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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 Australia Spring 2024 program.

If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from Sydney's top investors and entrepreneurs to build something meaningful, then apply to the Australia Spring 2024 Founder Institute today.

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

  • How to Build a Moonshot: Lonestar’s Mission to the Moon: 4:00am, Apr 02, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341098
  • Founder Institute Online Information Session: https://FI.co/infosession
  • Pitch Lounge: Get Feedback on Your 1-Minute Pitch Idea from Startup Experts: 4:00am, Apr 04, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341104
  • How Early-Stage AI Startups Will Fix Global Problems: 3:00am, Apr 11, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341110
  • Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with a Venture Capitalist: 3:00am, Apr 16, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341116
  • Founder Showcase: Startup Pitch & Networking Event: 3:00am, Apr 19, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341122
  • How to Acquire your First Customers with Actionable SEO Strategies : 3:00am, Apr 25, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341128
  • Co-Founders Connect: Find a Business Partner Online: 10:00am, May 02, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/340818
  • How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas : 3:00am, May 09, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341134
  • Building a Fundable Start-up Brand: 3:00am, May 21, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341140
  • Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 10:00am, May 23, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/340331
  • Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 10:00am, May 28, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/340898
  • How to Quickly Establish Safe, Reliable, and Compliant AI Startups: 3:00am, May 30, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341146
  • Startup Fundraising Q&A: Meet Investors from the FI Venture Network: 10:00am, Jun 06, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/340941
  • How to Come Up with Great Startup Ideas: 10:00am, Jun 11, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/340999
  • Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 3:00am, Jun 13, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341170
  • Co-Founder Networking: Find a Business Partner: 3:00am, Jun 18, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341164
  • Pitch Lounge: Get Feedback on Your 1-Minute Pitch Idea from Startup Experts: 3:00am, Jun 27, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341158
  • Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup Founder: 3:00am, Jul 02, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341152
  • Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert Feedback: 10:00am, Jul 16, 2024 (Australia/Sydney): https://FI.co/e/341214

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 Sydney program is led by some of the region's top startup leaders, including Annie LeCavalier, Benjamin Chong (Partner, Right Click Capital), Paul Krajewski (Product Management Mentor and blogger/researcher , SalesEnablement.wordpress.com/about).

In addition, some of Sydney'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 Sydney Founder Institute includes:

  • Adam Long: Managing Director, ThunderLabs
  • Adeline Chu: Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Western Sydney University
  • Adrian Bunter: Corporate Advisor | Angel Investor | Non-exec Director, Modus Partners
  • Aivee Robinson: Co-Founder, Catalyser
  • Alan Jones: CEO, Fishburners
  • Alanna Wright: Solicitor, Addisons
  • Albert Bielinko: Venture / growth investor, Telstra Ventures
  • Alejandro Patterson: Principal Product Manager , Honey Insurance
  • Alex Samson: Founder & CEO, dvhb
  • Alex Guyer: Partner Firemark Ventures, Associate Partner Black Nova Venture Capital
  • Allan Lalic: Co-founder, Kebloom
  • Amit Verma: Listing Manager, ASX
  • Anna Cheng: Head of Growth Marketing, Turo Australia. Ex HealthMatch Ex Brighte Ex Spaceship
  • Anne Moore: Work Futurist. Creator of Now to Next: Frames for the New Way We Work, Ex-CEO, Plando
  • Anne Marie Elias: chief disrupter, Founder, PrimeLife Partners, innovating longevity & care
  • Annie Le Cavalier: Venture Partner, FI and Former GM & Community, Stone & Chalk
  • Annie Liao: Investor, Aura Ventures
  • Ant Moorehouse: CEO and Co-Founder, EarthTech
  • Asher Vukelic: Chair, Southwest Angels
  • Ashton Bishop: CEO, Step Change hellostepchange.com
  • Ben Pecotich: Design & Innovation Director/Founder, Dynamic4
  • Benjamin Ranck: Principal, MacroReactor
  • Benjamin Chong: Partner, Right Click Capital
  • Bill Trestrail: CEO, Market Momentum Pty Ltd
  • Bill Trestrail: Venture Partner, Black Nova Venture Capital
  • Brendan Yell: Former Director, Twilio Startups
  • Brodie Mc Culloch: Founder, Spacecubed, Perth, WA
  • Brodie Mc Culloch: Founder and Managing Director, Spacecubed
  • Bronwen Kaspers: Customer Success Coach, Culture Amp cultureamp.com
  • Cam Walshe: Director, Pitchblak
  • Caroline Lepron: CEO & Founder, Skoutli
  • Charlotte Connell: Founder, The Sustainability Collective
  • Cheryl Mack: CEO & Founder, Aussieangels.com + Activator at SheEO™
  • Chintan Oza: Founder, Anantam Ecosystems
  • Chris Clark: Co-Founder & CEO of BEERLOVE
  • Chris Clark: Chris Clark, Sportsfusion
  • Chris Braine: Founder, Cellr
  • Chris Gillings: Venture Capital @ Five V Capital, & Founder @ Cut Through Venture
  • Christopher Krainer: Director of Hardware Engineering at Zoomo, & co-founder at rk-collective.com
  • Damien Messina: Manager, Impact Angel Network
  • Dane Eldridge: CEO, 4mation Technologies
  • Daniel Lohrmann: Managing Director, ikaros
  • Darsel Keane: Director, University of Auckland
  • David Isaac: Venture Building & Growth Strategy, Causality
  • Dean Mc Evoy: Non Executive Director, Investor and Adviser, TechSydney
  • Debra Taylor: Non Executive Director, Stone and Chalk
  • Dennis Kibirev: Chief Growth Officer, Mesh Ai
  • Dmitri Voronenko: CTO & Investor, virtualintegrity.com.au
  • Dylan Mc Donnell: CEO, Foodini
  • Ed Stevens: Entrepreneur in Residence, AGL
  • Eitan Bienstock: Managing Director, Techbench Capital
  • Elizabeth Kaelin: MSc, RDN & Finance Lecturer, UTS Business School
  • Erwin Van Der Koogh: Founder/CEO, Linc
  • Evan Wong: CEO, Checkbox.AI
  • Franziska Iseli: Founder, Basic Bananas
  • Gautam Mishra: Founder / CEO, inkl
  • Gawin Fernando: Co-Founder, CreativeCubes.Co
  • George Hedon: Founder & CEO, Pause Fest
  • Greg Campbell: entrepreneur, former Ops Director, information security specialist, Current Head of InfoSec and Compliance
  • Gwendolyn Ong: Co-Founder & Director, Cultivate
  • Harshu Deshpande: Start-up & Scale-up Advisor, Google
  • Jack Qi: Director, William Buck
  • James Moody: CEO, Sendle
  • Jane Cockburn: CEO and Founder, Kairos Now
  • Jared Kristensen: Co-founder/CEO, Playground xyz
  • Jeeva Suresh: Founder & CEO, Helix
  • Jeff Perlman: Founder, Revenue Ninja (revenue.ninja)
  • Jeremy Chetty: Co-founder, Student Edge
  • Jo Ucukalo: CEO, Handle My Complaint
  • Jo Ann Suchard, University of New South Wales
  • Joanna Ng: Former Early-stage investor, Investible
  • Joanne Jacobs: Co-CEO, Disruptor's Handbook
  • Jodi Boylan: Executive Producer, Director and Development Producer , Independent
  • Jonathan Greechan: Co-Founder & CEO, Founder Institute
  • Joshua Ross: CEO and Founder, Humanitix
  • Joshua Boccamazzo: Head of Business Operations and Strategy, Perx Health
  • Julian Luca: CEO, Trava Travel & Horizon Program Manager, Innovation Bay
  • Justus Hammer: MR, Axis7
  • Kate Ringvall: Co-Founder, Galactic Cooperative
  • Katherine O'donoghue: Community Manager, UTS Startups
  • Kevin Whitmore: CEO & Founder, www.getcashbucket.com
  • Kim McGuinness: Strategic Relationships Director, SBE Australia
  • Lauren Capelin: Principal, Startmate
  • Leila Alem: Chief Design and Innovation and Adj Professor, ArcSense
  • Magdalena Reith: Startup- and Business Consultant, Magdalena Reith Pitch Decks
  • Marshall Hughes: Freight Manager, Freight Companies Australia
  • Marshall Hughes: Consultant, Freight Companies Australia
  • Matt Allen: CEO, Tractor Ventures
  • Matthew Browne: Co-Founder @Upflowy upflowy.com, @Donesafe donesafe.com, @Whispli, Investor @Black Nova Group etc
  • Maz Zaman: Managing Partner, HyperScaled
  • Melissa Pye: Program Manager, UNSW Founders
  • Melissa Ran: Head of Community, AirTree
  • Michelle Gilmore: CEO, heyjuno.co
  • Mitchell Pham: Chairperson, NZTech
  • Monica Wulff: Head of WeWork Labs Pacific, WeWork
  • Neil Smith: CTO, Simple KYC
  • Nhat Nguyen: CEO, Otrafy
  • Nicola Rushton: Product designer & lean user researcher, nicolarushton.com
  • Oliver Ranck: Co-Founder | CMO | Exec Director, Future Neutral | MYSALE | Octomedia
  • Paul Wenck: Chair, Co-Founder Checkbox
  • Paul Krajewski: Product Management professional, Co-Director Founder Institute Australia+NZ
  • Paul Grimes: CTO & Founder, OK200
  • Paula Taylor: Executive Director and Co-Founder, West Tech Fest
  • Pavel Reddy: Managing Director, Clearpoint Ventures Pty Ltd
  • Pete Cooper: Founder, The Start Society
  • Pete Cooper: Former CIO, KBZ Bank
  • Pete Lead: Head of Programs, BlueChilli Group
  • Pete Horsley: Founder, Remarkable Tech
  • Peter Van Bruchem: Co-Founder, Techboard
  • Peter Browne: Owner, Intangible Communications
  • Prashant Gami: CEO & Founder, x•enabler
  • Rachel White: CFO, Part time CFO / fractional CFO
  • Rayn Ong: Director, Ong Heng Investments
  • Rebecca Dooley: Senior Associate, Addisons
  • Rebecca Pham: Program Manager, Launch Pad Innovation Program, Western Sydney University
  • Richard Dale: Committee Member, Sydney Angels Inc.
  • Roger Do: Co-Founder, QSearch
  • Roman Kovalenko: Chief Data Officer, Reserve Bank of Australia
  • Ron Hill: Managing Director, SunRamp Health Tech Accelerator
  • Ryan Cross: Manager for Prototyping, AWS, ANZ & APAC
  • Sam Richards: Managing Director, Brightlight Impact Advisory
  • Sameer Babbar: Director, SVB Group
  • Sameer Sortur: Founding Partner, SquareCircle Ventures
  • Sandrina Postorino: Committee Member, Sydney Angels Inc.
  • Scott Crowe: Lead Recruiter, Canva
  • Scott Glew: Organizer, Morning Startup Perth
  • Simon Turner: Founding Partner, Groundbreaking, Managing Director, FI Ghana
  • Sorrel Osborne: Head of Growth, Playground xyz
  • Srikanth Muthyala: Investor, Melbourne Angels
  • Stefan Korn: General Manager, Callaghan Innovation
  • Stuart Reynolds: CEO & Founder, Fullstack Advisory
  • Tamar Boas: Community Manager, The Generator Bundaberg
  • Tim Silverwood: Co-Founder, Ocean Impact Organisation
  • Timo Kugler: Co-Founder, NASH + BANKS
  • Tom Dawkins: Founder/CEO, StartSomeGood
  • Tomaj Bayat: Growth, beforepay.com.au
  • Tony Sinclair: Director of Venture Debt, Cataliize
  • Usman Iftikhar: CEO, Catalysr
  • Vanessa Ronan Pearce: Head of Growth, Wych Money
  • Vern Chan: Startup Coach, Your Pivot
  • William Mc Cahey: Partner, Think & Grow, and Growth Advisor

  • And many more to be announced.

Since 2009, the Founder Institute has helped over  7,000 Alumni raise over $1.75BN 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).

Join us in Sydney and help build the future. 

Apply to the Australia Spring 2024 Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.  

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