Turn your startup idea into a reality

A 12-week pre-accelerator program tailored towards navigating early-startup practices, building an MVP, and growing traction. We invest $25k or $125k into the top graduates.

Cohort 9  — October 25th, 2024
Cohort 10 — February 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.

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

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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

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Weekly Live Session (Monday)

Attendance Required

60 minutes a week (Monday)

Weekly presentations from industry experts

Review activities and learnings

Founder Q&A with the LAUNCH team  

Weekly Check-In (Thursday)

Attendance encouraged

60 minutes a week (Thursday)

Discuss learnings with the LAUNCH team & cohort members

Review activities and learnings

Network with other founders

Asynchronous Learning

Expect 5-10 hours of videos + reading each week

Additional hours spent on weekly activities that focus on building an MVP

Community

Collaborate with cohort members

Interaction with other founders in the portfolio

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

Where founders
worked previously

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

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 attended 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 investment is $25k for 2.5% or $125K for 7%. We invest in the top 10 percentile 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 1 founder participates, the company gets credit for that session.

I have several customers and some recurring monthly revenue — should I apply?

Congratulations!

Yes, you can still apply!

Coursework is self-guided so you can skip sections and 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 200 companies.

Acceptance notifications will be sent a couple weeks prior to the kickoff of each cohort.

If you are not accepted — please apply again 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, growth hackers.

When is the deadline to apply?

Deadline to apply is 2 weeks prior to the kick off of the next cohort.

Who from the company can participate in founder university?

All founders are welcome to participate! Once a company has been accepted and onboarded, you'll have the opportunity to add your cofounders.

Is Founder University in-person or remote?

The program is remote, all live sessions are on Zoom.

However, there is an in-person kickoff at the start of each cohort.

Build and launch your product

Work on your idea or MVP for 12 weeks. If you launch, get users, and demonstrate product velocity, you'll have a chance at receiving a $25k or $125k investment.

Questions?
Contact Us