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.
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.
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!
Join the group to be invited to our next event!
Upcoming events
4
AI Startup Pitch Marathon: Pitch Training Bootcamp with Rikke Klitskov
·OnlineOnlinePitching your startup ideas effectively is a crucial skill that will help you acquire financing, customers, partners, and top talent. This intensive, collaborative workshop is designed to help you understand the key ingredients of a successful pitch. Then, you can apply that learning and get feedback on your startup pitch.
❯ Guest Speakers include:
- Rikke Klitskov (CoDirector, Founder Institute Berlin)
Learning comes before mastery - Learn pitching with Rikke Klitskov, a startup mentor & co-director of Founder Institute Germany, to prepare yourself for the upcoming pitch session with multiple mentors giving feedback.
It is not required, but to help you get the most out of this event, we’ve provided this Pitch Worksheet.❯ Who Should Attend the Pitch Bootcamp?
- Anyone who needs practice and expert advice on pitching
- Anyone who has an idea for a startup or an early-stage company
- Anyone that is interested in joining a new startup or looking for a co-founder
❯ What are some of the Topics?
- What are the components of a great startup pitch.
- How do you pitch complex concepts in a simple way.
- What are some mistakes to avoid when pitching.
- How do you know when you pitch is good enough.
- and more...
.
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/405113/meetup to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
13 attendees
How to Build a Strong Pipeline of Entrepreneurs for your Innovation Hub
·OnlineOnline📅 UPDATE: Rescheduled to September 28, same time.
Most innovation hubs and economic development programs underperform for the same structural reason: not enough promising applicants. The result? Empty incubators, freelancer-occupied co-working spaces, and funding going to a small number of un-promising companies. Drawing on lessons from 17 years running global incubators and accelerators, Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute) will walk through strategies that successful entrepreneurship programs use to generate large volumes of applicants and companies.
❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/25272 to get your link and join us live!
❯ What You'll Learn:
- Why most innovation hubs and economic development programs underperform and the structural fixes that programs in 200+ cities have actually figured out.
- How to build connected programming that takes a workforce of latent talent all the way to deal-ready ventures plugged into your local capital.
- How to identify entrepreneurial talent already sitting inside your local workforce and what to do once you've found it.
- How AI-native tools are compressing program timelines and measurably increasing founder velocity, without becoming a buzzword.
- Real-world examples from the field
❯ 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 100 countries, producing over 9,000 portfolio companies with nearly $2B 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?
- This session is designed for Innovation Hub Directors, Economic Development Officers, ESO leaders, Chambers of Commerce, Trade Associations, and City and County Leaders who want actionable strategies to create jobs, retain founders, attract investment, and take visible credit for regional growth.
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/25272 to get your link and join us live!
8 attendees
AI Impact Startups: Pitch your Idea to experts and investors
·OnlineOnline🚀 Do you run a startup, or a strong idea for an impact startup?
Could you use honest feedback on your startup ideas? On this live and interactive online event you can pitch your ideas to a panel of impact investors and experts for ratings and feedback. You will also learn by listening to other startup ideas and watch how experts analyze businesses.
💬 We will be selecting pitches live from the chat.
⏱️ You will pitch for 3 minutes, audio only!This is the second of 3 pitch nights in our spring pitch marathon, look at the calendar for the last one! Spectators are welcome!
❯ Guest Speakers include:
- Leehe Skuler (Co-Founder, GITA)
- Susan Graham (Co Founder, Dendra Systems)
- Andreas Rickert (CEO, PHINEO gAG)
- Kai Malkwitz (Impact Director, Founder Institute Berlin / Germany)
💡 Additional Information: To prepare, start with your one-sentence pitch. See how it's done using our Madlibs format. 3 minutes is a lot longer, but being clear on you core mission and customers greatly improves the chances to put forward a compelling 3 minute audio pitch
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How to give a concise, yet compelling, elevator pitch
- What investors are looking for in a startup pitch
- If selected, specific advice and feedback on your pitch and startup ideas
.
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/405263/meetup to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
6 attendees
From Dreamer to Doer: Build the Founder Mindset
·OnlineOnlineHave you ever wondered why some people take the leap while others stay stuck? The difference isn't luck, resources, or timing — it's the way founders think. Join Jonathan Greechan, Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute, for a fascinating deep-dive into the psychology behind entrepreneurial action. In this live session, you'll unpack the cognitive patterns that hold aspiring founders back and explore the mental frameworks that top entrepreneurs use to push through uncertainty. With practical exercises and a follow-up networking session, you'll leave with both insight and momentum.
❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/24087 to get your link and join us live!
❯ What You’ll Learn:
- How to move from hesitation to action and stop waiting for the "perfect time"
- The 4 core mental barriers that keep you stuck in the startup journey
- The key mindset shifts from “It’s not my fault” to “What can I do differently?”
- How to train your mind to embrace progress and overcome excuses with clarity and confidence
- Practical exercises to leave the event feeling empowered and ready to take the next step
❯ Featured Speaker:
- Jonathan Greechan - Co-Founder & CEO at Founder Institute: Since 2009, Jonathan has grown and scaled the world's largest pre-seed accelerator to chapters in over 200 cities and 100 countries, producing over 9,000 portfolio companies with an estimated value of $2BN. He also serves as an Advisor to Oxford Entrepreneurs (Oxford University), Horasis, and the USC Incubator (University of Southern California). Previously, Jonathan was a Partner of TheFunded.com, the first website for founders to rate and review venture capitalists, and an Executive Producer of the Founder Showcase. This leading Silicon Valley startup conference hosted speakers like Elon Musk. Jonathan’s writing has been featured in Fortune, TechCrunch, and Entrepreneur Magazine, and he has spoken at startup conferences on four continents.
❯ Who Should Attend:
- Aspiring founders with an idea but who haven’t started building yet
- Entrepreneurs looking to break through mental blocks and move forward with their ideas
- Early-stage founders who feel stuck in analysis paralysis or waiting for the “right moment”
- Anyone eager to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and gain the confidence to move from idea to execution
.
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/24087 to get your link and join us live!
6 attendees
Past events
497
