Program Schedule

Our partner, RoadPitch, and Founder Institute Washington DC is hosting a great startup event called "RoadPitch Demos + Mixer". At this event, RoadPitch and FI together shine a light on entrepreneurs of color - a multi-city pitch tour for black tech founders. Come mingle with fellow founders, ecosystem leaders, investors and mentors. Watch live pitches of 10 black tech startups. RoadPitch recruits and vets investable black founded tech startups to join us on the road. We put pre-seed startups in front of investors for a live pitch competition where founders can connect and showcase their entrepreneurial success with the goal of raising capital. Please register FREE | RSVP here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/493421997477.

Washington DC has a fast growing, vibrant and an international ecosystem. We will discuss about immigrant entrepreneurs, diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Experiences in accessing capital and resources available to help them in their journey. At this in-person event, we will host an invaluable speaker: CQ Huynh, an immigrant founder from Vietnam, Author and Fellow of Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs, and Fellow-in-Residence with the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). Come join to this fireside chat to discuss about DE&I and provide tips on how to build a successful startup in Washington DC.

In this session, Mentors will analyze your existing branding and design, and also discuss how to develop an enduring brand and great user experiences.  

Sprints

Below are just a few of the 10-15 deliverables you’ll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours: 

Launch Track Deliverables

1. Competitor Branding - Analyze and compare the name and branding of at least 15 companies with a competing offering, in a related industry, or with a similar value proposition in a different industry.
2. Name Brainstorming - Use combinations of your naming words to develop a series of business names for the review of your peers and Directors.
3. Name Research - Research the availability of the combined words as a domain name and list the ones that are most available.

Growth Track Deliverables

1. Branding Expert - Leverage the FI Network to set up meetings with industry experts to get feedback about your name, branding, and customer experience. 
2. Close Sales - Follow-up on your previous sales activities, and measure the time allocated, conversion rates, financial spending and other metrics for each activity. Your goal is to convert new sales and/or show quantifiable traction before the Mentor Idea Review. 
3. Idea Review Pitch Deck - Finalize your 3-minute pitch deck for the Mentor Idea Review, using our templates and guidelines. Practice the pitch at least five times with your peers, and revise it based on feedback. Upload a final video on the deliverables page.  

Do you have a startup that needs funding? Do you want to learn how startup funding works, what you need to do before trying to raise funding, and where you can go to get it? Then join us for this Washington DC panel discussion, which will provide practical experience. It will feature talks from entrepreneurs who have successfully raised money for their businesses, and investors actively funding businesses. Learn expert tips, big pitfalls to avoid, what investors are looking for, how equity works, and more.

Our partner, The Center for Advancing Innovation together with Founder Institute is hosting a great startup event called FUN EARTH DAY 🌎 PARTY-RSVP:https://bit.ly/caiearthday As Earth Day approaches, we cordially invite you to join us for a celebration of our planet and the superpowers we possess as entrepreneurs, influencers, movers and shakers as well as change-makers. Join us at our Earth Day party, where you'll have the opportunity to meet and connect with other movers and shakers in the startup and entrepreneurship community. Our event is a unique opportunity to celebrate our collective power to create positive change, as well as to explore ways we can harness our entrepreneurial spirit to build a more sustainable future for all.

In this session, Mentors will analyze Founder pitches from the perspective of an investor, identifying any remaining issues or areas for improvement. Mentors will also cover numerous topics related to fundraising, including different fundraising options, how to raise funding, and more. 

Sprints

Below are just a few of the 10-15 deliverables you’ll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

1. Minimum Victory Condition - Work with your Local Leaders to establish your “Victory Condition” to achieve before the “Impact Deadline” (three months after the program ends), and add it to your business calendar.
2. Advisor Strategy - Set up a call with each of your advisors and briefly review your “Victory Condition”, the funding strategy, hiring plan, sales plan and product plan.
3. Use of Proceeds - Examine the capital needs of the business, and extend your financial model to project revenues and expenses for a total of 24 months from now.
4. Final Investor Pitch Deck - Refine your investor pitch deck, and update it with all of your work to date, including details from your various plans. Test the presentation on peers and Directors and upload it to the FI site for review. 
5. Deal Room - Create a Deal Room for future investors that includes relevant files like 'Company' documents with legal, 'Pitch Deck', 'Team' bios, 'Board Materials,' 'Financials,' 'Sales' information, 'Marketing' materials and 'Intellectual Property.'
6. Target List - Identify local Angel Investors and Seed Accelerators, ignoring Venture Capitalists and Seed Funds. The Target List should include at least 100 local angels, 25 regional and 50 global seed accelerators, using our guidelines.

Washington DC has a fast growing startup ecosystem, and entrepreneurs here are lucky to have so many resources available to help them in their journey. Founder Institute Washington DC and Startup Grind DC, are hosting a great startup networking event and a Fireside Chat with Tien Wong. At this in-person event, we will gather representatives from different entrepreneurial organizations, including Startup Grind DC and ConnectPreneur Community to outline the local resources and provide tips on how to build a startup in Washington DC. Startup Grind DC Director Patrick Bryant will have a fireside chat with Tien Wong:Founder of CONNECTpreneur Forum, a community of over 5000 founders, CEOs, angels, VCs,CXOs and other business leaders in our region

Completing the Founder Institute is an honor. The program is challenging, and the expectations are demanding.

In this final session, you will celebrate with your peers, friends and family, as well as select Mentors. Some Founders will also pitch to a live audience, and you will officially onboard to all of the post-program resources and assistance the Founder Institute provides.

The FI Core Program is just the beginning of a life long journey.

Founder Institute Alumni get access to a series of advanced accelerator programs, ongoing support from our Silicon Valley Team, valuable partner and service discounts, and more to continue building the business for years to come.