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The New Normal means New Opportunities: today, the world needs more entrepreneurs to help lead the way in building a brighter future for all.

The Founder Institute, the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses, is excited to announce that it is officially launching its newest chapter in Location Forthcoming. While the Silicon-Valley based network has chapters in over 200 cities worldwide, entrepreneurs in Location Forthcoming can finally now take advantage of the Founder Institute's proven processes to build an enduring company that can survive and thrive in the years to come in an uncertain world.

Applications to the first ever Location Forthcoming Founder Institute are now open, and anyone interested in building a technology company can apply at FI.co/apply/location_forthcoming

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 Location Forthcoming, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs all from the comfort of home:

  • Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession

The experts that have been critical in bringing the Founder Institute to Wisconsin include local startup leaders .

Opportunities are flourishing in Wisconsin. There's now a growing ecosystem of support here for entrepreneurs - and Founder Institute can increase any aspiring technology entrepreneur's chances of success in Location Forthcoming, by providing the necessary founder mindset, structure, and network - with a direct link to Silicon Valley!

In addition, many of the region's top founders, CEOs, advisors, and investors have signed on to mentor participating entrepreneurs in the Wisconsin 2023 Founder Institute program, including:

  • Aaron Patzer: Founder, Mint.com
  • Adeo Ressi: CEO, Decile Group / VC Lab
  • Alexandra Johnson: Managing Director, DFJ VTB Aurora
  • Alexandra Wilson: Founder, Investor & Advisor, Gilt Group, Montage Ventures
  • Alexis Beechen: Co-Founder & CEO, The Drop, Mangrove Estates
  • Bob Richards: Founder & CEO, Moon Express
  • Bram Cohen: Founder, BitTorrent, Chia Network
  • Cheryl Yeoh: Founder, Investor & Advisor, Reclip.It, MaGIC
  • Claire Mc Gregor: Co-Founder, Appbot
  • David Sacks: Founder & Investor, Yammer, Paypal, Zenefits
  • David Wu: General Partner, Maveron Ventures
  • David Rose: Author & CEO, Gust, New York Angels
  • Divya Gugnani: Co-Founder, Send the Trend, Wander Beauty
  • Emna Ghariani: Global Director, Founder Institute MENA
  • Eren Bali: Founder, Udemy, Carbon Health
  • Eric Ries: Author & Founder, The Lean Startup, Long Term Stock Exchange
  • Garrett Camp: Founder, Uber, Expa, StumbleUpon
  • Gina Bianchini: Founder & CEO, Mighty Networks, Former CEO of Ning
  • Heather Harde: CEO, TechCrunch
  • Holly Liu: Co-Founder, Kabam
  • Jason Calacanis: Author, Investor & Founder, Inside.com, LAUNCH Accelerator
  • Jason Johnson: Founder & CEO, August
  • Jeffrey Paine: Managing Partner, Golden Gate Ventures, Singapore
  • Jessica Alter: Entrepreneur & Advisor, Tech for Campaigns, Social Capital
  • Jessica Mah: Founder & CEO, inDinero, Impact Collective
  • Jill Stelfox: Co-Founder, Graffiti Sports, Binary Group
  • Jilliene Helman: CEO, RealtyMogul.com
  • Joanna Lord: CMO, ClassPass
  • Jonathan Greechan: Co-Founder & CEO, Founder Institute
  • Jonathan Abrams: Founder, Nuzzel, Friendster
  • Justin Moore: CEO & Investor, Axcient
  • Kenneth Hogrefe: CEO and Founder, Tech Africa Pte. Ltd.
  • Kirsten Rose: Head of Low Emissions, BHP, Clean Energy Entrepreneur
  • Lucy Beard: Founder & CEO, feetZ
  • Mark Pincus: Founder, Zynga
  • Michael Seibel: CEO & Partner, Y Combinator
  • Nitin Pachisia: Founding Partner, Unshackled Ventures
  • Phil Libin: Founder, All Turtles, Former CEO of Evernote
  • Rashmi Sinha: Co-Founder, SlideShare
  • Robin Chase: Co-Founder & Former CEO, Zipcar
  • Rosemarie Truman: Founder & General Partner, Gazelle Futures, Center for Advancing Innovation
  • Sam Yagan: Co-Founder, OK Cupid, ShopRunner, Techstars Chicago
  • Scott Heiferman: Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
  • Scott Painter: Founder, Fair.com, TrueCar, CarsDirect.com
  • Sergio Maziano: Founder & CEO, NEXT Solutions
  • Tim Ferriss: Angel Investor & Author, 4-Hour Workweek

  • And many more to be announced.

The Founder Institute is designed for founders and teams all throughout the pre-seed stage, and the results speak for themselves: FI Alumni have raised over $1.75BN in funding, and are building impactful businesses across 200+ cities and 100+ countries all across the globe (see the FI 50 Report here).

Join us in Location Forthcoming to get funded and build a global business. 

Apply to the Wisconsin 2023 Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.  

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