SHORT NOTICE: Build Faster, Fund Smarter. With Adeo Ressi. Founder of FI

A lunchtime conversation with the man who built the world's largest startup accelerator

What separates the founders who break through from those who don't? In 2026, the answer increasingly comes down to one thing: how you wield AI. The rules of company-building are being rewritten — faster than most founders realize. AI isn't just a productivity tool anymore. It's compressing the timeline from idea to product, from product to funding, from funding to scale. The founders who understand this shift aren't working harder. They're working smarter, faster, and with leverage that simply didn't exist before. There are few people better positioned to unpack what this means for founders than Adeo Ressi. He's spent over 15 years obsessing over one question: what does it actually take to build a successful startup

What You'll Learn

• The AI-native founder playbook — How top founders are using AI as a co-founder
• From zero to funded, faster
• The rewired venture ecosystem — How AI is changing what investors look for and how capital is being deployed
• Live Q&A — An open, candid conversation. Bring your hardest questions!

Additional Resources
Find more Startup Events, learn about Finding a Co-Founder, or visit our Insights Blog for more startup tips

About Founder Institute
The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 8,900 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide