Build a Startup with Romania's Top Investors and Advisors. FI Bucharest Applications Open

Today, the Founder Institute, the world's premier pre-seed startup accelerator, is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Romania - Central Eastern Europe Fall 2026 program!

If you could use a structured process and feedback from Bucharest's top entrepreneurs to build a startup, then apply to the Romania - Central Eastern Europe Fall 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 Bucharest, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program:

The AI-Native Founder Revolution: Build Your Company Faster Than Ever : 7:00pm, Jul 08, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/401599
Venture Trailblazers featuring Tim Draper: 6:00pm, Jul 09, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/401996
Go From Idea to Working App with AI, Featuring Adeo Ressi: 8:00pm, Jul 09, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/402126
How to Build Without a Team Using AI with Jonathan Greechan: 7:00pm, Jul 14, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/401836
Stop Overthinking and Build a Great Startup Idea: 7:00pm, Jul 20, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/398675
[Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Pitch Live and Get Feedback from Investors & Advisors: 7:00pm, Jul 28, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/401119
Learn from AI-Native Solo Alumni: How FI Grads Built Without a Co-Founder: 7:00pm, Aug 04, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/398722
From Idea to Action: The Startup Mindset : 3:30pm, Aug 10, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/398705
FounderX Silicon Valley 2026: Global Conference in San Francisco: 3:00am, Aug 26, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/399851
What Makes Investors Say Yes: Startup Funding AMA: 7:00pm, Sep 01, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/398794
How to Build a Strong Pipeline of Entrepreneurs for your Innovation Hub: 7:00pm, Sep 15, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/398262
From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset: 7:00pm, Oct 13, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest): https://FI.co/e/399055

See all upcoming events

Since first launching in Europe in 2010, the Bucharest Founder Institute led by our local director, Alex M. Dascalu, has helped build several promising companies in the region, like TravelCar (acquired 2018), Paymium ($1M+ funding), Veodin (acquired 2018), Itembase ($3M+ funding), Peerby ($4M+ funding), BeOnPrice ($1M+ funding), and many more. The Bucharest program is led by one of the region's top startup leaders, including Alex Dascalu (Board of Directors at Societatea Națională a Apelor Minerale S.A., Multi-time entrepreneur and business advisor).

In addition, some of Bucharest'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 Bucharest Founder Institute includes:

Alex M. Dascalu: Lead Director, Founder Institute Central Eastern Europe
Lukas Korous: CTO & Co-Founder, https://flaerobotics.ai/
Sam Olawale: Founder, DGL
Tudor Popp: Founder, Beyond Space

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.