Now, more than ever, the world needs entrepreneurs to build the future.
As a result, the Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is excited to announce that it is officially launching its newest chapter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the Silicon-Valley based program has chapters in over 200 cities worldwide, early-stage entrepreneurs in Location Forthcoming can finally now take advantage of the Founder Institute's renowned structure, mentor support, and network to build an enduring company.
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.
The Founder Institute provides high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the support network and structured growth process needed to get to traction and funding, and build something that matters.
Since 2009, the Founder Institute 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 (see the FI 10 Year Impact Report here).
To celebrate the launch, the Founder Institute will host several free online startup events in Location Forthcoming, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program from the comfort of your home:
- Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
The experts that have been critical in bringing the Founder Institute to Location Forthcoming include local startup leaders .
Opportunities are flourishing in the DRC. There's now a great ecosystem for entrepreneurs - from crowdfunding platforms to co-working spaces. The Founder Institute can increase an aspiring technology entrepreneur's chance of success by providing the necessary skills and mindset - and a link to the Silicon Valley!
In addition, many of the region's top founders, CEOs, advisors, and investors have signed on to mentor new entrepreneurs in the Location Forthcoming 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, including aspiring founders with a full-time job, solo founders, teams, and founders of established companies that are pre-funding. The organization's mission is to "Globalize Silicon Valley" and build sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.
Join us in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and help build the future.
Apply to the Location Forthcoming Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.
---
