It is time to build the future. Applications Now Open to Founder Institute Houston Virtual 2021

Now, more than ever, the world needs entrepreneurs to build the future.

At the Founder Institute, we know times are tough, but we also know that economic downturns are a great time to start a business. This isn't just conjecture - the Founder Institute was started in April of 2009 (during the "Great Recession"), and world-leading companies like Microsoft, Tesla, and Apple also took advantage of cost savings during a recession to launch and get their initial traction.

That's why we are excited to announce today that applications are now open for the Houston Spring 2027 program.

If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from top Texas investors and entrepreneurs to build something meaningful, then apply to the Houston Spring 2027 Founder Institute today.

We will be hosting several free startup online events in Houston over the coming weeks, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs from the comfort of your home:

Venture Trailblazers featuring Tim Draper: 10:00am, Jul 09, 2026 (America/Chicago): https://FI.co/e/401977
Go From Idea to Working App with AI, Featuring Adeo Ressi: 12:00pm, Jul 09, 2026 (America/Chicago): https://FI.co/e/402106

See all upcoming events

Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities worldwide, the Founder Institute provides high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the devoted support network and structured growth process needed to get to traction and funding. Participants in the 4-month core program also get access to a lifetime of support through the Founder Institute's industry-leading post-programs.

The Houston program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including James Phelan, Martin Martinez, Natasha Gorodetsky, Tabbie Saenz, and Wogbe Ofori.

In addition, some of Houston's top investors, entrepreneurs, and CEOs will be participating in the program, providing them with expert feedback and evaluation. The list of startup mentors for the Houston Founder Institute includes:

Aaron Chavez: Managing Partner, (un)conventional ventures
Aaron Hines: Co-founder, Darbe
Aaron Gathmann: Executive Director, North Texas Angel Network
Abdellah Aouf: Chief Executive Officer, GO PLATFORM
Abe Chu: Co-founder & CMO, NextSeed
Adeo Ressi: CEO, Decile Group / VC Lab
Ali Syed: CEO / Founder, Nocodehero
Alice Gong: Founder , Alice G Astra
Alicia Locheed Goodrow: Founder, Goodrow Holmes, PLLC
Allie Danziger: Founder, Integrate
Amina Buric: CEO, Atlas Advisory Collective
Amit Bhanot: Venture Partner, Loyal VC
Amy Tran: B2B AI-Blockchain-Cyber Venture Builder, IMPAVIDUS
Ana Rojas Bastidas: Founder & CEO, Orolait
Andreea Marinescu: CEO, Tech Add-Venture
Armando Mualumene: Founder and Project Developer & Team Leader, The iDEASLab
Ashley DeWalt: Managing Director, DivInc
Atul Patel: CEO and Founder, Orbee
Austin Langley, Cofounder Ventures
Bade Aluko: Managing Partner, White Hibiscus Capital
Ben Stacey: CEO, Pitchverk
Bram Cohen: Founder/Chief Scientist, BitTorrent
Brandy Guidry: Executive Director, The Cannon
Byron Mitchell: Associate Attorney, Goodrow Holmes, PLLC
Carliss Chatman: Professor / SME, SMU Dedman School of Law / iLAW
Carolyn Rodz: Founder and CEO, Hello Alice
Cassandra Iku: Community and Operations Coordinator, SheSpace
Charles Dauber: CEO, Warm Commerce
Christa Clarke: 2x Founder. Coach., Operations Strategist
Christine Galib: Founder, road less traveled enterprises
Christy Cardenas: Managing Partner, Grit Ventures
Curt Olivares: 2x Founder | Startup Advisor | Tech Career Coach, Product Saint
Curt Lockhart: IP Attorney, Lockhart IP
Dana Marruffo: Principal, Buzz Public Relations, LLC
Dana Abramovitz: Founding Team, SXSW
Denise McGettrick: Managing Attorney, McGettrick Law PLLC
Didar Bekbauov: Founder and CEO, 2xswap
Eduardo Buelna: Director Structured Products, BP Energy
Elisa Sepulveda: FI Mentor, Mentor
Elizabeth Tsai: Founder & CEO , HiOperator
Eric Fishhaut: President, MKB Services
Erin McClarty: Principal, Erin McClarty, PLLC
Fareed Zein: Founder and CEO, Unytag
Farell Duclair: CEO, Starborn Solutions LLC
Fernando Moguel: Creator, The Syneverse
Franklin Kamnang Ngansop: Co-Founder, Vitamin CS Coaching
Gabe Zichermann: CEO, Failosophy
Gina Bianchini: Cofounder, Ning
Giselle Bisson: Managing Director, Chain Reaction Marketing
Grace Rodriguez: CEO, Impact Hub Houston
Graciela Perez: Founder & Lean Start Up Coach, Lean Sigma Tech, LLC
Gustavo Sanchez: Founder, Pandata Tech
Guy Parker: Chief Strategy & Creative Officer, Ambient Way
Harini Bhamidipati: Founder & CEO, Bearable
Haris Ali: Founder and CEO, Vertechx Technologies
Harishan Lingan: Founder & CEO, Oryntech AI Technologies Inc.
Harvin Moore, Frontera Technology Ventures
Heath Butler: Founder/Managing Partner, Gestalt Growth Advisors
Heather Harde: Former CEO, TechCrunch
Huan Le: General Counsel, DiCentral
Indrajit Datta: Co-founder & President, Equipt Innovation, Inc.
Ivelin Ivanov: Venture Advisor, Founder Institute
Jag Singh: Managing Director, A.R.M. Consulting
James Kaskade: CEO, Conversica
James Phelan: Co-founder and CEO / Shareholder, ZPTTLR Inc. / The Cannon
James Adams: Director of Operations, Gallant
Jason Assir: Principal Consultant, Opex Digital Consulting
Jason Trahan
Javy Martinez: Managing Director | Startup Advisor | Event Host, Founder Institute North Texas
Jay Jamison: Founder & President
Jc Garrett: Chief Executive Officer, Dashfire
Jeff Scott: CoFounder/ CEO, Workflow Logic AI
Jeff Murphy: Founder and Managing Member, Murphy Advisory Solutions ·
Jian Ruan: CTO, Orbbit
Joe Betts Lacroix: CTO, Vium
Joey Jones: Founder/CEO/Chief Compliance Officer, RWA Ventures Ltd
John Young: principal, Alkimie Pte. Ltd.
John Ngo: DBA, John&Partners Global
Jorvik Tazeen: Founder & CEO, AI Bleak
Joshua Wang: CEO, Jōsh Foods
Joy Hutton: Founder and CEO, Joy of Consulting
Juliana Garaizar: Lead Investor, Portfolia
Julie Hartman: Founder/President, J. Hartman
Justin Moore: CEO, Axcient, Inc.
Kate McGinley: Scaling Health Tech Startups with Buyer-Aligned Growth | Fractional CGO/CRO, 210 Healthcare
Katerina Zhukova: Director of Business Development, JohnDuttonLaw PLLC
Katie Wallace: Founder, Hux Sustainables
Kelsey Ruger: Chief Product & Technology Officer, Hello Alice
Ken Cohen: Managing Principal, Grow Associates, LLC
Kenley Clark: Founder and CEO, TC Energy
Kennie Matthews: Chairman & CEO, M Infrastructure, Inc.
Krishna Vattipalli: Founder and CEO, Imaginnovate Techsolutions
LaGina R Harris: CEO / Founder, LaRae Infinity LLC
Laketta Brooks: Founder, TraceWrap
Levi Baer: Co-Founder, Second Shift
Levi Velez Reed: Venture Partner, Startup425
Lila Smith: Founder, #SayThingsBetter
Lina Mateus: Founder and CEO, Digi-Clicks
Lindsay Eulenfeld: Senior Director of Operations, MassChallenge
Lori Freese: Principal, FreeseMediaGroup
Manpreet Kohli: Senior Principal, Adobe
Marcos Polanco: CEO, Prelatent
Marcos Semola: Director (2017-2020), Founder Institute Rio
Mariana Muntean: Founder & CEO, Cinevva
Mario Soave: Founder, CleverFi
Martín Martinez: Founding & Executive Director, Founder Institute Texas
Matt Mandell: Principal, PayCard.com
Mehrab Momin: Human-Centered AI Architect & Advisor, aiCTO Services
Mery Ramirez: Founding Partner, DataNexum Consulting
Miao Yan: Global Product Manager-Alternate Energy, Xylem
Michael Umansky: Co-Founder & CEO, Edgy Labs
Mike Breck: Principal, Acuity Thinking
Mitra Miller: President & Board Member, Houston Angel Network
Mona Defrawi: CEO & Founder, Radivision
Munjal Shah: CEO, Like.com
Muriel Foster: Chief Operations Strategist, Intentionally BLCK
Naeem Vehvaria: Director of Information Technology, Meticul Solutions
Natasha Gorodetsky: Founder&Head of Product, Product Pursuits
Neal Murthy: Chairman, Haven Holdings
Noah Wallach: Founder, Hope OS
Noah Fons: Coordinator, Greater Houston Partnership
Olayinka James: President/CEO, CYBEROPS INC.
Oleg Lysiak: Partner Success Manager, Honeycomb Software
Paul O'Brien: Author, Startup Ecosystems
Paul Kwiatkowski: Co-Founder and CTO, GroupRaise
Payal Patel: Principal, Softeq Ventures
Phil Libin: Founder & CEO, All Turtles
Philip Kaplan: Founder and CEO, ADHD Labs
Rafael Kartaszynski: CEO, TechEdge Dynamics
Rahul Agarwal: Principal Technical Product Manager, Hasura
Rahul Brahmbhatt: Investor / Mentor, Day One
Raja Mawad: Founder, Thrv.health
Rajesh Setty: Rajesh Setty - Serial Entrepreneur and Author, WittyParrot
Rajneesh Dwivedi: Co-Founder and CEO, Second Medic
Ram Prasad: Fractional CPO/CTO, Delence
Rebecca Councill: Chief Social Officer, CLR Digital Media Services
Richard Jones: Partner, Healthseers
Richard Seline: Cofounder, Resilience Innovation Hub
Riley Knox: CEO & Co-Founder, Leviathan Air
Robert Pieroni: Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development, Advisor, gener8tor, Ecliptic Capital
Ron Palmeri: Founder/CEO , Layer, Inc/MkII Ventures
Russ Fradin: Chairman & CEO, Dynamic Signal
Saima Siddiqui: Director of Product Management, Joyride.com
Salvatore Grignano: Marketing Officer, Italian Trade Agency (ITA) - Houston
Sameer Sortur: Founding Partner, SquareCircle Ventures
Sanjaykumar Patel: Founder -Patent & Trademark Attorney, EXCELON IP - Patent & Trademark Attorneys
Santiago Sanchez: Founder & CEO, Etailers Ecommerce
Sarah Hein: CEO, March Biosciences
Scott Ferguson: Founder & Chief AI Officer, Ferguson Analytics
Sebastien Long: Founder & CEO, Lodgeur
Shlomi Podgaetz: Director/CEO, Rizasmart Consulting
Sloan Foster: Principal , Envisage Associates
Sneha Lundia Agrawal: Founder & CEO, Step2Growth
Sophia Clark: Founder & Creative Director, Galiatea
Stephen Meade: Founder & CEO, MonetaPro
Steve Jennis: Founder and CEO, Jennis Consulting Group
Tabbie Saenz: Founder, Business and Trade Alliance
Talha Bin Shuja: Startup and Business Consultant, High Hope International
Taneallea Feddis: Co-Director Jamaica, Founder Institute
TC Lien: Mentor, Founders Institute
Telha Ghanchi: Managing Director, Valhalla Investment Group
Tiana Laurence: GP, Laurence Innovation
Tim De Silva: Founder & CEO, Culture Pilot
Tom Boinski: Management Consultant / CTO, TechEdge Dynamics (TED STUDIO)
Tosin Ojo: Founder and Fractional CISO, CITSAP
Tovit Neizer: Chief Storyteller, Yellow Bricks
Tracy De Jarnett: Founder and CMO, The Brandsoup Agency
Ty Audronis: Founder/ ceo, Tempest Droneworx
Vern Chan: Certified Startup Coach, Your Pivot
Vladimir Pletyukhin: Founder and Creative Director, Launch Deck
Wade Pinder: Founder, Product Houston
WAEL DOUKMAK: CEO, AHLAN, Inc.
Wenceslao Casares: CEO, Bling Nation
Will Bunker: Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of One-and-Only (became Match.com)
Willy Verbrugghe, SCORE & Vehoco
Winston Choe: Founder/CEO, Innoscape
Yared Akalou: CEO/Founder, Alcove Group
Yemi Oluseun: Growth & GTM For FinTechs, The Change Hive
Yj Lin: Senior Program Manager, Dell
Ziv Gillat: Co-Founder, Recogni Inc.`

And many more to be announced.

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).