Founder Institute Launches in 6th Continent, with Newest Chapter in Johannesburg, South Africa!

Today we are excited to announce our newest location, and first location in Africa - Johannesburg, South Africa!

With this new launch, the Founder Institute now operates across six continents. (Now, if we can just get someone to run an Antarctica chapter, we will have all seven continents covered!)

The Founder Institute is a part-time, four month training program where aspiring entrepreneurs can launch a company with expert feedback and support from experienced startup CEOs, while not being required to quit their day job. In four years of operation, the Silicon Valley-based program has launched over 800 companies across 40 cities worldwide, creating an estimated 10,000 new jobs.

The Johannesburg chapter is just around the corner, as the 4-month program is slated to start on August 12th. The program is open to existing and prospective technology founders of all kinds - with or without an idea, young or old, and with a full-time job or unemployed.

If you or someone you know could benefit from expert training and feedback to launch a technology startup in Johannesburg, click here to apply. If you apply by the Early Application Deadline on Sunday, July 7th, you get to take the Predictive Admissions Test for free (typically $50), and have the opportunity to receive a discounted Early-Bird course fee as well.

If you would like to learn more, then join a free event we will be hosting in the coming weeks:

Startup Pitch Bootcamp (Tuesday, June 25th @ 6:30pm)
FI Information Session (Tuesday, July 16th @ 6:30pm)
Founder Night Out (Tuesday, July 23rd @ 6:30pm)

The Founder Institute selected Johannesburg for its newest chapter, and first entry in Africa, because the city is a major business centre and gateway for many other countries on the African continent, leading the way in most of the major business and consumer sectors. In addition, the startup community in Johannesburg as a whole is quite fragmented, and the collaborative, mentorship driven approach of the Founder Institute can help create a unifying platform where budding and experienced entrepreneurs can work together to launch great new companies.

"It's been clear in our research and testing that the part-time nature of our program is particularly suited well for Johannesburg", says Adeo Ressi, Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute. "Talented IT and business professionals are in high demand in the region, and thus have a very strong support system in the large company realm. We are hoping to provide a support structure for these talented individuals to begin building their own companies, and my goal is to help launch over 20 meaningful and enduring technology companies per year in the city."

The Johannesburg Founder Institute will be led by Keith Jones, and Odette Jones. Keith has started and run a number of businesses within the tech-sector since 1997, most recently listing on AIM in London 2009. His strong understanding of a wide variety of business sectors across Europe and Africa married to his technology expertise and his ability to solution architect has enabled him to successfully bring new product to markets within and outside of South Africa. Odette brings her experience of performance management, coaching and developing senior executives within global listed businesses to the entrepreneurial space assisting Founders with navigating the unique challenges that starting a business brings on both a business and personal level.

Expected mentors of the Johannesburg program include;