Since 2009, the Founder Institute's structured programs, innovative 'Equity Collective', and global network of 40,000+ mentors and investors have been proven to significantly increase a startup's chances of success, across 100+ countries.
One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face is knowing what to focus on, and when, especially if you want to raise funding. Meanwhile, every minute you waste brings you closer to running out of time or money.
Our AI-native Company Builder pairs a proven, structured methodology with purpose-built AI startup agents and constant feedback from mentors, so you can move faster, smarter, and cheaper.
Step-by-step business-building sprints to eliminate 'analysis paralysis'. Bootstrap the business and get to work, no theory.
Every founder works one Sprint at a time, in the order their Playbook sets, with a deliverable due every week and a mentor rating on it.
How the program works: Playbook, Pitch Gym, Frank, AI Assist, 10 sessions plus Demo Day.
Structured programs, AI startup agents, and a global network designed to support you across your entire startup journey.
It starts with the FI Agentic Program: a program generated for your startup (your Playbook), practice pitching an AI investor (Pitch Gym), Frank and AI Assist on every deliverable, weekly feedback from mentors, and a real Demo Day, to take idea-stage and pre-seed founders to the milestones needed for investment.
Make years of progress in weeks using our proven, AI-native Growth Sprints. No theoretical 'homework' here.
Deploy a suite of powerful AI startup agents and tools to help with every step of the startup journey.
Receive constant feedback from expert mentors through live Weekly Feedback Sessions, Office Hours, and Working Groups.
Get the push and accountability you need through weekly ratings, 360-degree reviews, and aggressive milestones.
Expand your network and connect with entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors, both locally and globally.
Alumni can get funded by Founder Capital (FI's global venture fund) and have their deals syndicated to the FI Venture Network, an exclusive global network of first-check investors.
Get access to angels, accelerators, micro-funds, and syndicates that actually invest in idea-stage and pre-seed founders.
Connect to the newest funds and emerging managers coming out of our sister company, VC Lab, an accelerator to launch venture funds.
Pitch on FI Demo Days and the Founder Showcase, as well as partner pitch competitions and conferences.
Get funding from Founder Capital, the Founder Institute's Global VC Fund.
The real question is: can the Founder Institute be game-changing for your business? The answer is yes. Without FI, Udemy may have never raised any money.
Oddbox wouldn't exist without the Founder Institute. FI gave me the structure I needed to take Oddbox from idea to MVP but also pushed, challenged and guided me through the steps, insecurities and excitement of building an impact-led business.
The Founder Institute was instrumental in helping us understand how to validate our idea in the market, and helped us develop the entrepreneurial mindset required to build a startup.
FI Alumni have raised over 2BN in funding and have an estimated value over $20BN+.
IPO'd
Silicon Valley, US
Udemy is the global leader in online learning, with nearly 200,000 courses. The company went public on the NASDAQ in October 2021 (UDMY), raising $421 million.
Visit UdemyEren Bali, Gagan Biyani
San Francisco, US
Esusu reports on-time rent payments to credit bureaus, helping renters boost their credit scores. They became a unicorn in January 2022 with SoftBank Vision Fund 2-led $130M Series B.
Visit EsusuRob Henning
Montreal, Canada
FightCamp is the market-leading at home connected fitness device for boxing, kickboxing, and martial arts sports. They announced its $90M Series B in June 2021 from top investors.
Visit FightCampKhalil Zahar
Montreal, Canada
Unito is a no-code integration solution that allows you to connect your apps and automate your workflows in minutes. After raising $10.5M in 2020, the company scaled up quickly in 2021.
Visit UnitoMarc Boscher
Cordoba, Argentina
Xcapit is a Smart Wallet and fosters a culture of cryptocurrency savings among young people. They announced an ETH 43.7821 investment from UNICEF Innovation Fund in June 2021.
Visit XcapitFernando Boiero, José Ignacio Trajtenberg
Acquired
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
VOA Educação helps educators to monitor socio-emotional development in students. The EdTech was acquired by Vivadí in Nov 2021 in a bet on consolidation of the Brazilian soft skills market.
Visit VOA educaçãoTiago Neves
FI Agentic Programs are accepting applications in 200+ cities worldwide.
Great founders are everywhere. FI connects you to 40,000+ entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors across 200+ cities and 6 continents, so you're never building alone.
The Founder Institute's mission is to activate entrepreneurial potential and empower communities across the globe to build ventures with positive economic and societal impact, no matter their location or background.
The Female Founder Initiative was formed in 2016 to create more opportunities for women to build successful companies through Founder Institute's global AI-native company-building program.
Our mission is to activate entrepreneurial potential and empower communities across the globe to build ventures with positive economic and societal impact. This is only possible with a global network of ecosystem, company, and fund-builders... so we created it.
Join the FI Agentic Program: an AI-powered curriculum, world-class mentors, and free AI agents to turn your idea into a fundable company.
Our programs helped launch Udemy, Esusu, and thousands more, with a portfolio worth an estimated $20B. Yours could be next.
A global network of founders, mentors, and investors building enduring companies, with free AI agents to help you do the work.
