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 Seattle Spring 2026 program!
If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from Seattle's top investors and entrepreneurs to build a startup, then apply to the Seattle Spring 2026 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 Seattle, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs:
- How to Go From Raw Idea to Polished Pitch using AI: 9:30am, Apr 20, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/395777
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- [Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Pitch Live and Get Feedback from Investors & Advisors: 9:00am, Apr 21, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/395608
- Turn Your Expertise Into an Audience on LinkedIn: 9:00am, Apr 27, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/392400
- How to Overcome the Fear of Starting Your Own Company: 9:00am, Apr 28, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/394030
- How to Get Your First 10 Customers Without a Marketing Team or Budget: 9:30am, May 04, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/394551
- How Anyone Can Become a Solo Founder with AI: 9:00am, May 05, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/396573
- Stop Guessing: How to Use AI to Validate Your Startup Idea in Days : 9:00am, May 12, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/396735
- How to Choose the Right Startup Idea Before You Build: 5:00am, May 18, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/390299
- How to Tell Stories That Win Clients and Investors with Lubna Forzley: 9:00am, May 19, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/396403
- [Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Get Unfiltered Feedback from Global Investors & Advisors: 9:00am, May 26, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/395464
- Inside the Founder Institute: Real Stories From Alumni: 9:00am, Jun 02, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/390481
- Startup Advisors 101: How to Find Advisors and Maximize their Impact: 5:30pm, Jun 08, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/388431
- Fundraising Reality Check: Startup Funding Q&A for Founders: 9:00am, Jun 09, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/396232
- Turn Startup Hesitation Into Action: A Founder Mindset Framework: 5:00pm, Jun 15, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/393221
- Stop Guessing, Start Raising: An Investor Q&A : 5:00pm, Jul 06, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/392825
- Stop Overthinking and Build a Great Startup Idea: 9:00am, Jul 20, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/390619
- From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 5:30am, Aug 10, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/393344
- Meet FI Alumni Founders: High-Growth Startups Panel : 9:00am, Aug 10, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/391171
- Build a Startup Idea Investors Won’t Ignore: 5:00pm, Aug 18, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/391256
- What Makes Investors Say Yes: Startup Funding AMA: 9:00am, Sep 01, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/392961
- Break the Idea Loop and Decide What to Build: 5:00pm, Sep 21, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/391540
- From Idea to Traction: Lessons From Global FI Alumni: 5:30pm, Oct 05, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/390895
- From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset: 9:00am, Oct 13, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/393474
- From Founder to Funded: Interactive Q&A with Top Startup Investor: 9:00am, Nov 03, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/393075
- From “Maybe” to Momentum: Building a Great Startup Idea: 5:00pm, Nov 17, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/391410
- From First Idea to First Funding: Global Alumni Stories: 9:00am, Dec 01, 2026 (America/Los_Angeles): https://FI.co/e/391021
The Seattle program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Aniket Naravanekar (CEO & Co-founder, Skillsheet), Jewel Atuel, Nicole Doyle (Founder / CEO, Aspir).
In addition, some of Seattle'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 Seattle Founder Institute includes:
- Allison Byers: Founder & CEO, Scroobious
- Amit Gupta: Sys Dev Manager, Amazon
- Andrew Klein: Founder, Zccounting
- Aniket Naravanekar, Skillsheet
- Ankit Srivastav: Angel Investor / Product Leader, Family Office
- Aspen White: Cofounder and CEO, Aerware AI
- Bill Bryant: General Partner, Threshold Ventures
- Carmela Fortin: CEO, Seattle Startup Coaches
- Carson Nye: Investor, Two Ravens
- Chloe Feingold: Financial Advisor, Edward Jones
- Collin Dayley: Founder, Collin Dayley Coaching
- Craig Guarraci: Founder, Tech PM Career Path, LLC
- Dave Cotter: Owner, Kelsor Ventures LLC
- David Jorjani: Founder, Qatalyst Labs
- David Abu: Snr PM, Microsoft
- Dominique Simmons: Founder and CEO, CX UX Spark
- Evan Poncelet: evan@dreamward.vc, Dreamward Group / Venture Black
- Gabriela Camilli: Investor, Act One Ventures
- Gaurav Malhotra: CMO, PickMyCar USA
- Gillian Muessig: Co-Founder, Moz
- James Jenkins: Engineering Manager, Andrews Cooper
- Jay Goyal: President, Actively Learn
- Jen Haller: Chief of staff, Ascend VC.
- John Kinsella: Senior Engineering Leader, AWS
- John Robinson: Founder and Owner, Resolution Photomatching
- Jonathan Greechan: Co-Founder & CEO, Founder Institute, GP Founder Capital
- Kevin Chan: Director, Product Marketing, Fleetio
- Kt Mc Bratney: Head of Community , Renew Venture Capital
- Leila Ergul Demir: Founder, Partner UP
- Levi Velez Reed: Venture Partner, Startup425
- Louis Newkirk: Co-Founder / City Leader, Venture Black / Founders Live
- Luke Arrigoni: Founder / CEO, Loti
- Marc Krejci: Founder, Pathfinder Foundry
- Michael Avent: Partner, Perkins Coie LLP
- Michael Dryja: Principal and Registered Patent Attorney, Law Offices of Michael Dryja
- Mikaela Kiner: CEO & Founder, Reverb
- Nick Hughes: Founder & CEO, Founders Live
- Nicole Doyle: Founder, CEO, Aspir
- Nishanth Lingamneni: Angel Investor, Family Office
- Noemi Ceapa: Founder / CEO, The Consulting Studio
- Richard Bristol, Bristol Advisory
- Rick Graham, Radd Studio Inc.
- Ryan McRobert: Partner, Fenwick & West
- Shaahin Cheyene: Founder and President, Podcastcola Inc.
- Shama Keskar: Cofounder & CEO, VoxAI
- Symon Perriman: CEO & Founder, FanWide
- Taylor Black: Principal Program Manager, Office of the CTO Incubator , Microsoft
- Tony Nguyen: Founding Partner, TKN Tyson LLP
- Yoko Okano: Co-founder, First Row Partners
- And many more to be announced.
Join us in Seattle to build a great company in 2026.
Apply to the Seattle Spring 2026 Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.
