The Founder Institute, the world's premier idea-stage accelerator and startup launch program, has helped more than 200 new technology companies launch across our Southern California Chapters across Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County since 2009.
Led by Jeanine Jacobson (our longest tenured FI Director), our programs have contributed greatly to the various startup ecosystems in Southern California, while providing mentorship from some of the top entrepreneurs in the technology industry.
While all of the Southern California Founder Institute graduates are exceptional, there are a few who stand out. The graduates featured below have all achieved significant milestones in the past year, building meaningful and enduring technology companies aimed at improving the lives of people all over the world.
If you are interested in launching a company in Southern California, then apply to the San Diego Founder Institute today.
Founder: Jilliene Helman
Realty Mogul is an an online marketplace for accredited investors to pool money and buy shares of pre-vetted investment properties. The company has raised nearly $50MM in funding in total, and is now a market leader in crowdfunded real estate.
Founder: Bryan Hall & Al Bsharah
Email Copilot increases engagement and revenue for marketers by integrating email service providers and marketing automation tools. The company went through Techstars, raised a $1.25MM seed round, and were acquired by Return Path.
Founders: Dolly Singh
Thesis Couture is a technology driven, high fashion, women’s footwear design house. The company raised a $1.5MM seed round (which included SpaceX Co-Founder Tom Mueller), and has been featured in numerous top media.
Founders: JP La Torre
Caylent is a platform that makes architecting, deploying, and managing a scalable cloud environment simpler and more cost effective. The company has raised a small seed round, graduated from ERA, and was featured on TechCrunch.
Founder: Darryl Rettig
DonationMatch is a self-service platform assisting companies and nonprofits with streamlining how donated goods become prizes at charitable events. The company partners with leading brands and has facilitated over $16MM in donations since 2010.
Founders: David Johnson & Angela Lee
From Fat to Finish Line is a lifestyle brand for the growing community of overweight Americans who have taken up running for health, fitness and fun. The company’s documentary was featured on GQ’s 10 Running Documentaries That Will Inspire You to Move.
Founder: Penny Bauder
Green Kid Crafts is a green company that provides creative and educational activities to do with kids through a Subscription Service and other delivery kits. The company has won multiple awards and been lauded in top media channels like Wired.
Founder: Shar Ghoudsifar
Helpkin is a web/mobile app to help parents trade free babysitting duties with people they can trust. The Founder was recently profiled by VoyageLA.
Founders: Gaurav Bhattacharya & Saumya Bhatnagar
InvolveSoft is software as a service-based enterprise platform for companies to streamline corporate giving. They have landed large clients and recently raised $2.5 million in funding.
Founder: Jenny Rodriguez
Ivoreez is a two-part piano system that teaches you to play the piano instantly by matching colored lyrics to colored piano key decals. The company completed a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 and is growing its user base at a steady pace.
Founder: Scott Wayman
Kangarootime helps Childcare professionals with a cloud-based mobile application that collects payments, automates check-in and check-out and streamlines communication. The company has raised funding from top SoCal investors like Mucker Capital and TechCoast Angels.
Founders: Claudio Del Conde
Kichink is an all inclusive ecommerce service that allows anyone to start selling via their Facebook page. It is one of the leading e-commerce companies in Mexico with over 30,000 stores using their software, and recently opened a Miami office.
