Build a Great Startup in 2020 with the Founder Institute Miami Startup Accelerator

Today, the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Miami 2026 program!

If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from Miami's top investors and entrepreneurs to build a startup, then apply to the Miami 2026 Founder Institute today.

Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities worldwide, the Founder Institute provides high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the devoted support network and structured growth process needed to get to traction and funding. Participants in the 4-month core program also get access to a lifetime of support through the Founder Institute's industry-leading post-programs.

Since 2009, the Founder Institute has helped over 8,900 Alumni raise over 2BN funding, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more (see the FI 10 Year Impact Report here).

To celebrate the launch, we will host several free startup events in Miami, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program:

Miami Events:

Founder Institute Miami: AMA with Alumni, Mentors & Directors: 6:30pm, Mar 31, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/394118

Global or Regional Events:

Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
How Aspiring Founders can Use AI to Test Ideas & Move Faster: 8:30pm, Mar 23, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393868
[Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Get Feedback from Global Investors & Advisors (Private Event): 12:00pm, Mar 24, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/389052
What Startup Ecosystems Get Wrong, and How to Fix Them: 12:30pm, Mar 30, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/394268
Solo-Founder 101: How Anyone Can Start a Business Using AI: 12:00pm, Mar 31, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392550
From Idea to Startup Team: Meet Your Future Co-Founder: 8:00pm, Apr 06, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392190
Stuck Without a Startup Idea? Build One That Fits You: 8:00pm, Apr 07, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390143
How Multiple Pivots positioned Checkbox as the ‘Legal Front Door’ for Corporations: 8:00pm, Apr 13, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/389466
Real Startup Lessons From FI Alumni Across the World: 12:00pm, Apr 14, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390761
Turn Your Expertise Into an Audience on LinkedIn: 12:00pm, Apr 27, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392414
How to Overcome the Fear of Starting Your Own Company: 12:00pm, Apr 28, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/394048
How to Choose the Right Startup Idea Before You Build: 8:00pm, May 18, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390317
Inside the Founder Institute: Real Stories From Alumni: 12:00pm, Jun 02, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390493
Startup Advisors 101: How to Find Advisors and Maximize their Impact: 8:30pm, Jun 08, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/388433
Turn Startup Hesitation Into Action: A Founder Mindset Framework: 8:00pm, Jun 15, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393198
Stop Guessing, Start Raising: An Investor Q&A : 8:00pm, Jul 06, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392828
Stop Overthinking and Build a Great Startup Idea: 12:00pm, Jul 20, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390631
From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 8:30am, Aug 10, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393321
Meet FI Alumni Founders: High-Growth Startups Panel : 12:00pm, Aug 10, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391183
Build a Startup Idea Investors Won’t Ignore: 8:00pm, Aug 18, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391271
What Makes Investors Say Yes: Startup Funding AMA: 12:00pm, Sep 01, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392938
Break the Idea Loop and Decide What to Build: 8:00pm, Sep 21, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391550
From Idea to Traction: Lessons From Global FI Alumni: 8:30pm, Oct 05, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390907
From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset: 12:00pm, Oct 13, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393451
From Founder to Funded: Interactive Q&A with Top Startup Investor: 12:00pm, Nov 03, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393068
From “Maybe” to Momentum: Building a Great Startup Idea: 8:00pm, Nov 17, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391412
From First Idea to First Funding: Global Alumni Stories: 12:00pm, Dec 01, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391025

See all upcoming events

The Miami program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Grace Spindel (Director, Founder Institute Miami), Ryan Martin (Director, Founder Institute Miami).

In addition, some of Miami's top investors, entrepreneurs, and CEOs will be participating in the program, providing them with expert feedback and evaluation. The list of startup mentors for the Miami Founder Institute includes:

Aaron Chavez: Managing Partner, (un)conventional ventures
Adam Garfield: Exited Founder & CEO, Stealth, SpeedETab
Andreas Calabrese: General Partner, Tampa Bay Ventures
Andrew Ive: Founder / Managing General Partner, Big Idea Ventures
Anna Ratala: 2x Founder & CEO, Zvook
Anuj Maheshwari: Investor, Fuel Venture Capital
Ashley Flucas: Angel Investor, Flucas Ventures
Ayal Stern: Co-Founder, The LAB Miami
Carlos Romero: Florida Director, Founder Institute
Charles Masters Rodriguez: Co-Founder & CEO, Supply Veins
Chris Anderson: General Partner, A2ZVenture.com
Chris Adamo: Investor & Senior Advisor, Conscience VC
Daniel Di Maria: Co-founder & CRO, Spellbook
Daniel Herrera: Advisor, eMerge Americas
David Zinn: Managing Director, Ocean Azul Partners
David Chitester: Founder, SeedFunders
Dean Hatton: Founding Partner, Las Olas VC
Diana Fox: Co-Founder, Odyssey Gaming
Esteban Reyes: Founding Partner, Las Olas Venture Capital
Esteban Salsano: CEO, Odev.tech
Ethan Werner: Principal, BlueLake VC
Etienne Gillard: Head of Ventures, Mana Tech
Grace Spindel: Director, Founder Institute Miami
Hilmon Sorey: Co-Founder & Partner, The Source Groups
Jahn Karsybaev: Founding Partner, Big Sky Capital VC
James Irvine: Partner, SeedFunders
Janet Todorova: Head of Expansion, Founder Institute
Joan Zhang: Chapter Co-Director, Startup Grind Miami
Joe Daniels: Partner, Co-Chair - Emerging Companies, Partner & Co-Chair, Emerging Companies Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
June W Choi: Managing Partner, Serval Ventures
Justis Mendez: Managing Partner, OneSixOne Ventures
Kathy Chiu: Managing Partner, DeepWork Capital
Ken Hall: Vice President, DeepWork Capital
Kristen Corpion: Founder, CORPlaw
Lauren Pencek: COO, Graphika
Lorenzo Thione: Managing Director, Gaingels
Lorenzo De Leo: Managing Director, Rokk3r
Luisa Baltazar: Founder & CEO, HER Venture HUB
Marcelo Ricigliano: CEO, 4Geeks Academy
Mark Volchek: Founder, Las Olas Venture Capital
Marty Schultz: Founder, Objective Ed
Michael Assraf: CEO & Founder, Flamingo
Michel Triana: General Partner, Mises Capital
Mike Sherbakov: General Partner, The Veteran Fund
Miriam Altman Reyes: Founding CEO & Managing Partner, Brass Ring Ventures
Nathaniel Vasel: Partner, Las Olas Venture Capital
Nelson Telemaco: GP, Eden Capital
Peter Livingston: General Partner, Unpopular Ventures
Ron Tarro: VP, New World Angels
Ryan Martin: Director, Founder Institute Miami
Ryan Pruitt: Managing Director, Ocean Azul Partners
Sam Payrovi: Founder & CEO, ARKHAUS
Satadru Sengupta: Co-Founder & CEO, Nimbus
Silvio Frank Pupo: CEO, Logos Capital Group
Sonja Markova: Executive Director, University of Miami Cane Angel Network
Tahl Milburn: Investor, Seedfunders
Tigre Wenrich: Managing Partner, LAB Ventures
Timothy Cartwright: Chairman, Tamiami Angel Funds

And many more to be announced.

The Founder Institute focuses on helping tech or tech-enabled businesses at the pre-seed stage, including both solo-founders and teams. This includes established businesses that are pre-funding and traction, MVP and prototype-stage projects, and even part-time founders with just ideas. FI's mission is to create sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.