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 9,000 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:

Build a Startup Idea with AI Investors Won’t Ignore: 8:00pm, Aug 04, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391271
How to Find the First Customers for Your Startup Idea: 12:00pm, Aug 11, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/403308
How to Get Customer Feeback on your Startup Idea in the Age of AI: 12:00pm, Aug 18, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/403466
From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 8:30am, Aug 24, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393321
FounderX Silicon Valley 2026: Global Conference in San Francisco: 8:00pm, Aug 25, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/399780
Stop Guessing, Start Raising: An Investor Q&A: 12:00pm, Sep 01, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392938
[Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Pitch Live and Get Feedback from Investors & Advisors: 12:00pm, Sep 08, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/401211
How to Create a Great First Startup Pitch using AI: 8:30pm, Sep 14, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/403605
How to Build a Strong Pipeline of Entrepreneurs for your Innovation Hub: 12:00pm, Sep 15, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/398329
Break the Idea Loop and Decide What to Build: 8:00pm, Sep 21, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391550
Learn from FI Grads: How to Build Without a Co-Founder: 12:00pm, Oct 06, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391183
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
Anna Ratala: 2x Founder & CEO, Zvook
Anuj Maheshwari: Investor, Fuel Venture Capital
Ayal Stern: Co-Founder, The LAB Miami
Bo Zhao: Founder & CEO, Baby Gear Group
Carlos Erban: Founder, CERBAN Investments
Charles Masters Rodriguez: Co-Founder & CEO, Supply Veins
Chris Anderson: General Partner, A2ZVenture.com
David Chitester: Founder, SeedFunders
Dean Hatton: Founding Partner, Las Olas VC
Diana Fox: Co-Founder, Odyssey Gaming
Elvia Perez: Investor, Las Olas Venture Capital (LOVC)
Erick Gavin: General Partner, Edin Capital
Esteban Reyes: Founding Partner, Las Olas Venture Capital
Ethan Werner: Principal, BlueLake VC
Franco Della tore
Grace Spindel: Head of Product , EY & Director, Founder Institute Miami
Hilmon Sorey: Co-Founder & Partner, The Source Groups
James Irvine: Partner, SeedFunders
Janet Todorova: Head of Expansion, Founder Institute
Julia Lucidi: Founder, Fort Lauderdale Tech Meetup
June W Choi: Managing Partner, Serval Ventures
Justin Elliott: Anthropic Ambassador & CTO, WRTH
Justis Mendez: Managing Partner, OneSixOne Ventures
Ken Hall: Vice President, DeepWork Capital
Kristen Corpion: Founder, CORPlaw
Lauren Pencek: COO, Graphika
Marcelo Ricigliano: CEO, 4Geeks Academy
Maria Jose Dobles Madrigal: Founder & Managing Partner, DM Legal
Mark Volchek: Founder, Las Olas Venture Capital
Michael Assraf: CEO & Founder, Flamingo
Michel Triana: General Partner, Mises Capital
Mike Lingle: Entrepreneur / Mentor, Rocket Pro Forma
Mike Sherbakov: General Partner, The Veteran Fund
Miriam Altman Reyes: Founding CEO & Managing Partner, Brass Ring Ventures
Mitali Saxena: Founder & CEO, Fashom
Nao Madison: Managing Partner , Tomorrow
Nelson Telemaco: GP, Eden Capital
Noah Wallach: Founder, Hope OS
Olivia Ramos: Founder & CEO, Deepblocks
Peter Livingston: General Partner, Unpopular Ventures
Ryan Martin: Director, Founder Institute Miami and BD, Enduring Planet
Ryan Pruitt: Managing Director, Ocean Azul Partners
Sam Payrovi: Founder & CEO, ARKHAUS
Satadru Sengupta: Co-Founder & CEO, Nimbus
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.