Turn your startup idea into a reality

Founder University is a 12-week pre-accelerator helping tech startups build, launch, and delight customers.
We invest $25k or $125k into the top graduates.

Cohort 10  — In Session
Cohort 11 — Summer 2025
Founder University - 12-Week Pre-Accelerator: MVP to $25k Investment | Product Hunt
OUR PARTNERS
Alumni from
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To date, we’ve invested $25k or $125k into 100+ companies from Founder University.

See what Founder University alumni have to say

During the program we went from one PT and one FT Co-Founder to 2 FT Co-Founders, launched our site, identified new teammates, found a niche market to test and so much more. It was a great way to stay accountable and meet so many driven fellow founders.

Allison Verville
HomeHQ
Cohort 5

The focus on customer conversations and traction are super useful! This program was the accountability partner I needed.

Santoash Rajaram
BeAssured
Cohort 5

I’ve learned a lot about startups from some amazing books, videos, and podcasts, but I still felt like I was missing how to best prioritize the wide variety of tasks every founder needs to do. Founder University provided me with clear, actionable and proven steps to launch and grow well.

Scott Bair
Timewell
Cohort 1

It's a great program, especially for foreign founders. I'm not from Silicon Valley or the US, so for me to be able to build a network in Silicon Valley with other founders was super valuable. I'd highly recommend it if you’re just starting out on your founder journey.

Liam Maher
Coffee Clozers
Cohort 5

The most valuable part for me was how actionable every live session was. After the call I had actual steps and processes to follow rather than each one saying the same things, like in many other startup workshops I've attended.

Rafaella Thorssen
Creator Studio AI
Cohort 6

Most valuable part was getting tactical advice to set up some of the key systems that are needed to grow a startup. Landing pages, search advertising, accounting/record keeping. I was able to immediately put these into practice.

Jared Rosen
HomeScore
Cohort 6

Where founders
worked previously

What's included?

12
Live Sessions
32
Lessons
25
Hours of async video
2k+
Founder Community
Unlimited Access

What you'll learn in the 12-weeks

Introduction For Marketing - Course X Webflow Template
1

Build an MVP or iterate on your product

2

Hone in your target customers and business model

3

Onboard early users and improve marketing and sales efforts

4

Sharpen your fundraising pitch

5

Participate in a passionate community of builders holding each other accountable & celebrating wins along the way

Overview of the 12-week format

Introduction For Marketing - Course X Webflow Template

Weekly Live Session (Monday)

Attendance Required

60 minutes (Monday)

Weekly presentations from industry experts

Review activities and learnings

Founder Q&A with the LAUNCH team  and speakers

Weekly Pod Sync (Thursday)

Attendance Required

60 minutes (Thursday)

Content deep dive with the LAUNCH team, special guests, & fellow founders

Ask questions, discuss challenges, practice pitches, and gather candid feedback

Asynchronous Learning

Expect 5-10 hours of videos + reading each week

Gain insight into every level of building a company with our step-by-step content pacing guide

Community

Collaborate with 300+ cohort members, sharing wins and exchanging expertise

In-person meetups and opportunities in Austin to personally

Knowledge sharing and live Q&A

Curriculum

What you'll learn each week

Week 1

Foundational Knowledge

Week 2

Being a Founder

Week 3

Building an MVP

Week 4

Business Model

Week 5

Customer Profiles

Week 6

Validation Research

Week 7

Metrics & TAM

Week 8

Iterating on MVP

Week 9

User Feedback

Week 10

Competitive Matrix

Week 11

Perfecting Pitch

Week 12

Accelerator Prep

Tuition: $500*

*The $500 will be returned to you if you attend all the required live sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Founder University cost?

$500, after you are selected.

If you attend all live sessions, we will return the $500!

We simply want to ensure founders have skin in the game and are motivated to finish.

What are the investment terms?

Our Founder University standard investments are $25k for 2.5% or $125K for 7%. We make investments  from the top 10% of companies per cohort.

Can I apply if I don't have an idea for a product?

Yes!

We will briefly touch on ways to come up with an idea, but you will need to make a decision quickly as this course is hands-on and moves very FAST!

Some founders are just starting to build, others have a product in market and early customers.

What happens if i need to skip a required session?

Attendance is tracked at the company level.

As long as one founder participates, the company gets credit for that session.

I have customers and recurring revenue — should I apply?

Congratulations! Yes, you can still apply.

Coursework is self-guided so that you can focus on areas most relevant to your business and stage.

Founders with traction report immense value from the program, including the content, the community, and the accountability.

How many startups will be accepted?

Each cohort will have about 300 companies.

Founders are accepted on a rolling basis.

If you are not accepted — please apply for the next cohort!

Are there any prerequisites to attend Founder University?

No.

We prioritize teams of multiple builder founders. Builders may be developers, UI/UX designers, and/or growth hackers.

When is the deadline to apply?

You can apply to Founder University at any time.

Upon acceptance, founders will be assigned to either the current or the next cohort.

Who from the company can participate in Founder University?

All founders and co-founders are encouraged to participate!

Is Founder University in-person or remote?

The program is remote, and the live sessions are on Zoom.

However, select in-person sessions, including the kickoff, will be held in Austin, Texas (optional).

Build and launch your product

Founder University is a 12-week pre-accelerator helping tech startups build, launch, and delight customers.
We invest $25k or $125k into the top graduates.

Questions?
Contact Us