Founder Gym is an online training center for underrepresented founders who want to build successful tech startups. Incorporating best practices from entrepreneurship, education, and sports psychology, Founder Gym offers an innovative approach to develop the world's next great entrepreneurs.
During the span of 5 weeks, founders complete structured exercises to increase their strength in a core area of startup success, and receive expert training from investors and experienced founders. The program is 100% virtual and highly selective.
The Gym is officially open, and it’s time to get to know your fellow Gymmates from around the world! FG veterans will help you get a clear understanding of what you need to do, in order to succeed in the cohort, and you’ll feel empowered and inspired to hit the ground running.
Who are venture capitalists, where does their money come from, and what do they really care about when making investment decisions? Learn who these people are and what makes them tick, so you can better position your startup to be an attractive investment opportunity.
There are some things only people on the inside know, like the importance of warm intros, the etiquette of social media, the finesse of an email pitch, and the red flags to avoid. It’s crucial that you learn what the small things are that make a big difference when fundraising.
As an underrepresented founder, there is a very high chance you will be pitching investors who don’t share your identity, background, or lived experiences. You must learn how to articulate your differences as your strengths.
You’ve learned A LOT so far, and now it’s time to prepare for Demo Day, where you will demonstrate how much you’ve grown from the trainings. Use this week to craft your deck and get feedback on your pitch, so you can be ready for your big debut!
It’s time to "walk the talk" and show everyone what you’re made of. For Demo Day, you will pitch your startup to your Gymmates and invited guests. You will also get to step in the shoes of an investor and score your peers’ presentations.
Partner at First Round Capital
Phin Barnes is a Managing Partner at First Round Capital. Formerly an early employee at AND 1, Phin is a self-proclaimed sneakerhead. He's made over 50 investments, including Birchbox and Blue Apron.
Partner at Base Ventures
Erik Moore is a Managing Partner of Base Ventures. Originally an angel investor in Zappos, Erik has since made over 70 investments in tech companies, including Olly, StyleSeat, Mayvenn, and Blavity.
Partner at Kapor Capital
Freada Kapor Klein is a Founding Partner of Kapor Capital and diversity & inclusion expert. Freada has made over 100 investments, including Twilio, LendUp, and Genius Plaza, and has pioneered gap-closing social impact investing.
Partner at Kapor Capital
Mitch Kapor is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Kapor Capital. His investments include Twilio, Uber, Clever, and Class Dojo.
Partner at Precursor Ventures
Charles is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Precursor Ventures, with over 70 pre-seed investments. He was previously a Partner at SoftTech VC.
Venture Capitalist
Ellen was a Partner at Kapor Capital and Kleiner Perkins. She was also the interim CEO at Reddit and served on the boards of Flipboard, Datameer, and Lehigh.
Partner at AngelList
Parker Thompson is a Partner at AngelList, a former Partner at 500 Startups, and he has made over 70 investments to-date.
Partner at Cross Culture Ventures
Suzy Ryoo is a Partner at Atom Factory & Cross Culture Ventures, whose investments include Warby Parker, Lyft, and Dropbox.
Venture Capitalist
Monique Woodard was a Partner at 500 Startups, Co-Founder of Black Founders, and her investments include Blavity and O.School.
Founder Gym was an immensely valuable experience for me as a founder that is new to institutional venture fundraising. The expert trainers and personal coaches demystified the process for us and showed us the blueprint for navigating the Silicon Valley fundraising dance. It was like getting an insider’s look at how the game works. Because of the cohort, we are much more prepared to fundraise and I would definitely recommend this program to others.
Co-Founder of dealWIP
Brooklyn, New York
When I applied for Founder Gym, I was personally very exhausted and discouraged with my fundraising experience. However, being accepted into FG really changed that. Because of the program, I found renewed energy and motivation to continue on with fundraising and was successful in raising capital! I really appreciated getting to learn from experts that I never imagined I could interact with, as well as getting to know many amazing founders.
Co-Founder of Because Learning
Salt Lake City, Utah
Because of Founder Gym, I was able to get clear about the fundraising needs of my business, and I am now much better prepared to go out and secure capital. This has truly been an awesome experience. Mandela and her team are pros and it shows in the quality of information and mentors they were able to bring to the table. I feel very fortunate to have been a part of the inaugural cohort.
Co-Founder of The Brightly
San Francisco, California
Even after writing almost 100,000 lines of code over the summer, I can confidently say that participating in Founder Gym is the most important step I’ve taken as a CEO so far. With the techniques I’ve learned, I feel way more prepared to not only fundraise, but build a company that scales. I just wish I would have known about Founder Gym sooner; it would have saved me a lot of time and energy.
Founder of Notearise
Dallas, Texas
Set aside 15 minutes to complete the application and give yourself a chance to get admitted. If you pass the application screen, you will be invited to participate in a video interview.
You will receive an email notifying you whether or not you’ve been selected for the cohort. You have 72 hours to submit your down payment to reserve your spot.
Congratulations! You’re officially a member of the cohort. You will be granted access to the orientation materials, and begin preparing for the start of the cohort.
The cohort kicks off with Orientation. You will get the chance to meet your Gymmates and get your life in order, so you can focus on going hard in the Gym for the next 5 weeks.
You did it! You survived one of the most intense startup training programs. Now it’s time to use your new skills, strengths, and network to catapult your startup to the next level.
There are more people like you represented in the population than there are in the startup industry.
A company that develops its own technology and wants to grow as big as fast as possible.
You would rather work 24/7 building your own business than 9-5 working for someone else.
You have already built something (MVP counts) that people are using and/or buying.
You’re not sure if you’re doing the right things, and you need guidance from experienced people.
Founder & CEO
An entrepreneur, educator, and athlete, Mandela is uniquely positioned to lead this movement. She’s a member of First Round Capital’s Angel Track cohort, previously worked at Kapor Capital and Startup Weekend, and is a well-connected influencer in Silicon Valley.
Design Lead
Vanessa Slavich brings expertise in design and diversity and inclusion to make the Founder Gym experience one-of-a-kind. She has a Masters in Interaction Design and previously worked at Apple, Square, Kapor Center, and the United Nations.
Digital Engagement
After studying Political Science and Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama, Cordelro founded Rapid Dissent, an emerging platform for social activists. Cordelro currently supports Founder Gym’s growing digital presence and brand development.
Visual Storyteller
After teaching for six years in schools like Khan Labs, Jeremy transitioned into sharing knowledge with a larger audience using multimedia. He specializes in photography and videography, and you may have seen his work featured on ATTN: or TechCrunch.
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