What we’re about
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 (4+)
See all- Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Make the Transition to Startup FounderLink visible for attendees
Do you want to start your own technology company, but don't know where to begin? You are not alone. Every day millions of people go to jobs they don't enjoy, but few do something about it. At the "Employee to Entrepreneur" event, you can hear the stories, tips, and best practices of those who left their jobs to pursue their own startup company. Listen to the experiences of people just like you who have made the transition, and discuss any questions or concerns that you have. Afterward, attendees will have an opportunity to network with other aspiring entrepreneurs and share their ideas for feedback.
❯ Who Should Attend?
- Anyone who dreams of launching their own company.
- Anyone with an idea for a new business either launched inside their employer or independently.
- Anyone curious about being an entrepreneur someday.
❯ What Are Some of the Topics?
- What is the difference between being an employee versus being a founder.
- What to consider before becoming an entrepreneur.
- How do you know when the time is right to quit.
- What are the first steps in the entrepreneurial journey.
❯ Featured Grads:
- James Blewett - Founder at Koloso - A passionate advocate for economic development, he has spent over 30 years working in post-conflict regions, promoting growth through privatization deals and market development across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Now an impact investor and entrepreneur, he co-founded Koloso, an edtech company in Zambia focused on assessment for learning. Driven by a commitment to social impact, excellence, and creative freedom, he finds this new chapter both challenging and rewarding as Koloso continues to grow and achieve early success.
- Telma Le Guen - Founder & CEO at TheWorkforce - An expert in compensation and benefits turned entrepreneur. She has over a decade of experience crafting total rewards strategies for organizations across more than 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East. She specializes in compensation strategy, employee value proposition, workplace well-being, and employee benefits, with a focus on developing fair and sustainable solutions. As an entrepreneur, she founded TheWorkrate, an enterprise SaaS platform that simplifies salary benchmarking for companies operating in Africa.
❯❯ This live, interactive online event promises valuable insights. Ensure your participation by RSVPing at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/17535 to receive the Zoom URL.
- Startup Pitch Practice: Share Your Idea and Get Expert FeedbackLink visible for attendees
To launch a great startup, it is critical to get feedback on your ideas from entrepreneurs who have been there and done that. On this live online event, we will gather several startup experts ready to provide feedback for aspiring entrepreneurs. The event will start by providing guidelines to create a compelling elevator pitch, and then attendees will have the opportunity to share your pitch with other entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors at virtual tables for instant feedback. Even if you don't want to share your pitch, you can still join to hear other startup ideas and witness how the experts review a pitch.
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How to give a concise, yet compelling, elevator pitch
- What investors are looking for in a startup pitch
- Specific advice and feedback on your pitch and startup ideas
❯ To get the most out of this Pitch for Feedback event:
- Come ready for live video networking.
- Prepare by starting with your one-sentence pitch. See how it's done using our Madlibs format.
- Fill out our Elevator Pitch Worksheet.
❯❯ This live, interactive online event promises valuable insights. Ensure your participation by RSVPing at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/17497 to receive the Zoom URL.
- Startup Finance 101, with Grasshopper BankLink visible for attendees
Understanding financial management is crucial for any entrepreneur aiming to build a successful startup. At this live online event, aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage founders will learn key financial principles, such as budgeting, fundraising strategies, cash flow management, and understanding financial statements. Hosted by the Founder Institute and Grasshopper Bank, attendees will gain practical insights from finance experts and successful founders. If you're looking to launch or refine your startup, don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your financial acumen and network with industry professionals. Register now!
❯ What You'll Learn:
- Master essential startup finance concepts like budgeting, cash flow, and fundraising.
- Understand and analyze financial statements to make informed business decisions.
- Get practical insights on how to manage your startup's finances.
❯ Featured Speaker:
- Robert Burnett - Director of Startup Banking at Grasshopper Bank - As a former Founder and CEO, Rob had over a decade of experience in the fintech, finance, and startup world. Before joining Grasshopper, Rob was the CEO of Netcapital Funding Portal, a funding platform that helped hundreds of companies raise capital. He also has previous experience in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and legal services, working with Techstars, Mercury Fund, Invest Detroit, Michigan Entrepreneurship Clinic, Gavi, and Nepali Tea Traders. He is passionate about supporting innovation, creating opportunities, and solving problems in the private markets.
❯ About Grasshopper:
With total assets of approximately $835 million, Grasshopper Bank is a client-first digital bank serving the business and innovation economy. Grasshopper Bank replaces the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to banking with a suite of products and services tailored to specific industries and a passionate team of experts with deep expertise in their fields. Grasshopper Bank’s banking solutions cover small businesses, startups, venture capital and private equity firms, fintech-focused Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and commercial API banking platforms, SBA lending, and commercial real estate lending. Headquartered in New York, New York, the bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and is an Equal Housing/Equal Opportunity Lender.For more information, visit Grasshopper Bank’s website at www.grasshopper.bank or follow Grasshopper Bank on LinkedIn or X.
❯ Interested in learning more about startup banking solutions? Check out Grasshopper Bank’s offerings here for tailored financial services designed for startups.
❯❯ This live, interactive online event promises valuable insights. Ensure your participation by RSVPing at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/18223 to receive the Zoom URL.
- How to Adopt an Entrepreneurial MindsetLink visible for attendees
As the speed of innovation increases across the global business landscape, it has never been more important for businesses to utilize a "startup approach" to product development and growth. On this live online event you will learn how to embrace the entrepreneur's mindest from Jonathan Greechan, Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute - a Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator that has helped thousands of first-time founders shift their mindset and launch new ventures. Join us to learn strategies that anyone can use to be more entrepreneurial in their day-to-day work.
❯ What You'll Learn:
- How to adopt a startup mindset to drive innovation and growth within a corporate environment.
- Practical strategies for integrating entrepreneurial thinking into your daily work processes.
- Key traits of successful entrepreneurs that can enhance creativity, agility, and problem-solving in any business setting.
❯ 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 6800 portfolio companies with an estimated value of $35BN. 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.
❯❯ This live, interactive online event promises valuable insights. Ensure your participation by RSVPing at https://fi.co/startupwebinar/18114 to receive the Zoom URL.
