Press

The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses.

Since 2009, our highly-structured accelerator programs have helped entrepreneurs at the earliest stages grow quickly, know what to do next, and make connections with the largest community of startup advisors.

Leaders of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used the Founder Institute to raise funding, build a co-founding team, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200 cities and 100 countries, the Founder Institute's mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.

The Founder Institute was founded in 2009 by Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan. It is operated out of Palo Alto, California.

Press Contact: Jonathan Greechan, Co-Founder at the Founder Institute (help@fi.co)

Media Resources

• Media Kit (Logos, Photos, Headshots, Infographics)
• Featured Graduate Companies
• Graduate Impact Reports

Founder Institute Statistics*

*These statistics are updated frequently, but not in real-time.

• Operations in 200 cities, 100 countries, and 6 continents
• 7,500+ Graduate Companies
• An estimated portfolio value in excess of $20BN billion
• $1.85BN+ in funding for Graduate Companies, conservatively (and we are just as proud of the many Graduates that have bootstrapped their way to profitability!)
• 110+ exits or liquidity events
• An estimated 30,000+ new jobs created
• 72% Graduate companies still operating after 2 years
• 35,000+ Mentors worldwide
• > 80% are CEOs or founders

Notable Press Coverage:

• The Founder Institute's Requirement? Create a Company (New York Times - Cover of Sunday Business Section, 07/29/12)
• Entrepreneur Magazine Cover Story, February 2018 (Entrepreneur Magazine 02/01/15 - full article)
• An Entrepreneur Who Manufactures Entrepreneurs (New York Times 11/13/13)
• The Founder Institute’s VC Lab is a free training program for budding venture capitalists (TechCrunch 02/05/2021)
• Do You Have Entrepreneurial DNA? A Test To Help You Decide (Forbes 03/01/13)
• Finding A Way For Fledgling Startups To Adopt The Sustainable Development Goals (Forbes 02/27/2021)
• Predicting Entrepreneurial Success – Got What it Takes? (CNN Money 07/28/10)
• VC Lab introduces free fund formation documents to make startup investing cheaper and easier (TechCrunch 10/15/2021)
• Free Startup Docs: How Much Equity Should Advisors Get? (TechCrunch 09/22/11)
• Incubator Focuses on Founders First, Then Companies (Inc. 06/27/12)
• New Tack in Early-Stage Tech Investing (Wall Street Journal 10/03/12)
• Can an Hour-Long Aptitude Test Predict Startup Home Runs? Adeo Ressi Thinks so (Forbes 11/21/12)

Chronological Newsfeed:

• The Next Ubers and Airbnbs Are Hiring Only Remote Workers, Mentor Says (Business Insider 10/06/2021)
• Pacer Ventures launches Pacer Labs to support digital acceleration in Africa (Sun News Online 10/05/2021)
• Founders, Don’t Let Fundraising Mess Up Your Mental Health. Here’s How. (Crunchbase News 10/01/2021)
• Tom York on Business: Incubator Helps Women in Military Launch 'Portable' Startups (Times of San Diego 09/20/2021)
• Founder Institute looking for Colombian entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to success (El Tiempo 09/10/2021)
• Founder Institute seeks Latino entrepreneurs to boost their ventures (Soy Emprendedor 09/06/2021)
• This accelerator is looking for entrepreneurs in Latin America to promote its idea (Entrepreneur 08/31/2021)
• Pandemic should encourgage start-ups to take the plunge (The Irish Times 08/27/2021)
• Navigating The VC Rush: Finding Startups With A Moral Compass (Crunchbase News 08/24/2021)
• Venture Capitalists Can Fund Traditional Small Businesses, Too. Here’s How. (Crunchbase News 08/09/2021)
• Founder Institute launches accelerator programme for the Levant (Wamda 07/28/2021)
• Founder Institute, NASA Ames and MassRobotics Partner to Launch AI and Robotics Accelerator in Boston (SpaceRef 07/13/2021)
• 3 Insider Tips For New VCs Trying To Get Their First Close (Crunchbase News 07/12/2021)
• Founder Institute opens first accelerator program in Caracas (Latin America Reports 07/07/2021)
• Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute launches startup accelerator in Mumbai (Hindustan Times 07/05/2021)
• Founder Institute Montréal reveals graduates from winter 2020 cohort (BetaKit 04/29/2021)
• Do you fit the mold for the next generation of values-driven VCs? (TechCrunch 04/15/2021)
• Young workers are being left adrift — business needs to throw them a life jacket (The Hill 03/13/2021)
• Finding A Way For Fledgling Startups To Adopt The Sustainable Development Goals (Forbes 02/27/2021)
• Bitcoin And Other Cryptocurrencies Are Fueling Innovation In Space (Forbes 02/25/2021)
• The Founder Institute’s VC Lab is a free training program for budding venture capitalists (TechCrunch 02/05/2021)
• Pacer Ventures aiming to fill the funding gap for African startups (Private Equity Wire 12/11/2020)
• Founder Institute opens applications for virtual startup accelerator in Ghana (Disrupt Africa 12/08/2020)
• Six social innovation startups compete at Founder Institute's Connect: Impact event (The Sociable 11/17/2020)
• Founder Institute rolls out in Kenya, now accepting applications for startup accelerator (Tech In Africa 11/16/2020)
• 10 startup mentorship programs shaping a borderless future for entrepreneurs (StartupBeat, 11/11/2020)
• Founder Institute Bangladesh launches 4th cohort in Dhaka (Dhaka Tribune 10/11/2020)
• Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor partners with Silicon Valley to mentor startups (CBC News 09/07/2020)
• The Founder Institute Launches A ‘Joint Pledge’ To Make Innovation Impactful Again (Forbes 08/04/2020)
• ‘I don’t look like your typical founder’ (The Record, 07/04/2020)
• Let’s stop COVID-19 from undoing diversity gains (TechCrunch 07/02/2020)
• I Was Fired by My Cofounder and Learned 4 Important Lessons (Business Insider 06/24/2020)
• These best practices maximize the value of your online events (TechCrunch 05/14/2020)
• An entrepreneur’s guide to startup resources during the COVID-19 outbreak (The Next Web 04/20/2020)
• Founder Institute CEO Adeo Ressi Discusses European Startups, Visits Region (StartUp Beat 02/07/2020)
• How the VC Pitch Process Is Failing Female Entrepreneurs (Harvard Business Review 01/13/2020)
• Founder Institute opens space accelerator with ties to NASA Ames (SpaceNews 12/04/2019)
• Founder Institute Appoints Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata as Regional Director (Technext 11/27/2019)
• Fifteen startups graduating from Founder Institute Bogotá's 2019 class (Colombia Focus 05/22/2019)
• How Often Should Entrepreneurs Update Investors (Forbes 02/25/2019)
• First class of the Founder Institute (Paperjam 02/13/2019)
• Here Is What Startup Investors Look For In Entrepreneurs Before Investing (Forbes 01/31/2019)
• Topica Raises US$50M in Series D Funding (FinSMEs 11/28/2018)
• Want to get a VC’s attention? Start thinking big, says Benjamin Chong (Smart Company 11/15/2018)
• What Do Venture Capitalists Look for in Founders? (Entrepreneur 11/5/2018)
• This Entrepreneur Sold Two Companies For $1 Billion Before Age 30 (Forbes 10/28/2018)
• “It’s all about finding your strengths” (Delano News 10/18/2018)
• Stop thinking, start acting: ‘Entrepreneur bootcamp’ in Stockholm (The Local 10/18/2018)
• Patriot Boot Camp And Founder Institute Join Forces To Give Veterans More Entrepreneurial Training (Forbes 09/27/2018)
• Attention, Millennials: The Average Entrepreneur Is This Old When They Launch Their First Startup (Inc.com 05/17/2018)
• Launch in Karachi: National incubation centre to start operations (Express Tribune 04/24/2018)
• Adeo Ressi: ‘Every thing I see done well, it’s usually by a startup or tech firm’ (Irish Tech News 01/21/2018)
• DBS Indonesia Deepens Partnership With Founder Institute to Foster Startup Growth (01/15/2018)
• The Silicon Valley Founder With a Pocket Full of Visas (WIRED 11/22/2017)
• Tech startups are finding fertile ground in Vietnam′s ′Silicon Valley′ (DW 07/04/2017)
• Five Steps To Build A Startup Ecosystem In Your City (Forbes, 02/16/2017)
• Jakarta Founder Institute graduates 9 startup founders for its sixth batch (e27, 02/15/17)
• Founder Institute Says It's Canadian Companies Have Collectively Raised over $7M (Betakit, 12/12/16)
• New research busts the myth of the 20-something start-up founder (CNBC, 12/08/16)
• Paint Your Bigger Picture: The Importance of Selling Your Company's Big Mission (Entrepreneur 11/28/2016)
• Training Myanmar's Next Tech Entrepreneurs The Silicon Valley Way (Forbes 11/15/2016)
• Use This to Avoid the Headache of a Legal Contract With an Advisory Board (Entrepreneur, 09/22/16)
• Training Myanmar's Next Tech Entrepreneurs The Silicon Valley Way (Forbes, 09/15/16)
• The impact of the Founder Institute in Latin America (Pulsosocial, 08/25/16)
• This Fellowship Is For Military Veterans Launching Tech Startups (Forbes, 07/30/16)
• Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurship programme Founder Institute relaunches in Thailand (e27, 06/20/16)
• A 'Pre-Accelerator' Program Returns to Boston After a 5-Year Hiatus (BostInno, 06/06/16)
• Hustler, Prodigy or Visionary? What Kind of Entrepreneur Are You? (Entrepreneur, 05/14/16)
• Indian entrepreneurs are more focused: Founder Institute (The Hindu, 05/03/16)
• How Topica Founder Institute is helping shape Vietnam's startup scene (e27, 12/08/15)
• MaGIC & Founder Institute partner to bring international experts to Malaysian startups (Dealstreet Asia, 04/12/15)
• "Startup não é lugar de fantasia", diz mentor do Vale do Silício (Veja, 03/22/15)
• Las grandes startups se pueden construir en cualquier lugar (PulsoSocial, 03/18/15)
• A global map: The personality strengths of startups around the world (Venturebeat, 03/17/15)
• Founder Institute Launches in London (Tech City News, 02/16/15)
• Do You Have Entrepreneurial DNA? (Entrepreneur, 02/20/15)
• Cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, February 2018 (Entrepreneur, 02/01/15)
• What Danny Adams Got from his Self-Imposed Trial by Fire (BRW Financial Review, 01/02/15)
• White House Fact Sheet: Global Entrepreneurship Summit (The White House, 11/20/14)
• The Startup Checklist: How to Know if You're Ready (Inc Magazine, 11/17/14)
• The Startup Gauntlet (Deccan Chronicle, 09/16/14)
• Founder Institute's Initiative: Bringing Silicon Valley to Karachi (The Express Tribune, 09/14/14)
• Founder Institute Opens Palo Alto HQ, Hosts Unicorn Theme Party (RE/CODE, 09/19/14)
• Founder Institute, the Accelerator Behind Appota's Rise (Tech in Asia, 04/15/14)
• Founder fired up for tech success (Business News Australia, 03/05/14)
• Founder Institute Helps Professionals Launch Startups (India Times, 12/24/13)
• An Entrepreneur Who Manufactures Entrepreneurs (New York Times, 11/13/13)
• How to Wire the Silicon Valley Mindset into Your Community (VentureBeat, 11/8/13)
• Comparing Entrepreneurs in Asia versus the U.S. (CNBC Asia, 10/13/13)
• Founder Institute Says It Has Graduated More Than 1,000 Companies (TechCrunch, 10/5/13)
• Adeo Ressi: why Aussie start-ups shouldn't move to Silicon Valley (BRW, 9/30/13)
• This Entrepreneur Publicly Spanked America's Most Arrogant VCs... And Lived To Tell The Tale (Forbes, 9/16/13)
• Your Playbook to Starting Up On the Cheap: 10 Steps to Launch for Less Than $1,500 (Entrepreneur, 9/10/13)
• Funding: What's Changed and What Needs To (Women2.0, 5/3/13)
• 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Pitching Investors (Entrepreneur, 3/19/13)
• Do You Have Entrepreneurial DNA? A Test To Help You Decide (Forbes, 3/1/13)
• The Best Entrepreneurs Are Older, Have Less Ego (Mashable, 2/11/13)
• Adeo Ressi: 'De volgende Facebook komt uit Europa' (datanews, 12/13/12)
• Un método para emprendedores real 'como la vida misma' (TicBeat, 12/6/12)
• Founder Institute: tutelando startups antes de que la idea salga del horno (Yorokobu, 11/23/12)
• Can an Hour-Long Aptitude Test Predict Startup Home Runs? Adeo Ressi Thinks so (Forbes, 11/21/12)
• Founder Institute Quietly Expands into the Middle East with a Focus on Supporting Female Entrepreneurs (TechCrunch, 11/8/12)
• Adeo Ressi's Founder Institute Sprouts Startups Around the Globe (Forbes, 11/5/12)
• What is the Right Threshold of Crazy? (NBC News - Bay Area, 11/2/12)
• "The very idea of VC money is at odds with the (success of the founder." Interview with Founder Institute founder Adeo Ressi (Whiteboard Mag, 10/29/12)
• Adeo Ressi, The Founder Institute za Netokraciju: Ukoliko niste ambiciozni, što će vam startup? (Netokracija, 10/26/12)
• A Silicon Valley Insider Actually Has A Plan To Get More Women In Tech (Business Insider, 10/25/12)
• Il Founder Institute sbarca a Roma (Wired Italy, 10/14/12)
• 'Startups' boricuas inician una nueva era empresarial (El Nuevo Dia, 10/07/12)
• Turning a Small Business into a Big Success (ABC News, 9/21/12)
• New Tack in Early-Stage Tech Investing (Wall Street Journal, 10/03/12)
• Adeo Ressi Introduces 'Convertible Equity', Covertible Debt Without Debt (Forbes, 08/31/12)
• Start-up Savior? Killing Convertible Debt (Fortune, 08/31/12)
• 'Convertible Equity': A Plan to Keep Early-Stage Startups out of Debt (VentureBeat, 08/31/12)
• Convertible Equity: A Better Alternative to Convertible Debt?(TechCrunch, 08/31/12)
• Startup Fever Grips Chicago Companies, From Blues to Law Firms (Chicago Business, 10/01/12)
• Founder Institute Graduates 650th Startup; Wants to Globalize Silicon Valley (VentureBeat, 09/28/12)
• Startup firma - sinonim za uspješan poduhvat (Aljazeera, 09/15/12)
• Advice for Budding Entrepreneurs: Don't Give Up (Mashable, 08/15/12)
• Institute Gives Tech Startups a Leg Up (Financial Review, 08/13/12)
• Adeo Ressi on Entrepreneurs and Startup Culture (BusinessWeek, 08/09/12)
• The Founder Institute's Requirement? Create a Company (New York Times - Cover of Sunday Business Section, 07/29/12)
• With 538 Startups Launched, Founder Institute Plans to Double its Presence to 10 Cities (The Next Web, 07/26/12)
• CEO Coach: Adeo Ressi (PandoDaily, 07/13/12)
• Incubator Focuses on Founders First, Then Companies (Inc., 06/27/12)
• El Founder Institute presenta una nueva generación de emprendedores (TicBeat 06/09/12)
• Tell us why your Town Should be the Next Silicon Valley (VentureBeat, 06/05/11)
• Entrepreneurs See the World Differently (FounderLY, 05/31/12)
• Here are the Winners of the One-Sentence Pitch Competition (TechCrunch, 04/24/12)
• Startups: Time for Another One-Sentence Pitch Competition with the Founder Institute (TechCrunch, 04/21/12)
• Jakarta Founder Institute Graduates Its Fall Batch of Startups (Tech in Asia, 02/10/12)
• Prepared by the Founder Institute - (Dutch - TechBusiness.nl, 01/31/12)
• GrantSnap gets the Highest-Rated Pitch at Founder Institute Graduation (Dutch) - (Dutch - Knack.be, 02/09/12)
• With 415 Graduates, Founder Institute Claims to be the Largest Incubator (TechCrunch, 12/04/11)
• Entrepeneurship is Not Confined to the Young (Spanish - Dinero.com, 09/29/11)
• Free Startup Docs: How Much Equity Should Advisors Get? (TechCrunch, 09/26/11)
• Cautious Optimism: Startups will Come Out Ahead (VentureBeat, 08/23/11)
• Is There a Peak Age for Entrepreneurship? (TechCrunch, 05/28/11)
• Startups Now Take the Money and Maintain Control (New York Times, 04/07/11)
• The Adeo Ressi Impact in Columbia (Tropical Gringo, 03/05/11)
• Take an Online Crash Course in Entrepreneurship from the Founder Institute (ReadWriteWeb, 02/18/11)
• Founder Institute Aims to Launch 175 Female Led Businesses in 2019 (TheNextWomen, 02/16/11)
• New Female Founder Fellowship at the Founder Institute (Women 2.0, 02/11/11)
• Founder Institute Kicks Off Global Female Founder Fellowship Program (TechCrunch, 02/11/11)
• Founder Institute on a Roll – Amsterdam Now Open Too (TechCrunch, 01/24/11)
• How Latin American Startups are Tapping Silicon Valley (VentureBeat, 01/21/11)
• Founder Institute Expands to South America, Should Your Country be Next? (TechCrunch, 01/19/11)
• Founder Institute's Adeo Ressi Says You Can't Teach Entrepreneurship (VentureBeat, 12/30/10)
• Madlibs for Pitching - How to Perfect the One Sentence Pitch (TechCrunch, 11/03/10)
• Founder Institute looks to incubate 50 Seattle startups (TechFlash, 10/08/10)
• Founder Institute – How to Launch in 10 Steps With Less Than $2000 (TechCrunch, 08/29/10)
• Exporting Silicon Valley (The Fifth Conference, 08/20/10)
• Predicting Entrepreneurial Success – Got What it Takes? (CNN Money, 07/28/10)
• Want to Know How You Rank As an Entrepreneur? Take the Founder Institute Test (TechCrunch, 07/21/10)
• Founder Institute is Training Minds for a Great Idea (Denver Post, 05/14/10)
• Adeo Ressi's Founder Institute coming to town in July (Boston.com, 05/07/10)
• Adeo Ressi's Advice to Entrepreneurs at Founder Institute Lunch (The Huffington Post, 04/23/10)
• The Founder Institute Goes Global (VentureBeat, 01/20/10)
• Founder Institute on Track to Graduate 300 Startups Per Year, Expands to New York (TechCrunch, 11/05/09)
• The Founder Institute's Adeo Ressi on his Plans to Leave No Entrepreneur Behind (VentureBeat, 10/12/09)
• TheFunded Founder Creates a Startup Camp for Young CEOs (TechCrunch, 03/03/09)