North America's two largest tech ecosystems, Silicon Valley and the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor, are joining forces to launch companies that will help humanity build a bright new future.
The Founder Institute (FI) Silicon Valley and Toronto-Waterloo accelerator programs will run virtually and concurrently, giving founders unprecedented access to shared resources across both networks such as expert mentors, investors, strategic partners and startup founders.
“The Innovation Corridor refers to the geographical connection between the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and the fastest growing city in Canada which is Waterloo,” says Jordan Jocius, Founder Institute Director of Waterloo. “This is not only the ONLY tech accelerator that connects the two Canadian tech ecosystems Toronto and Waterloo but it now connects the two largest tech ecosystems in North America both the Innovation Corridor and Silicon Valley.”
The FI Toronto and Waterloo programs have launched over 250 startup companies along the corridor over the last five years. The Toronto program is led by Sunil Sharma, Managing Director of Techstars Toronto and co-host of the Collision Conference, and the Waterloo program directed by Jocius, Venture Partner with River Wise Ventures. The goal of the united program with Silicon Valley is to help founders build technology companies that will positively impact humanity by leveraging founders and mentors in both tech ecosystems.
“The Founder Institute now launches more tech startups in Canada than any other accelerator. We do this without any government support which is a testament to the power of our Canadian program,” says Jocius. “Our focus is to continue being the best pre-seed accelerator in the world and our local focus is to share that power with Canada.”
“The Founder Institute is one of the leading startup ecosystem builders in the world,” says Sharma. “We have launched 300+ companies in Canada with practically zero budget and startup leaders around the world are starting to take notice.
FI Silicon Valley’s Advanced Technology Accelerator is led by Ryan Micheletti, Head of Global Operations for the Founder Institute, and Mike Suprovici, Managing Director of Portfolio Success and Head of FI’s Fundraising Accelerator, Founder Lab. The Palo Alto based program runs in partnership with NASA Ames Research Center and focuses on building deep tech companies ranging from Space Tech, AI, Quantum Computing and Health Tech.
“Now, more than ever, we need our best and brightest working together to solve problems on a global scale,” says Micheletti. “We must lead the world towards positive change, and there is no better way to do this than through entrepreneurship.”
The 14-week accelerator program begins Sept. 15, 2020, and hosts sessions every Wednesday night with Toronto-Waterloo classes beginning at 6-9 p.m. ET and then Silicon Valley running 6-9 p.m. PT. The three-hour time difference allows enrolled founders to join both sessions learning from two ecosystems and connecting with founders and mentors in both locations.
Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 200+ cities worldwide, the Founder Institute provides high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the devoted support network and structured growth process needed to get to traction and funding. Participants in the four-month core program also get access to a lifetime of support through the Founder Institute's industry-leading post-programs.
