader and Professor of EAN University , Universidad EAN
Maria Paula Murcia: Directora, TopCruiters
Maribel Corrales: Regional Manager , Holberton School - Colombia
Marlowe Mackenzie: Goal Operations Partner, Canva
Maryori Vivas: LatAm Director, Vermilion LLC
Mateo Trujillo: Product Lead, RappiPay
Michael Luzner: CEO
Miguel Vanegas, Salamandra Ventures
Nadia Stand: Co Founder, The SASI CO
Natalia Guerrero: Psicóloga Especialista, Salud Ocupacional
Nelson Irias: CEO, DataLabs
Nicolai Eslava Barajas: CEO, Estratek Ventures
Nicolas Contreras: CEO, PappCorn
Nicolas Becerra: Founder & CEO, Due Legal
Nicolás Poveda: CEO & CoFounder
Oscar Andres Arango: CEO & Director, Yampi & Seniors Club
Pablo Molina Candel: CTO, CoverWallet
Pablo Ramirez: CEO y Founder, Litmoi
Pablo Molina: CEO, Mirapaltecho
Pedro Lopez Sela, FrissOn Capital
Pilar Fernandez Hermida: Founder i-Expand (We help Health Tech companies go global), i-expand
Rafael Tihanyi: Director of Revenue, Graphite Growth
Raíssa De Mello João: Cofounder & CEO, Vaki
Ramón Rodríguez: Co-Founder and Chief Investors Relations, RIDERY LLC
René Lomelí: Partner, 500
Ricardo Mejia B.: Co-Founder, PappCorn
Ricardo Peña Ruiz: Founder, Korporativa e Innfluence
Rodrigo Alfonso: Co-founder, Sekure
Rosario B Casas: Co Founder, XR Americas, LLC / Business Creative Partners SAS
Ryan Micheletti: Head of Global Operations, Founder Institute
Samuel Grossman: Partner, IRIE VC
Sandra Rubio: CEO, IMIX
Sandy Gómez: Director, FI Caracas
Santiago Rojas: Managing Director, Cube Ventures
Santiago Aparicio, FitPal
Santiago Garzón: CTO, StartOp
Santiago Suarez: CEO & Partner, Addi & YCombinator
Santiago Quimbaya Barreto: Investment Analyst, Ventures Corporation
Sebastian Caro: CEO, Tocaro Capital
Sebastian Leon: Founder, Facebook
Sebastián Jaramillo: LATAM Commercial Director, Rappi
Sebastián Gallo: Head of Operations, Torre
Sergio Espinosa Rivera: CTIO, Akadia Life
Sergio Pachón: Co Founder, Kiwi Campus
Shirlhey Sánchez: CEO & Co-Founder, Colombia Proptech
Simon Chamorro: CEO-CoFounder, Valiu
Sjoerd Martens: Head Of Account Management at Publicize , Publicize
Talha Bin Shuja: Startup and Business Consultant, High Hope International
Tomás Ríos: CEO, Starter
Uri Melamed: Managing Director , EyP S.A.S. / Irie VC
Valentina Giraldo Henao: Founder, LaValentina Design
Victor Dey: Mentor - Enterprise Media at Oxford Entrepreneurs, University of Oxford
Walied Albasheer: Managing Partner, Intuitio Ventures
William Duran: Investment Director, Enter Capital
Ximena Villalobos: Co-Founder & CGO, PROCONTAR
Yasu Guerra, Sky Ride Group, S.A
Yatan Blumenthal Vargas: Co-founder, Berlin Hardware Accelerator
Yemi Oluseun: Growth & GTM For FinTechs, The Change Hive
Zully De La Rosa: CTO, Finaktiva

And many more to be announced.

Since 2009, Founder Institute’s highly-structured accelerator programs have helped over 7,500 entrepreneurs to grow quickly, know what to do next, and make key connections through the largest community of startup advisors in the world.

It all starts with our renowned ‘FI Core’ accelerator, which pushes founders at the idea and pre-seed stages to reach the milestones needed for investment and sustained growth. Alumni of FI Core then receive free access to our advanced ‘Founder Lab’ accelerators for years to come, and can get matched with prospective investors in the FI Venture Network - a collection of global funds actively investing in the earliest rounds of funding.

The results speak for themselves: FI Alumni have raised over $1.85BN in funding, and are building impactful businesses across 200+ cities and 100+ countries all across the globe. (see the FI 50 Report here).