The Founder Institute, the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Raleigh program!
If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from North Carolina's top investors and entrepreneurs to build a startup, then apply to the Raleigh Founder Institute today.
Since 2009, our highly-structured accelerator programs have helped entrepreneurs at the earliest stages grow quickly, know what to do next, and make connections with the largest community of startup advisors.
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.
To celebrate the launch, the Founder Institute will host several free online startup events in North Carolina, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs:
- From Idea to Startup Team: Meet Your Future Co-Founder: 8:00pm, Apr 06, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392194
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- Fundraising in a More Disciplined Capital Environment: 6:00pm, Apr 07, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393769
- Stuck Without a Startup Idea? Build One That Fits You: 8:30pm, Apr 07, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390125
- Building the Right Team as a First‑Time CEO: 6:00pm, Apr 09, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393772
- How Multiple Pivots positioned Checkbox as the ‘Legal Front Door’ for Corporations: 8:00pm, Apr 13, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/389461
- Real Startup Lessons From FI Alumni Across the World: 12:00pm, Apr 14, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390742
- Leveraging AI and Technology Without Losing Focus: 6:00pm, Apr 14, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393775
- Founder Resilience, Decision‑Making, and Mental Load: 6:00pm, Apr 16, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393778
- How to Go From Raw Idea to Polished Pitch using AI: 12:30pm, Apr 20, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/395775
- [Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Pitch Live and Get Feedback from Investors & Advisors: 12:00pm, Apr 21, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/395605
- Turn Your Expertise Into an Audience on LinkedIn: 12:00pm, Apr 27, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392421
- How to Overcome the Fear of Starting Your Own Company: 12:00pm, Apr 28, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/394046
- How to Get Your First 10 Customers Without a Marketing Team or Budget: 12:30pm, May 04, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/394555
- How to Choose the Right Startup Idea Before You Build: 8:00pm, May 18, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390290
- [Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Get Unfiltered Feedback from Global Investors & Advisors: 12:00pm, May 26, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/395461
- Inside the Founder Institute: Real Stories From Alumni: 12:00pm, Jun 02, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390474
- Startup Advisors 101: How to Find Advisors and Maximize their Impact: 8:30pm, Jun 08, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/388430
- Turn Startup Hesitation Into Action: A Founder Mindset Framework: 8:00pm, Jun 15, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393201
- Stop Guessing, Start Raising: An Investor Q&A : 8:00pm, Jul 06, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392824
- Stop Overthinking and Build a Great Startup Idea: 12:00pm, Jul 20, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390612
- From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 8:30am, Aug 10, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393324
- Meet FI Alumni Founders: High-Growth Startups Panel : 12:00pm, Aug 10, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391164
- Build a Startup Idea Investors Won’t Ignore: 8:00pm, Aug 18, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391253
- What Makes Investors Say Yes: Startup Funding AMA: 12:00pm, Sep 01, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392941
- Break the Idea Loop and Decide What to Build: 8:00pm, Sep 21, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391535
- From Idea to Traction: Lessons From Global FI Alumni: 8:30pm, Oct 05, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390888
- From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset: 12:00pm, Oct 13, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393454
- From Founder to Funded: Interactive Q&A with Top Startup Investor: 12:00pm, Nov 03, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393072
- From “Maybe” to Momentum: Building a Great Startup Idea: 8:00pm, Nov 17, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391409
- From First Idea to First Funding: Global Alumni Stories: 12:00pm, Dec 01, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391016
The North Carolina program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Bill Rivkin (Business Banking Virtual Relationship Manager VP, Citizens), Daria Duda (Marketing Advisor, Self), Don Samoil (Chapter Leader, FI Keystone), Oz Merchant (CEO, ecomsellersHQ), Philly Admin (A, A).
In addition, some of North Carolina'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 North Carolina Founder Institute includes:
- Anoop Anthore: Account Director - Sales , Salesforce
- Anthony Rotoli: CEO, Ocelot
- Ben Stacey: CEO, Pitchverk
- Bill Rivkin: Virtual Relationship Manager |non-dilutive funding, Citizens Bank
- Bill Fields: NC Market Leader for Venture Debt, Bridge Bank
- Bill Harper: CEO & Chief Creative Officer, BrandBossHQ
- Brian Reale: Founder, Processmaker.com
- Burak Eryigit: Director of Software Engineering, Odyssey Logistics and Technology
- Clay Lehman: CTO, Firm360
- Daniel Shires: Managing Director, Founder Institute
- Danielle Livy: VP of Marketing, Viably
- Don Samoil: Managing Partner, Trusted Scale
- Doug Kaufman: CEO & Founder, Belongly
- Erica Jenkins: Founder, Erica Jenkins Consulting
- Erik Severinghaus: VP, Bloomfilter, Inc
- Greg Brown: President, Cardinal Finance LLC
- Greg Lissy: Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Finmark
- Gregg Armitage: CEO, FoundHuman
- Gregg Bordes: Managing Partner, Front Porch Venture Partners
- Jan Davis: Managing Partner, Davis Growth Partners
- Jenn Summe: Startup Investor, Primordial
- Jesse Jones: Owner, Fourscore Business Law
- Jesse Lipson: CEO, Levitate
- John Turner: Director of Engineering, Ampla
- Jonathan Rollman: Founder, ProdUx Design
- Joshua Herzig-Marx: Founder and PM Coach, Founder and PM Coach
- Linda Sanders: Managing Director, Transition360 Partners
- Lister Delgado: Founder and Managing Partner, IDEA Fund Partners
- Mark Kelley: Co-Founder, Zero Copy Labs
- Merrill Mason: Owner, Smith Anderson
- Nirab Kumar: Vice President, Digital Transformation, Odyssey Logistics
- Oz Merchant: CEO, Futureproof
- Ray Antonino: CEO, Co-Founder, PERMITS.com
- Rich Heckelmann: Mentor and Professional Consultant , Keystone Founders + Forward Vision Consulting
- Robert Williams: Managing Partner, 3 Waves Capital
- Sean Mitton: Professional Speaker & Coach, Question Based Mind Mapping
- Tobi Walter: Partner, Cofounders Capital
- Todd Brengel: SVP, Sales, The Muse
- Tom Collopy: CEO, Co-founder, Unbiased Insights, Inc.
- Tom Fisher: Founding Advisory Board Member, Carry Venture Capital
- Venus Liles: Startup Attorney & Founder of Liles Law, Liles Law
- And many more to be announced.
Join us in North Carolina to build a great company in 2023.
Apply to the Raleigh Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.
