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!
Upcoming events
6
How Aspiring Founders can Use AI to Test Ideas & Move Faster
·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, world's largest AI-Native company builder), we'll share the prompts and processes the Founder Institute uses to supercharge processes like customer development, market research, product scoping, and more. If you are interested in learning how AI tools can help you be more innovative in your day-to-day work, then you won't want to miss this event.
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How to validate a startup idea using AI before building anything
- Simple prompts to run customer and market research faster
- How to scope a product without writing code
- The biggest mistakes aspiring founders make when using AI
- How to turn ideas into real signals (not guesses)
❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/24246 to get your link and join us live!
❯ 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 cities and over 100 countries, producing over 8,900 portfolio companies with over 2BN in 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:
- Experienced professionals ready to become founders
- First-time solo founders who want structure
- Professionals exploring entrepreneurship without a technical co-founder
- AI-curious professionals who want to build, not just learn
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❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/24246 to get your link and join us live!1 attendee
What Startup Ecosystems Get Wrong, and How to Fix Them
·OnlineOnlineMost governments are getting startups wrong, and this is the conversation they've been avoiding. If your city is celebrating trivial startup events while founders quietly leave... if your programs optimize for attendance instead of outcomes... if capital keeps flowing but nothing compounds - then you're not building a sustainable ecosystem. On this live event, "Startup Economist" Paul O'Brien will provide a sharp, unapologetic deep dive into his new book, 'Startup Ecosystems' - already being called "the long-overdue operating manual for fixing how cities approach entrepreneurship".
❯ What You’ll Walk Away With
A completely different lens on how startup economies actually work (and why most don’t):- Why treating startups like small businesses quietly destroys both
- Why capital follows value (and what founders keep getting wrong about fundraising)
- Why copying Silicon Valley guarantees failure
- Why job creation targets kill early-stage innovation
- Why talent doesn’t follow programs — it follows optionality
- What metrics actually matter (and why most cities avoid them)
❯ Featured Speaker:
- Paul O'Brien - Author of the book Startup Ecosystems: Paul is the Founder of MediaTech Ventures, former Director of Founder Institute Texas, Writer at The Startup Economist, and has spent his career at the intersection of startups, venture capital, and public policy. As a founder, investor, accelerator leader, and policy strategist, he has built ecosystems from the inside and developed a rare, firsthand understanding of why most of them fail. His work spans legislative strategy, coalition building, and founder support across public, private, and civic sectors. Startup Ecosystems is the culmination of everything he has learned.
The Startup Ecosystems Book is an architectural examination of why startup ecosystems fail structurally, why capital behaves exactly as it is designed to, and why most regions are measuring the wrong things entirely. The patterns he documents don't point to bad intentions. They point to misaligned incentives, flawed design, and a stubborn unwillingness to distinguish innovation theater from actual value creation.
❯ Who Should Be There
If you have any role in shaping entrepreneurship, this isn’t optional:- Founders tired of performative ecosystems
- Investors trying to understand why regions stall
- Policymakers and economic developers funding the wrong things
- Accelerator and program leaders ready to be challenged
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/24281 to get your link and join us live!
1 attendee
Founder Institute Miami: AMA with Alumni, Mentors & Directors
Loft 10 - Mana Tech, 21 SE 1st Ave, #10, Miami, FL, USJoin us for an in-person Founder AMA + Mentor event where you can meet Founder Institute (FI) alumni, mentors, and directors. We'll start with a short, candid panel conversation then open it up into a live AMA and interactive discussion where you can ask anything about building, fundraising, and going through the FI program. FI alumni have collectively raised over $2B in funding and built companies across industries and stages - and this is your chance to hear from someone who went through the program directly. Then afterwards, join us for a networking session where you can connect with other entrepreneurs, mentors, and the directors of FI Miami.
### ❯ Guest Speakers include:
- Etienne Gillard (Head of Ventures, Mana Tech)
- Janet Todorova (Head of Expansion, Founder Institute)
- Grace Spindel (Director, Founder Institute Miami)
- Charles Masters Rodriguez (Co-Founder & CEO, Supply Veins)
- Ryan Martin (Director, Founder Institute Miami)
### ❯ Who should Attend?
- Early-stage founders interested in joining a startup accelerator
- Anyone who has an idea for a startup or a growing company
- Founders who have been accepted into FI Miami, already enrolled, or are still considering applying
- Anyone interested in meeting FI Miami mentors
### ❯ What is the Agenda?
- Open AMA Panel with Founder Institute Alumni, Directors, & Mentors
- Networking + mentor conversations
❯❯ This is an in-person event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/394118/meetup to secure your spot and receive further details.
1 attendee
From Idea to Startup Team: Meet Your Future Co-Founder
·OnlineOnlineStarting a company has never been more accessible. With AI, one person can validate ideas, build prototypes, and launch faster than ever before. But one thing hasn't changed: choosing the wrong co-founder can quickly derail a startup. In this Founder Institute event, you'll learn practical frameworks for evaluating co-founder fit and then meet other builders through structured networking and speed matching. Whether you're a professional exploring entrepreneurship, a solo founder with an idea, or a builder looking to join a startup, this session will help you connect with people who are serious about building.
❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/23950 to get your link and join us live!
❯ To get the most out of this Co-Founder networking event:
- Come ready for live video networking
- Prepare by visiting our Guide to Find a Co-Founder
- Fill out our Co-Founder Networking Worksheet
To access all of the networking features of this event, please join using Chrome or Firefox from a desktop or tablet, or download the Airmeet Mobile App.
❯ What You'll Learn:
- A practical framework for evaluating co-founder fit
- How to align expectations around roles, equity, and commitment
- Common mistakes founders make when forming partnerships
❯ Featured Host:
- Jonathan Greechan - CEO & Co-Founder of Founder Institute, General Partner at Founder Capital - Jonathan Greechan is the Co-Founder and 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 cities and 100 countries. The Founder Institute's mission is to activate entrepreneurial potential and empower communities across the globe to build ventures with positive economic and societal impact. He is also a General Partner at Founder Capital, the Founder Institute's Global VC Fund; and serves as an Economic Development and Innovation Advisor to several governments and organizations; like Oxford Entrepreneurs, Horasis, the USC Incubator, and a Fortune 500 company. Jonathan's writing has been featured on Fortune, TechCrunch, and Entrepreneur Magazine, and he has been a Keynote Speaker at business conferences on five continents.
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/23950 to get your link and join us live!
3 attendees
Past events
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