Seattle Founder Institute – Information Session
By Dave Parker Thanks for those that attended last night’s 2.21.13 Information Session at The Hub Seattle. Here are the slides for the event. Fi seattle recruit information-parker from Dave Parker
Read MoreSpring Semester – Founder Institute Seattle
Time to Start Your Dream Company? Join a group of select peers as we launch our sixth semester in Seattle – Starting March 26th through June 25th. You can apply online here. Apply early and save $50 on the application fee.About the program: Meet 35+ mentors, local tech CEO/Founders with three mentors, every week, on topics
Read MoreComparing Accelerators and Incubators
Which program is right for your startup? The answer to that question depends on a number of factors, including you, your idea and your team. I recently gave a talk at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network University (NWENU) about Accelerators, Incubators and the Startup Ecosystem, specific to Seattle, but the general rules apply as well. NWEN Accelerators & Incubators from
Read MoreYour Idea is “Dead Simple”, Really?
Some people seem to think that if they just call their idea “Dead Simple” that it actually makes their idea or product Dead Simple. They’re wrong. Every semester at the Founder Institute starts with a four-week sprint to the Mentor Idea Review. Where each of the Founders get to pitch their idea to a group
Read MoreWhy Convertible Equity?
Earlier today the Founder Institute’s new early-stage investing vehicle,Convertible Equity, was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal in an article byJessica Vascellaro entitled “New Tack in Early Stage Tech-Investing.” The piece illustrates the issues “haphazard approaches to seed investing in the past” (namely, Convertible Debt) have created, and how the Founder Institute’s “Convertible Equity” approach aims to mitigate those issues. According to
Read MoreOne-sentence Pitch to win $995 FI Course Fee (Seattle)
How does your pitch compare to: “I’ll genetically engineer miniature pot-bellied rhinos for pets and sell diamond-plate wainscoting on the side” Tell us how you’ll change the world, in one simple sentence @GeekWire. The deadline to have your pitch online is 9PM Pacific Saturday night. You’re limited to 30 words – but you’ll get some
Read MoreThe Startup Ecosystem – Avoiding the Leeches!
When I started going to China for business I was amazed how many “helpful” people who I found at events with US Business people. They all knew people, in my industry and especially in the government. It was later that I discovered that those weren’t the real people you wanted to meet. But they were
Read MoreSeattle Founder Institute – Fall Semester & Event Schedule
The Fall Semester Applications are open for the Founder Institute Seattle. Apply Now! The new Semester will begin on October 2 – Tuesday nights. Early Admissions Deadline – Save $50 testing fee! September 2nd Final Admissions Deadline – September 23rd Midnight
Read MoreCo-Founders… Where is the line between equality and socialism?
I was asked a question last week about co-founders compensation, specifically around guidance around splitting equity and salary requirements for the early contributors for a new start-up. The person was asking for the benchmark data for percentages to validate the right thing to do between two co-founders and one early employee that had more demanding
Read MoreComments from “A challenge to Seattle VCs: Back 100 seed-stage startups in 24 months”
This is a post from Geekwire.com First, thanks to Marcelo for being a mentor last night at the Founder Institute Seattle, #SEFI. During the Q&A we had some discussion about the post and ongoing discussion. So giving the credit where it’s due… here’s my summary of the discussion. The VC model doesn’t work (or is
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