The Austin chapter of the global Founder Institute pre-seed accelerator network.
- Location:
- Remote
- Duration:
- 12 weeks
What you need to qualify
- Founder Institute states that aspiring founders who are still employed full-time should apply.
- Solo founders and teams are both accepted.
- Founders of established companies should generally be less than a few years old and before significant funding, revenue or traction.
- Founders should be open to building an enduring business in a number of ways, whether through bootstrapping or funding. Funding is not a requirement.
- Companies with significant funding, traction or revenue should not apply; Founder Institute recommends seed accelerators instead.
- Service businesses such as marketing agencies should not apply, nor should founders looking to flip a company or get rich quickly.
- The Austin chapter states 'This program will contain required sessions that are both online and in-person', so you need to be able to attend in Austin for part of it.
Eligibility
- Eligible stages
- All stages
- Countries
- Global, subject to the provider’s eligibility and approval
How to apply
- 1
Open the Austin chapter page, not the fi.co homepage
fi.co/apply/austin carries this cohort's dates and fee. Avoid fi.co/join/austin: fi.co geolocates the /join paths and serves the chapter nearest the visitor rather than Austin.
- 2
Create a Founder Institute account
The chapter form asks for first name, last name, email and a password before anything else, so applying starts by registering an account. Your admissions state is shown at the top of your profile page when logged in.
- 3
Submit the written application
Founder Institute weighs the written application alongside your professional background and input from the local chapter leaders.
- 4
Take the Entrepreneur DNA Assessment
The step founders overlook. After the written materials you must complete a required online aptitude and personality test of about 30 minutes, which Founder Institute states has proven over 85% accurate in predicting entrepreneurial success.
- 5
Wait for a human review decision
Reviewers place each applicant in one of four categories: Accepted, Reviewing, Finalist or Declined.
- 6
Pay the entrance fee, ideally before the early deadline
The Austin entrance fee is $899 by the early deadline of Oct 6, 2026, rising to $1,199 after that.
- 7
Be ready for onboarding and kickoff
Onboarding is Nov 10, 2026 at 06:00pm CST, the cohort kicks off Nov 17, 2026 at 06:00pm CST, and the first session (Vision) is Nov 18, 2026 at 06:00pm CST.