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 Italy program!
If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from Italy's top investors and entrepreneurs to build a startup, then apply to the Italy 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 Italy, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs:
- How to Launch an AI-Powered Company With a Day Job Featuring Adeo Ressi: 8:00pm, Jun 08, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/399194
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- What It Takes to Get Funded: Live Investor Q&A w/ Maayan Teper: 6:00pm, Jun 09, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/398617
- Meet FI Alumni Founders: High-Growth Startups Panel : 6:00pm, Jul 07, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/398709
- Stop Overthinking and Build a Great Startup Idea: 6:00pm, Jul 20, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/398676
- From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 2:30pm, Aug 10, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/398706
- FounderX Silicon Valley 2026: Global Conference in San Francisco: 2:00am, Aug 26, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/399852
- What Makes Investors Say Yes: Startup Funding AMA: 6:00pm, Sep 01, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/398795
- How to Build a Strong Pipeline of Entrepreneurs for your Innovation Hub: 6:00pm, Sep 15, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/398251
- From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset: 6:00pm, Oct 13, 2026 (Europe/Rome): https://FI.co/e/399056
The Italy program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Alberto Martellini (Founder Institute Innovation Partner, Vision to Life), Amadeus Samson, Ariona Krasniqi ( Local Leader – Mentor Network, Founder Institute), Azra Gurbuz (Local Leader - Marketing & Community Lead, FI), Giovanni Salvi (Data Scientist, Serenis).
In addition, some of Italy'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 Italy Founder Institute includes:
* Alberto Martellini * Antonello Schiavo * Antonia Verna * Aras Bilgen * Ben Stacey * Bruno Reggiani * Camilla Barlocco * Duygu Sefa * Edoardo Volta * Emanuele Torlonia * Enrico Frascati * Fabio Costa * Fabrizio Spaolonzi * Giacomo Poggiali * Giorgio Seveso * Julián Jordan * Lorenzo Giampaolo Arrigoni * Luigi Cito * Marco Boscariol * Marco Cello * Massimo Schiavi * Mauro Baldoni * May Mor * Mohammed Kashif * Natalia Iudina * Pier Paolo Mucelli * Sush Bapna * Varun Jain * Victor Schiller * Vladimir Pletyukhin
- And many more to be announced.
Join us in Italy to build a great company in 2026.
Apply to the Italy Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.
