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Today, perhaps more than ever before, the world needs entrepreneurs to build a better future.

At the Founder Institute, we know this is a time of great uncertainty, but we also know that economic downturns are a great time to start a business. This isn't just conjecture - it is supported by historical business cycles and the experiences of seasoned entrepreneurs. The Founder Institute itself 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 Melbourne 2019 program.

If you could use a structured process and a lifetime of support from Melbourne and Silicon Valley top investors and entrepreneurs to build something meaningful, then apply to the Melbourne 2019 Founder Institute today.

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

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 Melbourne-Silicon Valley accelerator program will be led by top startup leaders, including Cameron Rambert (CEO & Co-Founder, Frankston Foundry), James Bertschik (Co-founder, Frankston Foundry), Marshall Hughes (Consultant, Freight Companies Australia), Melbourne Admin.

In addition, some of Australia'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 Melbourne-Silicon Valley Founder Institute includes:

  • Adrian Stone: CEO, AngelCube
  • Andrew Julian: Co-Founder, Digital Crossroads
  • Anna Mc Laurin: Senior Manager, PwC
  • Ashley Leach: Managing Director, PoE: Points of Engagement
  • Cameron Rambert: Co-Founder & CEO, Frankston Foundry
  • Carol Johnson: Director, Sales Enablement, Salesforce
  • Collis Ta'eed: CEO, Envato
  • Darcy Naunton: General Partner, York Butter Factory / Adventure Capital
  • Elyse Maberley: Co-Founder, Meeum
  • Gary Tramer: Co-Founder, WebReception
  • Inder Singh: Associate Director, Allied Legal
  • James Tuckerman: Founder, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine
  • James Bertschik: Co-Founder & COO, Frankston Foundry
  • Jennifer Fein: CEO & Founder, Passel
  • John Webster: Founder & CEO, CoRoster
  • Justin French: Chief Experience Officer, Envato
  • Mark Hendrickson: CEO and Co-founder, Side Racket
  • Marshall Hughes: Consultant, Freight Companies Australia
  • Matthew Thurley: Principal / Associate Professor, Innovative Machine Vision
  • Matthew Purvis: Managing Director, Managed Business Consulting
  • Melina Chan: Advisor - Community and Culture, Inspire9
  • Michael Jankie: Co-founder, LeadChat
  • Mohan Perera: Founder, undivide
  • Myles Foster: Partners Manager, Payment Rails
  • Ngoc Le: Co-Founder, Happy Tribe Group
  • Nikk Hughes: Founder, Inspire Tribe
  • Oliver Garside: Co-Founder & COO, Rounded
  • Paul Devereux: CO-FOUNDER, Cataliize
  • Pavel Reddy: Former Managing Director, Clearpoint Ventures Pty Ltd (Formerly)
  • Pete Saunders: CEO, Health Delivered
  • Peter Sandor: CEO, Fearless
  • Phil Richards: Director, Phil Richards
  • Rahul Kumar: Director, Allied Legal
  • Richard Webb: CEO & Co-Founder, Cataliize
  • Ryan Tietjens: Co-founder, Interactive Accounting
  • Sameer Babbar: Director, SVB Group
  • Sebastian von Conrad: Solutions Lead, Envato
  • Steve Glaveski: CEO and Co-Founder, Collective Campus
  • Tess Guthrie: Founder & Director, WhyHive
  • Thin Neu: Co-Founder, HippoBlue
  • Tim Koopmans: CTO, Flood.io
  • Tom Le Grice: General Manager Melbourne, Slingshot Accelerator
  • Tom Howard: Co-Founder, Adioso
  • Tom Williams: Principal, InnovationConsult

  • 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).

Join us in Melbourne and help build the future. 

Apply to the Melbourne 2019 Founder Institute today, or learn more at FI.co/overview.  

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