When Alex Cammarano arrived at the San Francisco Founder Institute, he was far from launching a company. Armed with only ideas and a passion for photography, he jumped in headfirst, emerging four months later as the Founder of Daylighted - a platform offering a new way to discover, enjoy and purchase fine art photography.
Alex recently shared a bit about his experience as well as a few key tips for entrepreneurs considering the program. Below, Alex’s testimonial (originally posted on Quora) has been republished.
"I arrived at the Founder Institute, alone, and with only ideas.
4 months later, I have incorporated a business, found a co-founder (Elisabeth Mouchy), and have a total team of 3 people working hard to make Daylighted successful.
We have 4 advisors and some of them have already offered to invest in our company.
We have a product almost ready to be launched, including hardware and B2B interface parts.
Yes, this only a start, but this is a good start.
Founder Institute is a great way to network with others founders, mentors and advisors. The opportunity to interact on a regular basis with experienced people will help you avoid many rookie mistakes.
I believe that most founders [in my semester] had already answered most of the important questions, but the Founder Institute put a frame around those questions and pushed people to go further. Through the program there is no time for doubts or hesitation - you are pushed to always achieve more.
Usually it is easy for founders to design a business model or to think the specs of product; but from a good business model to an enduring company there is a huge gap. Similarly, there is a huge gap between a good story and a book. The Founder institute fills that gap: they put a pen in our hand and make us write the 1st page of our book.
Yes, this only a start, but this is a good start.
There is still an entire book to write, so the best is to come.
You should definitely apply if:
- You are not sure if you are ready to be an entrepreneur.
- You want to build a network of seasoned experts.
- You want to figure out if your idea (or you) are startup ready.
- If you are not afraid of working very hard.
- If you are tech-savy and have a product, but struggle to iterate a story around your product.
Good luck!"
The Founder Institute is currently accepting applications in over 20 cities worldwide. If you could benefit from expert training and feedback to build a startup with the Founder Institute, click here to learn more and apply today.
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