The Chicago Founder Institute, the local chapter of the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is proud to announce the newest Alumni from the Chicago Fall 2024 program.
After meticulous selection process and intense four months of aggressive business-building sprints, constant evaluation, and feedback from investors and mentors, just 4 companies were able to make it through.
Each of these Founders have demonstrated a high level of perseverance and creativity, and their businesses have been thoroughly vetted and supported by a panel of Chicago's top startup experts and investors.
And now, without further ado, we present the Alumni of the Chicago program:
- Nutraberry - Createing nutrient-dense, upcycled berry seed powders and oils for health-conscious consumers and food manufacturers, addressing food waste and gut health by repurposing agricultural byproducts through innovative zero-waste processing.
- MEDICAL RFID INDUSTRIES - Develops innovative DNA specimen collection and tracking devices to ensure forensic integrity, enabling accurate identity authentication under any conditions and supporting safer, more just communities.
- Grocery Oasis - Revitalizing corner stores into thriving community grocers by fostering trust between store owners and residents and enabling pre-orders of fresh, affordable foods through our grocery app.
- Fitcopilot.ai - Empowering gyms to boost member loyalty and engagement by using generative AI to automate personalized fitness plans during onboarding, democratizing access to customized fitness and healthier lifestyles.
The Chicago Fall 2024 program would not have been possible without help, because it truly takes a city to raise a startup.
Join us at Chicago Founder Institute Graduation Event on December 17th.
Chicago Local Directors
We would first like to thank the Local Directors of the Chicago Founder Institute: Jason Jacobsohn (Managing Partner, Propellant Ventures). Our Local Leaders play an incredibly important role in building the local Founder Institute program, and creating an environment and network in Chicago that is conducive to building to great companies.
In addition, the Chicago Fall 2024 program was supported by some of Chicago's top technology organizations, including:
Some of Chicago’s top startup mentors helped our founders in the program, including:
In the Founder Institute's pre-seed accelerator program, early-stage entrepreneurs and teams build their business alongside a critical support network of local startup experts that share equity in their success, and through a structured and challenging business-building process that has helped alumni raise over $1.85BN.
After Graduation, the new Chicago Founder Institute Portfolio Companies now have a fast-growing company that has been fully validated by experienced startup founders, with access to the Founder Institute's global network and post-graduate support programs to continue building their business.
Leaders of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used the Founder Institute to raise funding, building a co-founding team, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities and 100+ countries, the Founder Institute’s mission is to Globalize Silicon Valley and empower talented and motivated entrepreneurs to build companies that will create one million new jobs.
The next Chicago Founder Institute program is being planned now. If you are interested in being notified when applications open, visit FI.co/apply/chicago.
Alumni of the Founder Institute are creating some of the world's fastest growing startups, having raised over $1.85BN in funding, and building products people love across over 200 cities worldwide.
See the most recent news from our Grads at FI.co/news, or learn more about their stories at FI.co/graduates.
