Worldwide business startup accelerator takes on The Midlands
The Founder Institute (FI.co), the world’s largest pre-seed accelerator, announced today that it is officially launching its newest chapter for the Midlands. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200 cities, the Founder Institute provides high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the devoted support network and structured growth process needed to get to traction and funding. Any aspiring entrepreneur or team interested in building an enduring technology company across the Midlands is invited to apply to The Birmingham & the Midlands Virtual 2021 Founder Institute at http://fi.co/apply/birmingham.
In an effort to ensure the health and safety of the programme’s mentors, partners, and participants, this Founder Institute cohort will be held completely online, allowing anyone to build a business alongside some of the Midlands’s top entrepreneurs and investors from the comfort of home. The Birmingham & the Midlands Virtual 2021 Founder Institute will also host a series of free online startup events, where attendees can learn how to build a company and learn more about the programme. See the full list of events at http://fi.co/events/birmingham.
Leading the efforts to launch the Founder Institute across the Midlands are local startup leaders: Assim Ishaque, Sally Dhillon, Drew Currie and Steve Hooper
In addition, many of the region’s top startup investors, founders, and executives have expressed interest in mentoring entrepreneurs in the programme:
- Eric Collins: As seen recently on Channel 4’s The Money Maker, CEO Impactx – biggest investor of underrepresented groups
- Maxine Laceby: founder & CEO Absolute Collagen
- Roger Wood: director, Midven incorporating the Midlands Engine Investment Fund
- Randa Bennet: CEO, vHelp.co.uk
- Cas Majid: CEO, Wow Group of Companies, executive director, Birmingham Tech Week and former president, Asian Business Chamber of Commerce
- Deepak Jayaprakash: chief financial officer, Moteefe & ex-Expedia
- Emilie Normann: head of research, Analysis and Higher Education, Foundation for Entrepreneurship and the Technology Pact
- Joel Blake OBE: president Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce
- Melissa Snover: CEO & founder, Nourish3d
- Kali Bagary: chairman, TechFINIUM Limited
- Kari Lawler: Barclays Entrepreneur Awards Midlands Icon of the Year, founder of Youth4AI & UK Space Agency SatelLife Winner
- Naomi Nash: Tech Nation & diversity in tech campaigner
- Viola Jardon: lead, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Accelerator
- Navdeep Bains: Silicon Valley-based financial consultant, ex-Hewlett- Packard & now Pure Storage
- Nick Gostick: director, Smart Innovation Hub, Keele University
- Steff Wright: chairman, Gusto Group
- Richard Bohan: founder of Blockchain Capital & CEO & co-founder Crypto Capital Investments
- Safraz Ali: managing director, Pathway Group Limited
- Pam Sheemar: director, Birmingham Tech & Global co-chair Multicultural Network NatWest
- Mike Feerick: CEO, Alison Online Training & social philanthropist
- Steve Hobbs: director, Ask Better Questions
The Founder Institute Birmingham & the Midlands Virtual 2021 pre-seed accelerator program begins on September 28th, 2021, and aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs looking to build solutions for the future will have the opportunity to:
- Get constant feedback and regular office hours with 50+ Birmingham Mentors, investors, and entrepreneurs.
- Make quick progress on their business using a proven, structured process to get to traction and funding that has helped alumni build great products and raise over $1bn in funding.
- Get fast-tracked to a suite of post-programmes, including Funding Lab, to continue getting expert support for years to come.
- Expand their support network to include startup founders, CEOs, and investors from the Founder Institute’s global network of 5,000+ alumni and 20,000+ mentors across 200+ cities
Anybody who is interested can apply to The Birmingham & the Midlands Virtual 2021 Founder Institute at http://fi.co/apply/birmingham, and those that apply by the Early Application Deadline (August 1st, 2021) are eligible for reduced pricing.
