Today, the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Germany Fall 2025 program!
If you could use a structured process and support from Berlin's top investors and entrepreneurs to build a startup, then apply to the Germany Fall 2025 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. Since 2009, the program has helped over 7,500 Alumni raise over $1.85BN funding, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more.
To celebrate the launch, we will host several free startup events in Berlin, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program:
Germany Events:
- Meet the Germany Startup Ecosystem (In-Person Networking Event): 7:00pm, May 29, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370259
- Founder Meet & Greet: Berlin In-Person Startup Networking Summer Edition: 7:00pm, Jun 17, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/372716
Global or Regional Events:
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
- Launching and Scaling Startups in Europe: Insights from FI Founders: 7:00pm, May 19, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/369816
- Lessons Learned Raising from Top Silicon Valley VCs: AMA with Rajeev Behera: 6:00pm, May 29, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/372681
- How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 7:00pm, Jun 02, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370566
- How to Build Your MVP Using Artificial Intelligence : 7:00pm, Jun 04, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/371344
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 2:00am, Jun 10, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370853
- FI Alumni Panel: Meet Portfolio Companies and Ask Questions: 7:00pm, Jun 23, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/371762
- Startup Finance & Banking Basics: AMA with Grasshopper Bank: 7:00pm, Jun 25, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/371959
- Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 7:00pm, Jun 30, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/371604
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 7:00pm, Jul 07, 2025 (Europe/Berlin): https://FI.co/e/370334
The Berlin program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Dirk Muller-Dornieden, Dirk Lehmann (Innovation Advisor & Pitch Coach, Dirk Lehmann & Partners), Ferdinand Muehlhaeuser (Lead Director Berlin, Founder Institute), Kai Malkwitz (Sustainability evangelist and startup mentor, Founder greenergetic, pvXchange, pvStream GmbH), Rikke Klitskov, Sascha Karstaedt (Founder/CEO, CheckGeo), and Tomasz Sieron (CEO, Netkata Digital Agency). These diverse startup leaders are elevating Berlin to among the top cities globally for founders building global businesses.
Berlin founders will benefit from easy access to all the legal aid they need, as they advance and progress throughout and after the program, via Founder Institute's legal partner Hyazinth, "combining legal and strategic advice to steer their clients courageously through any situation" and its team of 20 lawyers with specialties in the niche challenge areas that startups face.
On the development side, VISUAL CRAFT Inc has partnered to help FI Berlin founders launch their businesses. Banking partner HOLVI has teamed up with Founder Institute Berlin as well, adding modern and simple-to-use services that take the pain out of business management through time-saving tools for invoicing and bookkeeping.
In addition, some of Berlin's top investors, entrepreneurs, and CEOs will be participating in the program, providing them with expert feedback and evaluation. The following individuals were carefully chosen from our total list of 300+ startup mentors for the Berlin Founder Institute, for working most closely with the founders of our last 2019 cohort. Stay tuned for more great Berlin startup mentors to be announced in 2020!
- Adam Moalla - Berlin | Moalla Ventures
- Alexander Kiltz - Berlin | UVC Partners
- Andrey Osipov - New York | Visual Craft
- Anti Jürgenstein - Berlin | Optimist Group
- Antony Tikhonov - Berlin | Seedrs
- Arne Wittmer - Berlin | Computerhouse Berlin
- Benjamin Föckersperger - Berlin
- Benjamin Gebien - Berlin | OB8
- Chris Payne - Berlin | Aroundtown SA
- Christian Chudoba - Berlin | Lumenaza GmbH
- Claude Ritter - Berlin | Tiger Facility Services
- Csaba Tamas - Berlin | Amazon Web Services
- David Wortmann - Berlin | DWR eco
- Dirk Bessau - Berlin | InnoEnergy Gmb
- Eckart Burgwedel - Berlin | Uberchord
- Felix Hofmann - Berlin | BMI Lab AG
- Gilles Toussaint - Berlin | Gilles Toussaint
- Heike Roettgers - Berlin | Leanovate GmbH
- Ingo Juraske - Berlin | Impact51
- Javier Rincon - Berlin | LeanCrush
- Joerg Geier - Berlin | Joerg Geier Consulting
- Johannes Steinacher - Berlin | Hyazinth LLP
- Julius Bertram - Berlin | ALBA
- Jyrki Vanamo - Berlin | Holvi
- Kai Malkwitz - Berlin | pvStream GmbH
- Karolina Attspodina - Berlin | WLOUNGE | MAGDA GROUP
- Klaus Kammermeier - Berlin | InnovationLabs.Berlin
- Kristian Lutz - Berlin | Hyazinth LLP
- Kyrill Zlobenko - Munich | Seedrs Ltd.
- Laura Kohler - Berlin | Sharkbite Innovation
- Lital Aravot - Berlin | Aetion
- Lubomila Jordanova - Berlin | Plan A
- Magnus Lužkov - Berlin | Optimist Group
- Mali M Baum - Berlin | WLOUNGE | MAGDA GROUP
- Mario Steinbuch - Berlin | SPRK.global
- Martin Adam - Berlin | Menschortweb
- Max Costa - Berlin | United Nations World Food Programme
- Michael Debuschewitz - Berlin | senden24 GmbH
- Mirela Mus - Berlin | DSTOQ
- Nicola Pinder - Berlin | Creatives Loop Ltd and Creatives Loop International Ltd & Co KG
- Pablo Berger - Berlin | Innovationslabor GmbH
- Peter Moll, Ph.D - Berlin | Self Employe
- Peter Veto - Berlin | Free
- Philip Strothmann - Berlin | Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation e.V.
- Philipp Seidel - Berlin | Holvi
- Ramona Liberoff - London | Unreasonable Group
- Rasmus Giesel - Berlin | M.O.R. Design
- Regine Waldik - Berlin | Regine Investements
- Sebastian Fischer Jung - Berlin | Digital Public Affairs GmbH
- Simon Knittel - Berlin | OB8
- Sonsoles Alonso - Berlin | Sonsoles Alonso Global Consulting
- Stefan Jørgensen - Berlin | itembase.com
- Tao Tao - Berlin | GetYourGuide
- Thomas Broemme - Berlin | StartupTV
- Tobias Dickmeis - Berlin | Tandem
- Tobias Wittich - Berlin | The Place Berlin
- Wilhelm Stein - Berlin | Stein E&C GmbH
- Yannis Salavopoulos - Berlin | CAPITALS Circle Group GmbH & Global Sustain GmbH
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.
Join us in Berlin to build a great company in 2020.
Apply to the Germany Fall 2025 Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.
