About us
Startup Founder 101 brings together aspiring and experienced tech entrepreneurs to discuss, meet, and collaborate to build great new startups, and to push the local startup ecosystem forward.\
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This group hosts numerous free events throughout the year where you can learn the best practices of starting a company from people who have been there and done that. You’ll have the opportunity to meet local founders and investors, exchange ideas with experts, get feedback on your idea, participate in startup workshops, and more.\
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Typical startup event topics include:\
• Coming up with a strong startup idea\
• Startup legal basics\
• How to pitch your startup\
• Starting a company without quitting your day job\
• How to raise funding for your startup\
• And much more!\
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Join the group to be invited to our next event!
Featured event
FounderX Silicon Valley: VIP Gathering of Global Founders/ Investors
FounderX is a highly-curated, intimate conference will gather ~300 investors, founders, technology executives, and startup ecosystem leaders from across the globe for three days of networking events, group workshops, and engaging talks from top Keynote Speakers.
Previous speakers for FI events include Elon Musk, Steve Jurvetson, Yamini Rangan, Naval Ravikant, Esther Dyson, Jason Calacanis, Ben Horowitz, and many more.
❯❯ Meetup members must RSVP at https://luma.com/659pksxq?coupon=WE2SPJ to attend, the early bird price is available until May 31st.
TO REGISTER, YOU MUST RSVP AND PAY AT THE LINK ABOVE. RSVPING TO THIS MEETUP DOES NOT GRANT YOU ACCESS TO THIS EVENT.
See all the latest event details at http://FounderX.com (exact details and speakers will not be updated on this Meetup page).
Please note: this event is mainly for Founder Institute investors, alumni, mentors, and leaders - so Meetup availability will expire.
The goal of FounderX is to facilitate meaningful connections and learning across the FI and Decile Group Networks, which span 40,000+ innovators across 100+ countries and 6 continents.
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❯ See all the latest event details at http://FounderX.com (exact details and speakers will not be updated on this Meetup page).
❯ Meetup members must RSVP at https://luma.com/659pksxq?coupon=WE2SPJ to attend, the early bird price is available until May 31st.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: To register, you MUST RSVP and pay at the link above.
❌ RSVPing to this Meetup does NOT grant you access to this event.
Upcoming events
4
How to Build Without a Team Using AI with Jonathan Greechan
·OnlineOnlineSavvy entrepreneurs are using AI to augment their capabilities and move faster than ever before, with less resources. On this webinar with Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder & CEO of Founder Institute, GP at Founder Capital), we'll share the prompts and processes solo-founders are using to supercharge processes like customer development, market research, product scoping, and more. Don't miss this opportunity to level up your toolkit and connect with fellow builders.
❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/25831 to get your link and join us live!
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How to use AI to stress-test your startup idea and run faster customer development.
- Specific prompts and tool combinations for market research, competitive analysis, and prototyping.
- How to craft and practice your pitch using AI, including building a full pitch deck with Claude Skills.
❯ Featured Speaker:
- Jonathan Greechan - Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute - Jonathan Greechan is the Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator. Since 2009, he has grown and scaled the organization to chapters in over 200 and across over 100 countries, producing over 9,000 portfolio companies with nearly $2BN in venture funding. In his long career in tech and marketing, Jonathan has advised thousands of startups on marketing, growth, and product strategy and has spoken at startup conferences on four continents.
❯ Who Should Attend?
- Aspiring founders who want to start a business but lack technical skills
- Entrepreneurs exploring how AI can accelerate their startup journey
- Professionals considering launching a side project or solo startup
- Early-stage founders interested in AI-powered workflows
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/25831 to get your link and join us live!
4 attendees
How to Use AI to Test Your Startup Idea Fast
·OnlineOnlineThe gap between a good idea and a fundable startup isn't talent. It's knowing how to test what's real before you invest months into what isn't. AI has made that process faster and more accessible than ever, but only if you know which prompts and workflows actually work. In this session with Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute), you'll get the exact tools and processes founders are using to run customer research, validate demand, and scope products without burning time on the wrong assumptions. If you've been waiting for a smarter way to start, this is it.
❯ This Event Is Your On-Ramp:
This free session is the perfect introduction to the Midwest Startup Ideation Bootcamp, a 2-week intensive program built for tech professionals, career-shifters, and aspiring entrepreneurs who are ready to stop wondering and start building. Whether you're navigating a layoff, feeling the pull to build something of your own, or simply asking "where do I even start?", the bootcamp gives you the structure, tools, and expert feedback to find out if your idea is worth pursuing.
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How to use AI to stress-test a startup idea before writing a single line of code
- The prompts that replace weeks of customer and market research
- How to define your first product without a technical background or a co-founder
- The most costly AI mistakes aspiring founders make, and how to skip them entirely
- How to generate real market signals from your idea in days, not months
❯ Featured Host:
- Jonathan Greechan, Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute - Jonathan Greechan is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute, the world's largest AI-native company builder. Since 2009, he has grown the organization to chapters in over 200 cities across more than 100 countries, producing over 9,000 portfolio companies with nearly $2 billion in venture funding. Over his long career in tech and marketing, Jonathan has advised thousands of startups on growth, marketing, and product strategy, and has spoken at startup conferences on four continents.
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/402100/meetup to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
4 attendees
FI Midwest Spring 2026 Graduation: Meet the New Portfolio Companies
·OnlineOnlineMeet the newest startups joining the Founder Institute portfolio at the FI Midwest Spring 2026 Graduation. In this live online event, you'll watch selected founders pitch their companies, hear an inspiring keynote, and learn what it really takes to build a fundable startup. More than a celebration, this is a showcase of real execution and a chance to connect with founders, mentors, and investors shaping the next generation of startups.
❯ Graduation Keynote Address:
- Parminder Batra – CEO, TraknProtect - As the CEO of TraknProtect, Parminder leverages her legal and business background, along with her certification as a mediator, to create innovative real-time location solutions for the hospitality industry. She leads a team of passionate and talented professionals who share a common vision of enhancing safety and security for hotel staff and guests, as well as improving operational efficiency and productivity for hoteliers. TraknProtect is not only a software platform that combines location technology, business analytics, and reporting, but also a mission-driven company that aims to impact the safety culture in hotels and eradicate human trafficking.
❯ We Proudly Announce the Following Graduating Companies:
- Ladsker - Develops agentic AI for marketing departments to make their advertisements easier, cheaper, and faster end-to-end.
- Proxy - Proximity-based dating app designed to cut through the process of swipe-dating culture by sensing when a compatible match is nearby and safely provides the words to meet that moment head on, in real life.
- BlockPass - Blockchain-based ticketing platform that captures lost value from resale markets and routes it back to organizers and attendees through code-enforced rules.
- CFYO! - Mobile-first behavioral app that uses cognitive psychology and technology to help accounting firms eliminate unbillable hours by building improved financial habits for their business owner clients.
- GetConnected AI - AI-powered resume optimization tool that helps job candidates improve their interview chances by scoring their resumes against specific job descriptions and providing actionable improvement suggestions.
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://FI.co/e/401516 to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
3 attendeesFounderX Silicon Valley: VIP Gathering of Global Founders/ Investors
various locations, 319 Sally dr, 2118 Bayvale, San Francisco, CA, USFounderX is a highly-curated, intimate conference will gather ~300 investors, founders, technology executives, and startup ecosystem leaders from across the globe for three days of networking events, group workshops, and engaging talks from top Keynote Speakers.
Previous speakers for FI events include Elon Musk, Steve Jurvetson, Yamini Rangan, Naval Ravikant, Esther Dyson, Jason Calacanis, Ben Horowitz, and many more.
❯❯ Meetup members must RSVP at https://luma.com/659pksxq?coupon=WE2SPJ to attend, the early bird price is available until May 31st.
TO REGISTER, YOU MUST RSVP AND PAY AT THE LINK ABOVE. RSVPING TO THIS MEETUP DOES NOT GRANT YOU ACCESS TO THIS EVENT.
See all the latest event details at http://FounderX.com (exact details and speakers will not be updated on this Meetup page).
Please note: this event is mainly for Founder Institute investors, alumni, mentors, and leaders - so Meetup availability will expire.
The goal of FounderX is to facilitate meaningful connections and learning across the FI and Decile Group Networks, which span 40,000+ innovators across 100+ countries and 6 continents.
////
❯ See all the latest event details at http://FounderX.com (exact details and speakers will not be updated on this Meetup page).
❯ Meetup members must RSVP at https://luma.com/659pksxq?coupon=WE2SPJ to attend, the early bird price is available until May 31st.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: To register, you MUST RSVP and pay at the link above.
❌ RSVPing to this Meetup does NOT grant you access to this event.1 attendee
Past events
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