The Founder Institute has just graduated 12 companies from the Fall 2009 San Diego semester. The local community supported the Institute's goal of launching enduring and meaningful technology companies with both mentor and investor participation, so the Institute is planning a second semester that will start sessions in April 2010. Applications are being accepted now. Three graduates that wish to recieve mention include:
- CloudCanvas: an online image editing suite built in HTML 5 that was previewed in the TechCrunch50 Demo Pit. The tool is in private beta.
- Live On Campus: an interactive publishing platform for college and university students to share campus information.
- XBand Technologies: a consumer electronics device for cyclists to do advanced performance, nutrition and hydration motoring. The device is being prototyped and tested.
The institute expects graduates to be launching over the next few weeks and months. Enrolled Founders were lead through an aggressive four month training program that included weekly company building assignments set by 26 Mentors from the region and from around the country. Mentors included:
- Trip Adler, CEO, Scribd
- Philip Kaplan, Cofounder, Blippy
- Peter Pham, CEO, BillShrink
- Ryan Alfred, Founder, BrightScope
- Joe Bezdek, Cofounder, DivX
- Jon Carder, Founder & CEO, Mojopages
- Charlie Jackson, Founder, Silicon Beach Software
- Steve Iverson, Founder & CEO, Diomede Storage
- Neil Senturia, CEO, US Local News Network
"The Founder Institute appreciates the warm welcome from San Diego, and we're excited to come back ," states Adeo Ressi, CEO of the Founder Institute.
"It's been an invaluable asset to the San Diego technology community. We've pushed forth a new generation of companies, and more importantly, Founders." said Jeanine Jacobson, San Diego Partner, Founder Institute.
Graduate Quotes
"The Founder Institute is a perfect blend of practical advice, experiential knowledge, and networking. The mentors and founders are very passionate and bright individuals. You come for the knowledge and leave with strong bonds and connections that are indispensable as you start your entrepreneurial endeavors."
Jose Doval, CEO & Founder, XBand Sports
"Being involved with the Founder Institute program has already opened huge doors and great opportunities for CloudCanvas. We are excited and prepared to take it to the next level. We've all spent a lot of time getting our houses in order to complete the program and now our bases and backs are covered."
Chance Roth, CEO & Founder, CloudCanvas
"Founder Institute is designed to be a Top Gun for creating the world class founders and companies. My experience as part of the inaugural class in San Diego was exactly that... It made me a better founder and having Adeo as a wingman is invaluable. The program was 100 times better than my experience at Babson."
Uday Gupta, CEO & Founder, Live on Campus
Mentor Quotes
"We saw amazing growth in the Founders who attended Founders Institute San Diego. A few months of close mentoring and feedback give these founders a clear advantage over those who choose to go it alone. From naming, to pitching, to business model development, leveraging the powerful Founders Institute network is a no-brainer for founders of all levels of experience."
Ryan S. Alfred, Cofounder & President, BrightScope Inc.
"Being a mentor for the institute not only gave me the opportunity to give back to fellow entrepreneurs but also to learn from them and the other mentors as well. Truly nothing else like it for tech startups. Wish I had this when I started my first company."
Jon Carder, Chief Mojo, MojoPages.com
"The Founder Institute provides an excellent head start and support network for new technology entrepreneurs. As a mentor for the Fall 2009 class, I enjoyed meeting several of the great startups sure to emerge from the program, as well as listening to the varied speakers. I highly recommend the Founder Institute for new entrepreneurs looking to build great businesses and not just how to make a pitch."
Steve Iverson, CEO & Founder, Diomede
Partner Quotes
"The Founder Institute really captured what is great about San Diego's environment for entrepreneurs; these 12 exciting companies now have the network, mentors, and peer support to ignite into highly successful companies. Cooley is thrilled to have been part of the team helping these new ventures in their launch and is committed to leveraging its resources to help these companies grow."
Patrick Loofbourrow, Cooley Emerging Company Partner
