One-liner: global pre-seed "idea to fundable startup" program (est. 2009, Silicon Valley) with a Valencia chapter running its structured FI Core curriculum — weekly sprints, 40,000+ mentors, and an Equity Collective stake in graduates.
What a founder gets
- FI Core Program — a multi-month, mostly-virtual sprint curriculum (idea validation → business model → MVP → fundraising → Demo Day), run locally by Valencia chapter leaders/mentors but built on FI's global methodology ("The Rule of One": step-by-step sprints to kill analysis paralysis).
- Mentor access — FI's global network of 40,000+ mentors & investors gives structured feedback at multiple touchpoints through the program, not just at the end.
- Fundraising pathway — access to the FI Venture Network (first-check investors) and Founder Capital (FI's own global VC fund) for graduates seeking a first check.
- Community — FI is present in 100+ countries / 200+ cities; alumni network claims 9,000+ startups built, $2BN+ raised, 200+ exits (global figures, not Valencia-specific).
- AI tooling (rolling out 2026) — FI is positioning itself as an "AI-native company builder," adding AI agents for market research, customer outreach, a 24/7 startup advisor, and fundraising support alongside the human curriculum.
- Free entry point: FI runs 1,000+ free online workshops/pitch events/meetups per year (750,000+ cumulative attendees) that anyone can join before committing to Core.
Who it's for
- Idea-stage and pre-seed founders, including solo/non-technical founders ("no co-founder or technical background needed" is an explicit pitch) and career-changers moving from employee to entrepreneur.
- Sector-agnostic; Valencia chapter serves the local ecosystem but the curriculum, fee, and mentor pool are the same worldwide template.
- Not a fit for later-stage (growth/scale) companies — this is squarely a launch/pre-seed program.
How to engage
- Apply via fi.co → find the Valencia, Spain cohort (chapters list at fi.co/enrolling); as of 2026-07-05 a "Valencia – Spain Fall 2026" cohort is listed with an application deadline of 2026-11-18, alongside sibling "Madrid – Spain Fall 2026" and "Barcelona – Spain Fall 2026" cohorts (same 2026-11-18 deadline) — confirms Valencia is one of (at least) three active Spanish chapters, not a standalone. (status/verify: exact local fee, chapter director, and meeting cadence still not confirmed in raw/ — confirm on fi.co before advising a founder.)
- Attend a free FI event/webinar first (no commitment) to evaluate fit — FI explicitly encourages this via its Free Events calendar.
- If accepted, pay the one-time Entrance Fee (global reference price for Silicon Valley chapter: $799 before an early deadline / $1,199 after — Valencia pricing may differ; the fee is 100% refundable before the "Revenue & Business Models" session, giving founders a built-in exit ramp).
- Progress through weekly sprint sessions with mentor feedback to Demo Day; optionally opt into the Equity Collective (leaders/mentors/FI HQ take a small vested equity stake aligned with the founder's long-term success — details at fi.co/equity).
Key facts
- Founded 2009 in Silicon Valley by Adeo Ressi (now CEO, Decile Group/VC Lab) and Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder & CEO of FI, GP of Founder Capital).
- Scale (global, 2026 site figures): 9,000+ startups built · $2BN+ alumni funding · 200+ exits · ~$20BN estimated portfolio value · 100+ chapter countries · 40,000+ mentors & investors · 750,000+ founders trained · 17+ years in operation · 26% of chapters in developing nations.
- Notable alumni cited on-site: Udemy (Gagan Biyani), Oddbox (Emilie Vanpoperinghe), Checkbox (Evan Wong), TransTRACK, SleepUp, Tespire.
- Institutional partners referenced: Microsoft, NASA, Accenture, USAID, UNDP, UN Women, Joint SDG Fund, and multiple national/regional governments (Startup Portugal, Corfo, Government of Bermuda).
- Runs its own Founder Bootcamps (e.g., "Vibe Coding Pro Bootcamp", "Midwest Startup Ideation Bootcamp") as shorter, cheaper on-ramps than full FI Core.
- Chapter model: FI licenses its methodology/brand to local chapter leaders ("Launch an FI Chapter" is an open partner track) — this is why Valencia-specific operational detail (director name, exact fee, venue) is not published in the material captured so far; tag status/verify until a Valencia-specific source is ingested.