Since launching in 2009, the Silicon Valley Founder Institute has helped launch dozens of up-and-coming startups, including Udemy, Retailigence, Spikes Security, MovieLaLa, and many more. However, none of these companies would be where they are today without the help of experienced mentors to guide them through the challenges of launching and running a tech startup.
Our Mentors provide the passion and support needed to help the next generation of entrepreneurs succeed, sharing best practices and critical feedback throughout the company-launch process. And, while our Mentors are constantly reviewing and rating the progress of participants in the Founder Institute program, the Mentors themselves are also rated anonymously by the program participants to determine their share of the Graduate Liquidity Pool. This incentivizes FI Mentors to go above and beyond in helping our companies succeed.
There are over 70 total Silicon Valley Founder Institute Mentors, and while all of them provide an invaluable service to our Founders, below are the Mentors that have gone above and beyond to garner the highest ratings from program participants:
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1. Patrick Lee (Co-Founder & former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes) Patrick Lee is the co-founder and former CEO of a number of companies, most notably Rotten Tomatoes, along with alivenotdead.com and Design Reactor. He is also the co-founder of Hobo Labs, which makes guild-based casual mobile games. |
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2. Justin Wilcox (Founder of Nimbus Health) Justin Wilcox started his first company at the age of 10, and hasn’t been able to stop. Graduating from Cal Poly’s Computer Science program, Justin worked at Microsoft for five years before leaving to start Nimbus Health, an electronic medical record company. In addition to running Nimbus, he’s launched a couple mobile apps in his spare time, including a top seller in the Travel Category and Bounce on Android. |
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3. Carter Laren (Co-Founder, Gateway Incubator, MOX) A self-described “radical individualist,” Carter is the co-founder of MOX, an online 24/7 streaming music video network focused on electronic music. Currently operates as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Founder Institute, as well as an advisor and Member of the Board at Creative Allies, an online community of art students, designers, hobbyists and music fans. |
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4. Leila Banijamali (CEO & Founder of Startup Documents) Leila Banijamali is the CEO and Founder of Startup Documents, an online incorporation service and document generator for high-growth technology startups and lawyers. She is also an entrepreneur and startup lawyer who has founded businesses in the technology and fine arts industries. |
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5. Alexander Garcia-Tobar (Founder of Lattice Technology Inc) Alexander Garcia-Tobar is a global entrepreneur/exec with three IPOs and one exit under his belt. He has served as CEO to four companies, and is the founder of Lattice Technology Inc. He is currently a Mentor at the Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology at UC Berkeley. |
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6. Misha Chellam (Founder of Tradecraft) Misha Chellam is the former Director of the Brussels Founder Institute, where he graduated nineteen Founders over two semesters, seven of whom have raised seed or venture financing. He is also the founder of Tradecraft where he trains smart people to succeed in traction roles at high growth startups. |
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7. Dan Arkind (Founder & CEO at Jobscore) Dan Arkind is currently the founder and CEO of JobScore, a software platform that matches people and jobs. He also serves as a Recruitment Consultant & Coach and Startup Advisor at Indico Group, whose clients include Branchout, Chartboost, IMVU, Mint, and many more. |
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8. TIE: Eddie Hartman (Co-founder of LegalZoom) Edward Hartman is the co-founder of LegalZoom, the leading provider of personalized online legal solutions for families and small businesses, a company he has been with for over fifteen years. Prior to LegalZoom, he was the CTO of TROON (acquired by Xceed in 1998), as well as a co-host of the popular Los Angeles show Legally Bound. |
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8. Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder of The Founder Institute) Jonathan has been heavily involved in the marketing and building of fast-growth startups since 2004. He led Content and Marketing at Game Trust (acquired by RealNetworks), and has helped launch TheFunded.com, the web’s leading online community of technology entrepreneurs, and the Founder Institute. |
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9. TIE: Aaron Patzer (Founder & former CEO, Mint) Aaron Patzer is the founder and former CEO of Mint.com, a free web-based personal financial management service. He has invested in numerous startups, including Layer, DoubleDutch, Prism Skylabs, among others, and is currently the founder and CEO of Fountain, an app that provides advice from a curated set of experts. |
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9. David Weekly (Founder of Drone.vc) David Weekly is the founder of drone.vc, the world's first drone-focused investment fund, and is the Founding Director & Chairman of Hacker Dojo, a non-profit organization that provides space to bring together entrepreneurs, programmers, creators, and other hackers in Mountain View, California. He currently serves as the Product Manager at Google. |
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10. Tim Hyer (Founder & CEO at Getable) Tim Hyer is a Graduate of the inaugural class of the Silicon Valley Founder Institute in 2009. He is the founder and CEO of Getable, which lets construction professionals order and manage equipment from their smartphone, a company that recently secured a $5 million Series A round. |
Could you use expert training and feedback to launch a company in Silicon Valley? Then apply to the Silicon Valley Founder Institute today.
