Build a Startup with Miami's Top Investors and Entrepreneurs. FI Miami Applications Open Now

Today, the Founder Institute, the world's premier 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 feedback from Miami's top 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 critical support network and structured process needed to build an enduring company. Since 2009, the program has helped over 9,000 Graduates raise over 2BN funding, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more.

To celebrate the launch, the Founder Institute will host several free startup events in Miami, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program:

How to Launch an AI-Powered Company With a Day Job Featuring Adeo Ressi: 2:00pm, Jun 08, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/399274
Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
What It Takes to Get Funded: Live Investor Q&A w/ Maayan Teper: 12:00pm, Jun 09, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/396176
Turn Startup Hesitation Into Action: A Founder Mindset Framework: 8:00pm, Jun 15, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393198
Stop Guessing, Start Raising: An Investor Q&A : 8:00pm, Jul 06, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392828
Meet FI Alumni Founders: High-Growth Startups Panel : 12:00pm, Jul 07, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391183
Stop Overthinking and Build a Great Startup Idea: 12:00pm, Jul 20, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390631
From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 8:30am, Aug 10, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/393321
Build a Startup Idea Investors Won’t Ignore: 8:00pm, Aug 18, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/391271
FounderX Silicon Valley 2026: Global Conference in San Francisco: 8:00pm, Aug 25, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/399780
What Makes Investors Say Yes: Startup Funding AMA: 12:00pm, Sep 01, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/392938
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
From Idea to Traction: Lessons From Global FI Alumni: 8:30pm, Oct 05, 2026 (America/New_York): https://FI.co/e/390907
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 James Irvine (Founder, Pitch Night NYC), and Roxette Miranda (Co-Founder, 305 Works).

In addition, some of Miami's top entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors will be participating in the program, providing them with expert training, feedback, and evaluation. The list of 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
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)
Esteban Reyes: Founding Partner, Las Olas Venture Capital
Ethan Werner: Principal, BlueLake VC
Grace Spindel: Head of Product , EY & Director, Founder Institute Miami
Hilmon Sorey: Co-Founder & Partner, The Source Groups
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
Mark Volchek: Founder, Las Olas Venture Capital
Michael Assraf: CEO & Founder, Flamingo
Michel Triana: General Partner, Mises Capital
Mike Sherbakov: General Partner, The Veteran Fund
Miriam Altman Reyes: Founding CEO & Managing Partner, Brass Ring Ventures
Mitali Saxena: Founder & CEO, Fashom
Nelson Telemaco: GP, Eden Capital
Olivia Ramos: Founder & CEO, Deepblocks
Peter Livingston: General Partner, Unpopular Ventures
Ryan Martin: Director, Founder Institute Miami
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 is designed for founders and teams all throughout the pre-seed stage, including aspiring founders with a full-time job, solo founders, teams, and founders of established companies that are pre-funding. The Founder Institute's mission is to "Globalize Silicon Valley" and create sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.