Program Schedule

This week, you'll get familiar with the program, set up your AI toolkit, prove your AI proficiency, and prepare to introduce yourself to the cohort.

What if you could build a $1B company without building a 40-person team? AI is changing how startups are built. The rise of "solo corns" — companies built by a single founder using AI — means founders can now build teams of AI agents that work 24/7 across sales, marketing, operations, research and more. In this hands-on workshop in Lisbon, we'll show early-stage founders how to build their own AI team, automate growth and ship faster than ever. Come with your startup. Leave with an AI-powered team. Learn how to build a team of AI agents that can start creating revenue and automating your growth. AI is changing the way startups are built. For the first time, founders can do things that were previously impossible: build “solo corns” — companies with the potential to become unicorns, built by a single founder. The founders who understand this new way of building will have a massive advantage. Instead of hiring a team of 40+ people to handle sales, marketing, operations, research, customer support and more, founders can now build teams of AI agents that work 24/7 and take on tasks that previously required entire teams of senior talent. Companies are already shipping products, launching GTM motions and experimenting faster than ever. In this session, we'll show early-stage founders how to do it themselves. You'll learn how to:

Building an MVP is only the beginning. Too many early-stage founders focus on what to build and how to code it, without thinking about the numbers that will ultimately determine whether the startup can grow into a venture-scale company. In this workshop, we’ll shift the focus from building features to building growth. You’ll learn which metrics actually matter after launching an MVP, how to think about Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Lifetime Value (LTV), retention, conversion, growth rate and revenue, and how these numbers tell the story of whether your startup has the potential to scale. We’ll also look at how VCs evaluate early-stage startups—and what founders should be measuring before they start fundraising, rather than trying to figure it out when they need the money. The goal isn't to teach you how to build an MVP. It's to teach you what needs to happen after you build it. You’ll learn:

This week, you'll explore the biggest possible idea to pursue, validate real customer problems, define your personal purpose, and draft your first pitches.

This week, you'll select one business to focus on, validate it deeply through customer development, and build an initial mockup of your product.

This week, you'll test pricing with real customers, build a revenue model that can scale, and map out the human and agent roles needed to run your business.

This week, you'll turn your mockup into a working prototype that customers can use, co-develop with a lead customer, and prepare for your first major review.

This is your first major milestone. You'll present your business and product to a panel of mentors who will rate you on idea viability, presentation skill, and research thoroughness.

This week, you'll incorporate your company, set up the legal foundation, protect your intellectual property, and start building your advisory board.

This week, you'll launch your go-to-market engine, get your product into the hands of paying customers, and set your victory conditions for the rest of the program.

This week, you'll push for 10% weekly growth, track both your business and AI performance metrics, and discuss growth strategies.

This week, you'll prepare for fundraising by organizing your materials, building your investor pipeline, and deciding on your funding strategy ahead of Demo Day.

This is your final milestone. You'll pitch a panel of angel investors and VCs with a five-minute pitch and a live demo for ratings, feedback, and potential investment.

The FI Agentic 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.