Institute News
Mentor Video: 5 Steps to a Great Idea
Aug 29, 2010: Adeo Ressi
The majority of Founders that apply and enroll in the Institute do not have a polished business idea. The first 30-45 days of the program is dedicated to ideation, where Founders are pushed to refine and defend a set of ideas that they are passionate about.
In the following 17 minute video, there is a five step process to develop a great startup idea. The premise is that great ideas are raised rather than born.
See the video here: http://vimeo.com/12428461
The five steps are quickly outlined below:
- Step 1 - The Seed: Find a passion or pain point as a seed for a bigger idea.
- Step 2 - The Project: Launch a project where you start to collect information and ideas about the potent ial business.
- Step 3 - Quiet Time: Take quiet time to reflect on your projects throughout the day.
- Step 4 - Board of Friends: Develop a Board of Friends to give you honest feedback on the projects.
- Step 5 - Expand: Identify your favorite project and try to expand the scope to make it larger and more meaningful.
The video includes other tips about when you know that your idea is right and how to contextualize your idea. Enjoy!
Adeo Ressi on Globalizing Silicon Valley
Aug 19, 2010: Adeo Ressi
The Founder Institute helps launch hundreds of companies worldwide by building local startup communities where promising founders, experienced CEOs, and top-tier service providers work together in an innovative and collaborative environment. The idea is simple - take the best practices and culture of the startup scene from Silicon Valley - and globalize it.
Adeo Ressi, the Institute's Founder, explains this in better detail on The Fifth Conference today. Read the article here.
Silicon Valley Graduate wins Founder Showcase
Aug 04, 2010: Adeo Ressi
SeePort, a company that makes "video window" wifi devices and software that connect people with live video chat, won the Grand Prize at the Founder Showcase in Mountain View last night. Lauren Elliot, Founder and CEO of SeePort, won $2,500 in cash, a place on stage at the DEMO conference, free pitching slots at the Keiretsu Forum and free services from Cooley and oDesk by gathering the most votes from the sold out 315 person audience and final approval from the judging panel. There was a tense moment with a near tie from the realtime audience voting system provided by myQaa. The on stage Showcase judges were George Zachary of Charles River Ventures, Rebecca Lynn of Morgenthaler Ventures, Jed Katz of Javelin Venture Partners, Jason Calacanis of Mahalo and Sarah Lacy from TechCrunch. Here is a video of their winning presentation:
SeePort wins Founder Showcase.
SeePort develops software and hardware solutions to enable video telepresence for the mass market. Their standalone and consumer-friendly devices cost less than $200 and are easy to configure through a touch screen interface, providing a video window between grandparents and grandchildren, long distance relationships, friends and business applications. The device looks like a digital picture frame and is designed to interoperate with FaceTime and other video phone applications.
SeePort has functioning prototypes and plans to release the product by CES 2011. They have also formed a marketing and sales partnership with a major multinational US corporation that produces imaging, photographic materials and equipment. SeePort is a graduate of the Bay Area Founder Institute program, and the first graduate to win the Founder Showcase.
"Winning the Founder Showcase was incredible, and I am very grateful to Adeo and the Founder Institute," says Lauren Elliot, Founder and CEO of SeePort. "The response from the venture community to SeePort has been overwhelming."
Aprendi Learning, which provides software for universities to build, grow and manage large online classes and degree programs, came in a close second as the official Runner-Up.
A limited number of half-price tickets are on sale here for the next event in Mountain View on October 21st, 2010. Enjoy
Predicting Entrepreneurial Success - Got What it Takes?
Jul 28, 2010: Jonathan Greechan
One of the Founder Institute's most highly rated mentors, Mint.com Founder Aaron Patzer, wrote an article on CNN Money today describing the Institute's admissions test. It's a great explanation for how we incorporate social science data into the admissions process.
Read the article at http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/28/technology/patzer_entrepreneurs/
Thanks Aaron!
Institute Opens 11th Location: Houston, Texas
Jul 23, 2010: Adeo Ressi
The Founder Institute has just launched a new chapter in Houston, Texas. Applications for Early Acceptance into the program start today and are due by August 3rd, with the Closing Application Deadline on August 20th, 2010. The weekly company-building sessions run on Thursday evenings from August 30th until December 10th, 2011. Anyone starting a technology company or with a dream to launch an innovative business is invited to apply.
As a bonus, the Institute will provide all early applicants in Houston with a percentile score on their Admissions Test performance for the first time in the program's history. The Admissions Test predicts entrepreneurial success with 73% accuracy, having validated the test results across 1,000 applicants worldwide, over 300 enrolled founders and over 160 graduated companies. Applicants will know if they are in the top decile or quartile of entrepreneurs worldwide.
Houston is the eleventh worldwide location and ninth location in the United States. The Institute seeks to globalize Silicon Valley. Four locations in the United States are currently accepting applications:
- Houston (applications due 8/22)
- New York (applications due 8/29)
- Washington DC (applications due 9/2)
- San Diego (applications due 9/14)
The locations worldwide include Silicon Valley, Singapore, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Houston, Boston, New York, Washington DC, and Paris.
Two New Great Event Partners - Jobnob and DEMO
Jun 23, 2010: Jonathan Greechan
Today we're happy to announce two new partners who host events that serve two critical roles for start-ups; recruitment and publicity.
- Jobnob - Jobnob connects start-ups and job seekers both online and through events, seeking both traditional and alternative compensation. Jobnob.com has over 7,000 talented job seekers from Ivy plus schools, and they also hold in-person networking job fairs across the country. They are offering Founders 20% off. The next job fair takes place on June 29th in Palo Alto - register for this event here.
- DEMO - The DEMO conference is the launchpad for emerging technology. This company launch event has helped introduce over 1,500 companies over the last 19 years, including WebEx, Tivo, SalesForce, and more. They are offering 20% off AlphaPitch Launches and Demonstrator Launches. The next DEMO takes place from September 13-15 in Silicon Valley.
See the activation details in the private section below.
Institute Reaches 50 Partners
Jun 15, 2010: Jonathan Greechan
The Institute has reached a great milestone today in our quest to help our Founders succeed. We now have 50 Service Provider Partners providing free or discounted services to Institute Founders. The two newest partners are;
- vSee - vSee is one of the most powerful and easy to use video/remote collaboration tools available, used by leading companies like IBM, Intel, and NASA. It is an invaluable tool to collaborate with remote teams, and requires almost no training. They are offering Founders one free year of 20 Professional licenses for their teams ($12,000 value).
- Northwest Registered Agent Service - Northwest Registered Agent is the fastest national registered agent service, offering a flat yearly rate and easy to use online forms. They also offer extensive online resources and tools, such as scans of all documents you receive without any forwarding fees. They are offering Founders 30% off Registered Agent services.
More Partners in are negotiation now, so stay tuned.
Redemption details are in the private section below.
Inside the Institute
Jun 09, 2010: Adeo Ressi
Below is a photo montage of the Founder Institute from all around the world.
Recent Grad Raises Round and Launches Top App
Jun 09, 2010: Adeo Ressi
KwiqApps Inc. has completed a first closing on a $500,000 angel round and launched a top 5 eLearning application for the iPad, “Word Search for iPad." The four person KwiqApps team is working to release a series of both paid and free eLearning titles for the iPhone, iPad and Android operating systems to capitalize on the growing demand by parents and children for high quality educational products that are also engaging and entertaining.
The company plans to have a suite of 20 titles generating 1 MM downloads by the end of 2010. Each title will interface customization tools and differing levels of proficiency to personalize the experience for each user. The titles will also have features that foster a engaging and collaborative learning experience.
“Word Search for iPad - Young Readers Edition” presents a 15x15 letter grid on the iPad with age-appropriate words hidden in the grid. It allows players to find words using intuitive touch gestures. The game also has kids-friendly themes to encourage player engagement and deepen reading skill development. The application has generated many positive feedback from users and ranked No. 1 in the Kids Paid iPad Apps category.
The idea for both Word Search and KwiqApps came about when the founder, Yadong Liu, noticed that his daughters often misplaced the paper-based word search sheets provided for them at school. According to U.S. Department of Education statistics, there were 55 million students enrolled in both public and private elementary and secondary schools - and The iPad is destined to become a perfect platform for e-learning. Yadong has been developing mobile applications since 2000, with companies including mobile pioneer AvantGo, Sybase Inc. and Immersion Corp.
KwiqApps was incubated at the Founder’s Institute’s Winter 2010 program and closed the funding within 60 days after the April graduation. Congratulations! Here is some meia coverage:
LegalZoom and Grasshopper Join the Impressive List of Institute Partners
Jun 08, 2010: Jonathan Greechan
We're excited to announce two new great partnerships today designed to help our companies get off the ground;
- LegalZoom - LegalZoom, the nation's leading online legal service, merges innovative technology with personalized service to deliver a simple, cost-effective way to take care of common legal needs. LegalZoom service offerings include: Wills, Living Wills, Incorporation, LLC Formation, Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Divorce, Small Claims, Trademarks, Patents, and Copyrights. They are offering Founders an exclusive 25% discount on business formation (Registered Agent, Mandatory State Fees or any 3rd party add-ons do not apply).
- Grasshopper- Sound professional and stay connected with Grasshopper, the Virtual Phone System for entrepreneurs. Grasshopper works just like a traditional phone system, but it's all managed online or by phone. Get an 800 or local number, create employee extensions, forward calls, and get voicemails via email - only $9.95 a month. They are offering Founders a $25 credit after your first month of service.
You can see all of the Founder Institute Partner Deals on the Partner Page.
<< Newer Posts | Older Posts >>
