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Rio de Janeiro 2017

Program schedule

The FI Agentic Accelerator is 10 sessions plus Funding Day. Every founder in the cohort attends the same sessions; the work between them is set by your Playbook.

Between cohorts

Rio de Janeiro is between cohorts

The sessions below are the sequence every cohort runs. Dates go up as soon as the next cohort is scheduled.

See chapters enrolling now
1 Session 1

Orientation

This is where it all begins. During Orientation, we will review the Founder Institute program structure, curriculum, tools, and requirements in detail. In addition, you will identify mentors that can help you get the most out of the program, meet the other founders in your cohort, and learn more about their ideas and skillsets. Assignments for this session include creating a plan to complete the program, watching recommended Founder Institute training videos, and more.

Sprints

Every Founder follows the Agentic Track, an AI-personalized curriculum that adapts each sprint to be more advanced or more basic based on your stage, with AI agents to help complete the work.

The below deliverables are in addition to any custom "Epic Sprints" you may receive based on your specific challenges, and are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Office Hours - Book your first Office Hours with Local Leaders and Mentors to get guidance on the next steps for your business.
  2. Hotseat Pitch - Prepare a one sentence verbal pitch for the weekly "Founder Hotseat", where you present to Mentors during the Feedback Sessions.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
2 Session 2

Vision and Ideas

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Market Research - Utilize our market research template to collect accurate and available market information on the customer problems you are analyzing.
  2. Personas - Build an initial Buyer Persona to better understand your target customer's needs, challenges, and buying process.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
3 Session 3

Research and Customer Development

Large and fast growing markets have the power to elevate mediocre companies into greatness, and conversely, dying markets can doom otherwise solid companies. In this session, you’ll learn how to systematically research your market and gain a deep understanding of your target customer. Assignments include competitive research, defining your key business assumptions, interviewing additional potential customers, and more.

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Customer Interviews - Develop a longer series of customer interview questions based on your initial interviews and key assumptions, with at least ten open-ended customer interview questions for each customer problem.
  2. Revenue Modeling - For each remaining customer problem, develop or improve a professional landing page targeted to your initial customer archetype, and quickly build up a mailing list to receive customer feedback.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
4 Session 4

Revenue Models

Strong unit economics are essential for a strong business. This week, you will learn the components and key metrics of different revenue models from experienced CFOs and Founders. Then, you will build a number of financial models for your ideas, speak to potential customers, select a single revenue model to pursue, and more. In addition, you will use all of the research performed to date to select your final startup idea to build in the program.

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Revenue Models - Narrow down that problem to three potential revenue models, and thoroughly analyze the positives and negatives of each model.
  2. Professional Pitch Deck - Use our templates to develop a professional three minute long pitch deck, based on the feedback, concepts and flow that have resonated from your Hotseat pitches.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
5 Session 5

Naming and Positioning

Your naming and positioning are the starting point for all of your company’s marketing. In this session, you will learn the components of great company names, and how to position your product effectively in the eyes of the consumer. By the end of the week, you will brainstorm and analyze a variety of names, and then select a final name after performing more customer research. In addition, you will build your first pitch deck, and begin interviewing law firms for your company.

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
6 Session 6

Mentor Idea Review

Sprints

After the Mentor Idea Review, Founders receive a larger number of custom "Epic Sprints" with deliverables based on their specific challenges. Below are high-level previews of standard deliverables.

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Advisor Candidates - You will create (or fill out) an Advisory Board in the next 5 weeks, so develop a target list of new advisor candidates based off your identified needs and gaps in knowledge/ connections.
  2. Advisor Outreach - Leverage the FI network to get introductions to your targets where necessary, and follow our templated process to make progress on your advisory board.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
7 Session 7

Startup Legal and IP

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Law Firm Engagement - If you don't already have a law firm, meet with your law firm candidates and sign an "engagement letter" with your chosen firm.
  2. Corporate Formation Agreements - If you don't already have a suitable corporation, secure all of your corporate formation agreements which govern how the business conducts itself.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
8 Session 8

Team and Advisors

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Hiring Process - Develop a hiring and onboarding process using our guidelines to add team members into your organization, and begin executing on the process.
  2. Test Projects - Develop at least one test project for each of your top two or three roles, which should create opportunities for credible candidates to demonstrate their skills.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
9 Session 9

Product Development

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Intellectual Property - If you have not already, secure and protect the intellectual property for all of the work done to date. Examine the need for patents, if applicable, following our guidelines.
  2. Team Analysis - Define and get extensive feedback on the requisite technical skills, soft skills, expertise, and networks will be needed in your core team.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
10 Session 10

Mentor Progress Review

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Polished Investor Pitch Deck - Create an expanded, 12-slide pitch deck incorporating any feedback from the Investor Progress Review, using our templates.
  2. Growth - Make progress on your growth goals, and examine or adjust how your strategy and the system to keep yourself accountable is performing.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
11 Session 11

Sales and Traction

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Alternatives - Identify two alternative models (markets or "pivots") for your go-to-market solution to discover the most lucrative market opportunity. Interview at least 2 customers for each alternative.
  2. Advisor Follow-Up - In the next Step you will finalize advisors, so begin finalization meetings with your top candidates, and set up test Advisor Test Projects where necessary following our templates.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
12 Session 12

Branding and Marketing

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. Sales - Pursue aggressive goals to close new revenue or users, which may be signups, payments, a signed contract, a pre-payment or a signed letter of intent.
  2. Pivot - Consider a pivot if you are not meeting your growth goals, sales, product or hiring progress targets. If you decide to Pivot, schedule a call with one of your Local Leaders to discuss your proposed pivot in the business and do the same with your advisors.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
13 Session 13

Bootstrapping and Fundraising

Sprints

Below are just high-level previews of the 10-15 deliverables you'll complete through Working Groups and Office Hours:

Deliverables

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
14 Session 14

Graduation

Most people that enter the program do not make it to Graduation, because the Founder Institute curriculum is very demanding. However, the select few that Graduate have achieved several years of progress on their startup in just a few months. We typically celebrate the Graduating class with a small event attended by family members, mentors, investors, and more. Afterwards, Graduates gain access to the Founder Institute network, tools, and ongoing resources… and the real work of building and growing an enduring company begins!

The Agentic Track

Customized to your startup's needs, more advanced or more basic, with AI agents to help you complete the work.

The sprint types, with the session each one starts and ends in.
Sprint Starts Ends
Pitching Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Customer Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Leadership Development Session 1, Orientation Continues after the program
Sales & Customer Acquisition Session 3, Research and Customer Development Continues after the program
Product Development Session 4, Revenue Models Continues after the program
Revenue Modeling Session 4, Revenue Models Session 8, Product Development
Legal & IP Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 10, Sales and Traction
Branding & Design Session 5, Mentor Idea Review Session 11, Branding and Marketing
Financial Planning Session 7, Team and Advisors Session 13, Graduation
Team & Advisors Session 7, Team and Advisors Continues after the program
Fundraising Prep Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Post-Program Onboarding Session 11, Branding and Marketing Continues after the program
Next

After Funding Day

Graduating is where the real work starts, and FI stays in your corner for it.

Every graduate joins a global alumni community with ongoing support, tools, and access to investors for years after the program ends.

What happens after I graduate?

What Graduates Get
What Graduates Get

  • Access to Funding Days to pitch to active investors

  • Exclusive support from the FI Grad team

  • Continued access to AI tools and agents for one year

  • Access to Cap and other tools for five years

  • Discounts to major annual events like FounderX

  • Limited free access to ongoing Founder Bootcamps

Learn more about our Graduates

Your Playbook

How your Playbook fits this schedule

The schedule is the spine every founder shares: 10 sessions and Funding Day. Your Playbook is the flesh on it. Two founders in the same cohort attend the same sessions and work on different deliverables between them.

See how your Playbook is built

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