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
Founders & Funders Happy Hour!
## Need a Mental Break? You're not alone!!
Weary founders take the load off. We know you've been hustling.
Join us for some good food, libations & cool people
🥳🎉 Folks have been inquiring as to when our next gathering will be.
✨✨It'll be a fun time to kick back and chill.
🔨---Building a start-up is hard & the roller coaster is real. By nature it's isolating especially in the early stages.
💪---Hangout with folks in the trenches with you! Struggling with similar things & trying to achieve similar goals.
Some hustlers just gotta hustle.
💰---Meet the investors, Mentors & SF/OAK Team (Jeni & Lucas). Ask questions & get to know the people that help entrepreneurs get to traction and funding.
👊---Meet FI Grads who've been in your shoes & what helped them.
💥Don't miss this event especially if you'd like to learn more or are interested in SF/OAK's Fall program!
If you're not, no worries! Come and take break with us!
Did you know that 92% of early-stage startups FAIL?
That. Is. Stupid. 😠
Want a better shot at being in the 8%?
In startup post mortems, many wish they had more guidance. “Focus and lack of direction are the biggest challenges to startups”. Speed and timing are crucial, mis-steps are costly. FI SF/OAK is hyper focused on helping founders level up. 🚀
💥Interested in the SF/OAK program? Meet the SF Directors! Jeni & Lucas - Come say hi! =)
💥Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 30 ➡️https://fi.co/san-francisco
Hosted by Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland & Founders Bay
AI rewrote the rules of startup building and the playbook has changed. Tech & skills are no longer the bottleneck: speed & direction are.
Founder Institute merges structured learning and execution + AI agents that build alongside you.
- The Method: Business bootcamp structure + weekly pitch feedback + founder working groups.
- The Network: 1:1 mentor sessions, Funding Lab, legal aid, and global event access.
- The Result: [total_graduates]+ founders across [total_countries] countries backed by $[total_funding]+ raised.
Founders Bay is a 200,000+ member community of founders, executives, investors and operators — weekly curated events, expert workshops and mentorship. Proudly woman-owned and operated by Mariane Bekker.
Upcoming events
5
Founders & Funders Happy Hour!
Southern Pacific Brewing, 620 Treat Ave, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA, San Francisco, CA, US## Need a Mental Break? You're not alone!!
Weary founders take the load off. We know you've been hustling.
Join us for some good food, libations & cool people🥳🎉 Folks have been inquiring as to when our next gathering will be.
✨✨It'll be a fun time to kick back and chill.
🔨---Building a start-up is hard & the roller coaster is real. By nature it's isolating especially in the early stages.
💪---Hangout with folks in the trenches with you! Struggling with similar things & trying to achieve similar goals.
Some hustlers just gotta hustle.
💰---Meet the investors, Mentors & SF/OAK Team (Jeni & Lucas). Ask questions & get to know the people that help entrepreneurs get to traction and funding.
👊---Meet FI Grads who've been in your shoes & what helped them.
💥Don't miss this event especially if you'd like to learn more or are interested in SF/OAK's Fall program!
If you're not, no worries! Come and take break with us!Did you know that 92% of early-stage startups FAIL?
That. Is. Stupid. 😠
Want a better shot at being in the 8%?
In startup post mortems, many wish they had more guidance. “Focus and lack of direction are the biggest challenges to startups”. Speed and timing are crucial, mis-steps are costly. FI SF/OAK is hyper focused on helping founders level up. 🚀💥Interested in the SF/OAK program? Meet the SF Directors! Jeni & Lucas - Come say hi! =)
💥Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 30 ➡️https://fi.co/san-franciscoHosted by Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland & Founders Bay
AI rewrote the rules of startup building and the playbook has changed. Tech & skills are no longer the bottleneck: speed & direction are.
Founder Institute merges structured learning and execution + AI agents that build alongside you.- The Method: Business bootcamp structure + weekly pitch feedback + founder working groups.
- The Network: 1:1 mentor sessions, Funding Lab, legal aid, and global event access.
- The Result: [total_graduates]+ founders across [total_countries] countries backed by $[total_funding]+ raised.
Founders Bay is a 200,000+ member community of founders, executives, investors and operators — weekly curated events, expert workshops and mentorship. Proudly woman-owned and operated by Mariane Bekker.
1 attendee
Q&A: Founder Institute - Ask us anything! (Thu 10/29)
·OnlineOnlineThere's no shortage of startup advice out there. But how much of it actually helps? No fluff, no generic advice. Just candid conversations, real-world insights and answers to the questions founders actually want to ask.
## 🚀 Startup Reality Check
We'll talk about:
- Avoiding the mistakes that kill most startups
- What an accelerator provides that you can't do on your own?
- How do you go from an idea to a real, scalable business?
- Or How do you go from MVP to traction and customers?
- When to pivot vs. push forward
- What the Founder Institute program is actually like under the hood?
- Accelerators aren't for everyone, is it right for you?
## 🔥 Investor Hot Seat (time permitting):
Got burning fundraising questions? Nothing's off the table. Bring yours, or let's tackle some of these:
- Why do investors back some founders and pass on others?
- What makes an unproven founder worth backing and a startup stand out among hundreds of pitches?
- What are the biggest mistakes founders make when fundraising?
- Is VC funding even the right path for your startup?
- How is AI changing what investors are willing to fund
- What makes an AI startup defensible in an increasingly crowded market?
***
Hi there.
## Did you know that 92% of early-stage startups FAIL?That. Is. Stupid. 😠
When I was a founder, I saw this and it blew my mind.
8 years later this stat has barely moved. WTF. 😡❓**How is that even possible??**❓
In this day and age with every resource at our fingertips. Founders today don’t lack information. They’re drowning in it. Every day, they’re hit with new trends, conflicting advice, and shiny objects that pull them off course.Reviewing hundreds of startup post mortems... it's crazy to me that a huge amount of all the contributing failure factors were avoidable things.
Not. Awesome.
I was also surprised to learn that even though so many founders were surrounded by people... many still wished they had more guidance.
🚨**“Focus and lack of direction are the biggest challenges to startups”. Speed and timing are crucial and mis-steps are costly.**
With all the noise… Especially in an AI world. It's tough to choose (or what not to choose) which actions will actually boost your startup.
🚀We're hyper focused on helping founders level up & get a better shot at being in the 8%.
We're looking forward to meeting you!:
Jeni & Lucas***
Hosted by:
Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland/Vegas & Portland
AI rewrote the rules of startup building and the playbook has changed. Tech & skills are no longer the bottleneck: speed & direction are.
Founder Institute merges structured learning and execution + AI agents that build alongside you.- The Method: Business bootcamp structure + weekly pitch feedback + founder working groups.
- The Network: 1:1 mentor sessions, Funding Lab, legal aid, and global event access.
- The Result: 9,000+ founders across 100 countries backed by $2BN+ raised
We give early-stage founders the tools, network, and momentum to go from zero to funding.
Learn More: https://fi.co & https://fi.co/aifounder
Interested in our program? Meet the Team: Jeni & Lucas
➡️ Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 30th https://fi.co/san-francisco1 attendee
Q&A: Founder Institute - Ask us anything! (Fri 10/30)
·OnlineOnlineThere's no shortage of startup advice out there. But how much of it actually helps? No fluff, no generic advice. Just candid conversations, real-world insights and answers to the questions founders actually want to ask.
## 🚀 Startup Reality Check
We'll talk about:
- Avoiding the mistakes that kill most startups
- What an accelerator provides that you can't do on your own?
- How do you go from an idea to a real, scalable business?
- Or How do you go from MVP to traction and customers?
- When to pivot vs. push forward
- What the Founder Institute program is actually like under the hood?
- Accelerators aren't for everyone, is it right for you?
## 🔥 Investor Hot Seat (time permitting):
Got burning fundraising questions? Nothing's off the table. Bring yours, or let's tackle some of these:
- Why do investors back some founders and pass on others?
- What makes an unproven founder worth backing and a startup stand out among hundreds of pitches?
- What are the biggest mistakes founders make when fundraising?
- Is VC funding even the right path for your startup?
- How is AI changing what investors are willing to fund
- What makes an AI startup defensible in an increasingly crowded market?
***
Hi there.
## Did you know that 92% of early-stage startups FAIL?That. Is. Stupid. 😠
When I was a founder, I saw this and it blew my mind.
8 years later this stat has barely moved. WTF. 😡❓**How is that even possible??**❓
In this day and age with every resource at our fingertips. Founders today don’t lack information. They’re drowning in it. Every day, they’re hit with new trends, conflicting advice, and shiny objects that pull them off course.Reviewing hundreds of startup post mortems... it's crazy to me that a huge amount of all the contributing failure factors were avoidable things.
Not. Awesome.
I was also surprised to learn that even though so many founders were surrounded by people... many still wished they had more guidance.
🚨**“Focus and lack of direction are the biggest challenges to startups”. Speed and timing are crucial and mis-steps are costly.**
With all the noise… Especially in an AI world. It's tough to choose (or what not to choose) which actions will actually boost your startup.
🚀We're hyper focused on helping founders level up & get a better shot at being in the 8%.
We're looking forward to meeting you!:
Jeni & Lucas***
Hosted by:
Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland/Vegas & Portland
AI rewrote the rules of startup building and the playbook has changed. Tech & skills are no longer the bottleneck: speed & direction are.
Founder Institute merges structured learning and execution + AI agents that build alongside you.- The Method: Business bootcamp structure + weekly pitch feedback + founder working groups.
- The Network: 1:1 mentor sessions, Funding Lab, legal aid, and global event access.
- The Result: 9,000+ founders across 100 countries backed by $2BN+ raised
We give early-stage founders the tools, network, and momentum to go from zero to funding.
Learn More: https://fi.co & https://fi.co/aifounder
Interested in our program? Meet the Team: Jeni & Lucas
➡️ Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 30th https://fi.co/san-francisco1 attendee
From Founder to Funded: Interactive Q&A with Brian Bell
·OnlineOnlineNo filters. No pitch decks. Just real talk about fundraising. Join us for a candid, live Q&A where you can ask a top startup investor anything about raising capital. What do investors look for, especially in AI startups? What kills a deal? How do you get a meeting? Get the answers you've always wanted in a friendly, open environment, and walk away with the knowledge and connections to take your fundraising to the next level.
❯ Guest Speakers include:
- Brian Bell (Founder and Managing Partner, Team Ignite Ventures)
- Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder & CIO, Founder Institute, GP Founder Capital)
❯❯ RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/405860/meetup to get your link and join us live!
❯ What You’ll Learn:
- What investors look for when evaluating early-stage startups
- How investors are evaluating AI startups right now
- The signals that make founders stand out to investors
- Different sources of startup funding and when to pursue them
- How to prepare your startup before approaching investors
- Common mistakes that cause founders to lose investor interest
❯ Who Should Attend:
- Idea-stage founders exploring future fundraising
- Startup teams preparing for their first funding round
- Founders building AI-powered startups who want to know what investors expect
- Professionals considering starting a venture-backed startup
- Entrepreneurs curious about how investors make decisions
.
❯❯ Don’t miss this live, interactive online event packed with valuable insights! RSVP now at https://fi.co/e/405860/meetup to get your link and join us live!
4 attendees
Past events
534
