First-ever Founder Institute Santa Cruz Accelerator Applications Open. Let's rebuild in 2021.

This is the time to rebuild: as the economy fully reopens in California, the world needs more entrepreneurs to lead the way in creating a brighter future for all.

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 Bolivia. While the Silicon-Valley based program has chapters in over 200 cities worldwide, early-stage entrepreneurs in Bolivia can finally now take advantage of the Founder Institute's renowned structure, mentor support, and network to build an enduring company that will survive and thrive in the new economy.

Applications to the first ever Bolivia Founder Institute are now open, and anyone interested in building an impactful technology company can apply at FI.co/apply/santa_cruz_de_la_sierra.

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. So whether you already have a business or are still in the idea-phase, now is the time to act.

Since 2009, the Founder Institute has helped over 9,000 Alumni raise over 2BN 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 Bolivia, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program from the comfort of your home:

LatAm 2026 – Demo Day: 7:00pm, jul 22, 2026 (America/Caracas): https://FI.co/e/402732
How to Use AI to Validate Your Startup Idea in Days: 9:00pm, jul 22, 2026 (America/Caracas): https://FI.co/e/402867
How to Use AI to Validate Your Startup Idea in Days: 9:00pm, jul 22, 2026 (America/Caracas): https://FI.co/e/402998
[Restricted] VIP Pitch Lounge: Pitch Live and Get Feedback from Investors & Advisors: 12:00pm, jul 28, 2026 (America/Caracas): https://FI.co/e/401182
How to Find the First Customers for Your Startup Idea: 1:00pm, ago 12, 2026 (America/Caracas): https://FI.co/e/403269

See all upcoming events

The experts that have been critical in bringing the Founder Institute to Santa Cruz de la Sierra include local startup leaders Kirill Satanovsky and Pete Biggam.

Opportunities are flourishing in Bolivia, California. There is a growing ecosystem of support for entrepreneurs of all stages, from crowdfunding platforms to co-working spaces. Founder Institute will increase an aspiring technology entrepreneur's chance of success by providing the structured support that comes from a proven methodology and deep mentor network - and, a direct link to Silicon Valley!

In addition, many of the region's top founders, CEOs, advisors, and investors have signed on to mentor new entrepreneurs in the Santa Cruz Virtual 2021 Founder Institute program, including:

Adeo Ressi: CEO, Decile Group / VC Lab
Alan Colmenares: Cofounder and CEO, Tappsi / Tpaga / EthicalMe
Alberto Parra: CEO and Founder, BRIX (www.brix.net.br)
Alejandra Perdomo: Head of People, Moons
Alejandro Gutierrez: CFO y desarrollo de negocios, Puntopay
Alejandro Abdel Aziz: Founder & CEO, Nextonia
Alejandro Gutiérrez: Co-founder, LinkU Ventures SAS
América Castiblanco: Directora de Emprendimiento, Innpulsa Colombia
Ana Maria Ortegón: Socia Gerente, OMAS
Ana María Prieto: Asociada, B Venture Capital
Andreea Marinescu: CEO, Tech Add-Venture
Andres Vejarano Calderon: Socio, Abogado, Director, Invictum Capital, ANDI del Futuro, Kairos
Andres Hernandez: Strategist and Writer, Andreherca
Andres Angel: CEO, Nominapp
Andrés Barreto: Managing Director , Techstars Boulder
Andrés Londoño: Head of performance, Platzi
Andrés Veléz: Founding CEO, Tributi
Andrés Marcucci: Analista, Torrenegra Accelerator
Andrés Bello: Director de Emprendimiento, Fundación Bolívar Davivienda
Andres Felipe García Zuccardi: Owner, Cope Capital
Andrés Felipe Pantoja Castrillón: CoFounder, Legal Mentors
Andrés Felipe Méndez: Cofounder, Génesis Holding
Anfer Molina: CoFounder & CEO, Tuptip
Angel Celis Botto: Co-Founder, Liftit
Ángela Castillo Llinás: Co-Founder, HelloGuru
Antoine Morin: Co-founder & Creative Director, LeanTeams
Anuar Harb, Caribe Ventures
Beatriz Dager: General Partner, ChiX Future Ventures
Berg Moe: Founder, Gründervekst AS
Bernardt Vogel: Sr.Associate, VU Venture Partners
Bibiana Ardila: Co-Founder, Taller A
Byron Hernández: Head of IT Services, Instaleap
Camilo Jimenez: CTO , InstaLeap.io
Camilo Gómez: CEO, Phylo Legal
Carina Batz: Directora Área de Proyectos y Servicios, Cámara Colombo Alemana
Carlos Guayara: Cofounder, trii
Carlos Ortegon: CTO, LOOPAY
Carlos Alberto Valderrama: CEO, Grupo Marco
Carlos Alberto Sánchez Retiz: Coordinador de Aceleración, Torrenegra Accelerator
Carlos Andres Valencia Nieto: Machine learning Project Leader | Product Manager, Mercadolibre
Carlos Felipe Gutierrez Camacho: Managing Partner & Co-Founder, INVX, SIMMA
Carlos Ivan Zubieta Leon: Cto & founder Agrapp, Agrapp
Catalina Quintana: Founder, Leancase
Caterine Castillo: CEO, NEIVOR
Cecilia Ezquerro: Associate, 500 Globals
Charlie Cliff: CTO
Chintan Oza: Founder, Anantam Ecosystems
Chris Foltz: Global Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Founder Institute
Chris Lascor: Owner, Global Pecunia
Christian Fresen: Partner, RAD. Estrategias Legales
Christian Daube: Co-Founder, Coach & COO, Torrenegra Accelerator
Conrad Egusa: CEO, Publicize
Cristhian Vasquez: CEO, NovaMind
Daniel Escobar: Team Manager , Wolox
Daniel Restrepo: CEO, Taller A
Daniel Otero: CEO and Founder , Muvo
Daniel Puentes: Associate Founder, Partners Academy
Daniel Toro: Co-Founder, LinkU Ventures SAS
Daniel Cardona: Mentor, Defence Academy Chennai
Daniela Restrepo: VP, PUBLICIZE
Darío Lanchuske: CPO, Omni Bank
David Diaz: CLC, Mesfix SAS
David Carvajal: Founder, Cannvest
David Wilson: Principal, Franklin Advisory
David Aponte: CEO & Cofounder, Financial Lab & Taxes
David Camargo: Fractional CTO - Founder/ exVP Eng Instaleap by Instacart, DashCTO
David Orrego: Ex Chief Growth Officer, Rocketfy.co
Diego Rodriguez Castillo: Founder - CEO, Linxe
Diego Caicedo: CEO, OmniBNK
Diego Alejandro Muñoz: Co founder y CMO , Tukarga.com
Eddie Arrieta: CEO, MultiLigual Media
Eduardo Maldonado: Co-founder and Board Member, GDX Travel
Eduardo Hernández, Magma Partners
Eduardo Rivera: CEO, LOOPAY
Edward Cullen: Founder & CEO, Crescite
Elena Dolinski: Philanthropreneur, Executive Board Member, BASE Capital
Eleonor MacQuhae: Socia fundadora, Escuela de Pitch
Elodie Senatore: CEO, Heraclea
Enderson Leal: Presidente, Ecosistema Startup Venezuela
Enrique Pons: Founder, Talago & Fincruit
Enrique Echavarria: CEO, WeAreDataLab
Erik Díaz: GP, Blackchiip VC
Eugenia Di Marco: Founder, CEO, Sisu Powerhouse
Fabian Esteban Lopez Morales: Emprendedor incansable, GraciaLab
Federico Fernandez Dupouy: Entrepreneurship, Solar Energy, Finance & Investments, OTEPI RENOVABLES
Felipe Cano: CoFounder, LinkU Ventures SAS
Felipe Garzon: City Coordinator, Acámica
Felipe Rivera Reina: Head Entrepreneur
Felipe Alvarez: CEO , HOBBY CREATIVO
Felipe Santamaria: Managing Director, Rockstart Colombia
Fernando Núñez: VP, PUBLICIZE
Francisco Posada Carbo: CEO, JELOW
Francisco Uriarte: Puerto Rico, ESP Group
Gabriel Calderón: CEO, Tu Orden
Gabriel Reyes: Director Founder Institute Venezuela. FI Alumni Team, GNOSIS CONSULTORES LLC
Gabriel Castillo Szpoganicz: Founder & CEO, Doc Doc
Gregorio Londoño: Director, Red de Ángeles Inversionistas
Guillermo Ramirez: Managing partner, Oxbridge Capital Partners (VC)
Guillermo Guzman: Local Leader
Gustavo Marquez: CEO, Athena Inversion de Impacto
Hans Christian Boehlke: Commercial Director, Celumania.com
Hernando Trinidad Mendoza: FOUNDER, CARLOTA
HUMBERTO GUTIERREZ: Lic. En Informática , Capacitofacil
Iván Ariza: CEO, cargamos.com
Javier Castro: C-Level Executive, @Latinoamerica
Jean Bernier: CEO y Founder
Jehudi Castro Sierra: Asesor Presidencial, Tecnología
Jeni Chang: Managing Director, Founder Institute San Francisco
Jennifer Timm: Head of Consulting, Agora Partnerships
Jennifer Poole: CRO, Publizice
Jeremy Bruck: Managing Partner, Data Valuation & Monetization
Jeronimo Silva: Director Ejecutivo , BICTIA
Jessica Mercedes: Country Manager, Holberton School Colombia
Jorge Quintero: CEO, The Monkey Hat
Jorge Alvarado: CEO, Abbitec
Jorge Rubio: CEO, Foodiverso
Jorge Quiroga
Jorge Hernan Nieto Botero: Latam Leader Founder Institute, Founder & CEO Expedit & Elevat-X
Jose Betancur: Director, Imaginar Futuros Eafit
Jose Caparroso: Business reporter & cross-platform coordinator, Forbes
Jose Ovalle: Investor, StartOp
José Miguel Velasco: Head of Startup Acceleration, Corporación Ventures
Joseph DiTomaso: CEO, AllTheRooms
Jose Rafael Donado Vallejo: CEO, S
Juan Angarita: CRO, HoyTrabajas.com (YC W22)
Juan Colmenares: Growth Lead, Graphite Growth
Juan Camilo Vallejo: Co-founder, Co-CEO, & PM, Valienta
Juan Carlos Suarez: CEO, Qenta
Juan Carlos Monroy: Director área de Mercadeo Digital, Departamento de Mercadeo , EAFIT
Juanita Esguerra: Abogada Senior, Sodexo
Juan Manuel Lopera: CEO, TOMi Digital
Juan Pablo Alvarez: Country Managing Director, EnvíoClick
Juan Sebastian Muñoz: Head of Sales, Simetrik Inc
Juan Sebastián Castrillon: Founder, Estratek
Julia Figueiredo: Director Latam, Silicon Valley Bank
Julián Vergara Albán: Digital Talent Acquisition , Lulo Bank
Julián Arango: Managing Director, El Hub Ventures Studio, LLC
Karen Mesa: Entrepreneurship & Innovation consultant, Independent
Khaliq Yar Haidary: CEO, Netzone, Ltd.
Laura Rudd: CEO, BabyTopia
Laura Lopera: Coordinadora I+D, Sura
Laura Jimenez Tatis: Financial Mentor, Leancase
León Papu: Founding Partner, Marathon Lab
Leonardo Gaitan: CEO & co-founder, Autoparti / Kiddo
Lorena Sanchez Garcia: Erudit AI, COO & Board Member
Luca Albertinazzi: Global Evangelist , Startup Grind
Luis Betancourt: Digital Marketing Advisor, Luisbetancourt.co
Luis Barrios: CEO, ARKANGELES
Luisa Navarro: Co-Founder &CMO, PROCONTAR
Luis Felipe Giraldo: Gerente de Expansión, Sociedad Operadora de Franquicias Colombia
Luis Naranjo Duplat: CMO - Growth Hacker, Kairos
Mads Schmidt Petersen: CEO , HippoBuild (Y Combinator W22)
Maika Hoekman: Director, Torre Social
Maira Betancur: Jefe de Investigación y Patentes, Grupo Bolivar
Manuel Bardales: Co-Founder, Movitext
Manuela Sánchez Villamarín: Co-founder & Growth, Laika
Mara Rada: Chief Operations and Strategy, Loon (loonbio.com)
Marc C Lange
Marcela Lopez: Estratega de Marketing, Alexander Torrenegra
Marco De Biasi: Startups Investor & Advisor /Program Director/Conselheiro Fiscal, LGA/Italcam/Mobicity
Margarita Martinez, Blackshiip VC
Maria Camila Salazar Castro: CEO, Vivir a conciencia
Maria Camila Ortegon: Coordinadora Legal, RapiCredit
Maria Camila Gonzalez: CEO, Sarta SAS
Maria Isabela Muñoz: Partner, MAS Equity Partners
Marian Villa: Co-Founder & President, PionerasDev
Mariana Velásquez: Founder - CEO, BRANDDU
Mariano Doncel M.: Business Accelerator Leader and Professor of EAN University , Universidad EAN
Maria Paula Murcia: Directora, TopCruiters
Maribel Corrales: Regional Manager , Holberton School - Colombia
Marlowe Mackenzie: Goal Operations Partner, Canva
Martin Morelli
Maryori Vivas: LatAm Director, Vermilion LLC
Mateo Trujillo: Director, Tektana
Matt Crowe: Founder/CEO/Angel, KamperCrowe
Michael Luzner: CEO
Michael Zaytsev: Founder, High NY
Miguel Vanegas, Salamandra Ventures
Money Albarrán: Fundadora, muuk
Nadia Stand: Co Founder, The SASI CO
Natalia Guerrero: Psicóloga Especialista, Salud Ocupacional
Nelson Irias: CEO, DataLabs
Nicolai Eslava Barajas: CEO, Estratek Ventures
Nicolas Contreras: CEO, PappCorn
Nicolas Becerra: Founder & CEO, Due Legal
Nicolás Poveda: CEO & CoFounder
Odille Sanchez: Leader of Tech & Scientific based Entrepreneurship, Tecnológico de Monterry
Oscar Andres Arango: CEO & Director, Yampi & Seniors Club
Pablo Molina Candel: CTO, CoverWallet
Pablo Ramirez: CEO y Founder, Litmoi
Pablo Molina: CEO, Mirapaltecho
Paolo Ottaviani: Sr. Program Manager - Southern Europe | Program Director - Visa Innovation Program Europe | Venture Partner Biometric Ventures, Tenity | Biometric Ventures | Visa Innovation Program Europe
Pedro Lopez Sela, FrissOn Capital
Pedro Colmenares: Co-Founder, La Colmena Think Tank
Pilar Fernandez Hermida: Founder i-Expand (We help Health Tech companies go global), i-expand
Rafael Tihanyi: Director of Revenue, Graphite Growth
Raíssa De Mello João: Cofounder & CEO, Vaki
Ramón Rodríguez: Co-Founder and Chief Investors Relations, RIDERY LLC
Raphael Gnn: Founder & CEO, SMMA Incubator & Ace Up Media
René Lomelí: Partner, 500
Ricardo Mejia B.: Co-Founder, PappCorn
Ricardo Peña Ruiz: Founder, Binnstart e Innfluence
Robert Urbina: Director, Tarjetas y Transacciones en Red TRANRED, C.A.
Rocio Zelada: CEO, RocioZelada.com
Rodrigo Alfonso: Co-founder, Sekure
Rosario B Casas: Co Founder, XR Americas, LLC / Business Creative Partners SAS
Ryan Micheletti: Head of Global Operations, Founder Institute
Samuel Grossman: Partner, IRIE VC
Sandra Rubio: CEO, IMIX
Sandy Gómez: Director, FI Caracas
Santiago Garzón: CTO, StartOp
Santiago Rojas: Managing Director, Cube Ventures
Santiago Quimbaya Barreto: Investment Analyst, Ventures Corporation
Santiago Aparicio, FitPal
Santiago Suarez: CEO & Partner, Addi & YCombinator
Sebastian Leon: Founder, Facebook
Sebastian Caro: CEO, Tocaro Capital
Sebastián Jaramillo: LATAM Commercial Director, Rappi
Sebastián Gallo: Head of Operations, Torre
Sergio Espinosa Rivera: CTIO, Akadia Life
Sergio Pachón: Co Founder, Kiwi Campus
Shirlhey Sánchez: CEO & Co-Founder, Colombia Proptech
Simon Chamorro: CEO-CoFounder, Valiu
Sjoerd Martens: Head Of Account Management at Publicize , Publicize
Talha Bin Shuja: Startup and Business Consultant, High Hope International
Tomás Ríos: CEO, Starter
Torrey Smith: Co-Founder & Engineering Fellow, Endiatx
Trevor Longino: Founder & CEO, CrowdTamers
Uri Melamed: Managing Director , EyP S.A.S. / Irie VC
Valentina Giraldo Henao: Founder, LaValentina Design
Victor Dey: Mentor - Enterprise Media at Oxford Entrepreneurs, University of Oxford
Victor Reyes: Senior Partner - Chief Innovation and Finance Officer, EDI Inteligencia Artificial
Walied Albasheer: founder and managing partner, Intuitio Ventures
William Duran: Investment Director, Enter Capital
Ximena Villalobos: Co-Founder & CGO, PROCONTAR
Yasu Guerra, Sky Ride Group, S.A
Yatan Blumenthal Vargas: Co-founder, Berlin Hardware Accelerator
Yemi Oluseun: Growth & GTM For FinTechs, The Change Hive
Zully De La Rosa: CTO, Finaktiva

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.