The Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed accelerator, is launching its newest chapter in Halifax and has opened applications for its winter 2020 cohort.
With plans to host two semesters annually, the Silicon Valley-based organization aims to launch more than 20 meaningful and enduring technology companies per year in Halifax.
The Founder Institute’s step-by-step program provides early-stage entrepreneurs with the structure, mentor support, and global network needed to start an enduring company, said the organization in a press release.
“A key differentiator between FI and other accelerators would definitely be the global reach,” said Founder Institute Halifax Director Amie Walton-Fudge in an email. She said the organization has 14,000 mentors in its global network, and alumni that have raised more than $850 million in funding.
“We also offer a wide variety of post-program lifetime support to our portfolio companies, most notably Founder Lab and the opportunity for graduates to work closely with our [headquarters] team as they pursue fundraising and traction goals beyond completion of the core program.”
Walton-Fudge, a Halifax entrepreneur who previously enrolled in a Founder Institute accelerator, said the program is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs (including people with just an idea). It will provide them with the training, mentorship, and network to build a global company in Halifax. “It is a great fit for Halifax because the FI program will feed new entrepreneurial talent into the established programs we have in place, further growing our local startup ecosystem even more,” she said.
The Halifax Chapter will be led by: Walton-Fudge, Co-Founder and CEO of TriBic Software; Kaitlyn Touesnard, President and Event Manager at Crescendo Events Ltd.; and Suzie Ketene, Director of AvisoGroup Inc.
The group has already attracted local mentors who have expressed interest in helping with the cohort, including:
● Holly Bond, Investment Attraction, Innovation, Halifax Partnership;
● Katelyn Bourgoin, Founder, Customer Camp;
● Kyle Racki, CEO and Co-Founder, Proposify;
● Laura Simpson, CEO and Co-Founder, Side Door;
● Mark Mac Donald, Founder and Principal of Business Development NS, Catalyst Sales and Marketing;
● Mathew Zimola, Co-Founder, ReelData;
● Michael Sanderson, Director, Saint Mary's University Entrepreneurship Centre;
● Ron Lovett, President and CEO, RFL Group of Companies;
● Saeed El Darahali, Founder and President and CEO, SimplyCast;
● Stephanie Holmes Winton, Founder and CEO, CacheFlo;
● And William Adams, the retired Co-Founder and VP, Sampling Technologies Inc.
The Halifax Founder Institute will host a series of free events to reveal more about the program, the details of which can be found here. Applications to the program are open here until Dec. 8.
There is an application fee of US$25 and a course tuition fee of US$799 for anyone who applies before Nov. 10, after which the fee increases to US$999. People applying before Nov. 10 are also elegible for a range of scholarships.
“The tuition fee varies by region and is designed to be just at the right cost that is affordable while ensuring the founder is committed to the program, which is a fairly intensive program that requires strong dedication,” said Walton-Fudge, adding that there is a refund for anyone who leaves before the third session, there is also a payment plan.
