A relaunched Philadelphia chapter of the global Founder Institute pre-seed accelerator network.
- Location:
- Remote
- Duration:
- 11 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.
- This chapter runs as a hybrid: the page states 'This program will contain required sessions that are both online and in-person', so a Philadelphia area presence matters.
Eligibility
- Eligible stages
- All stages
- Countries
- Global, subject to the provider’s eligibility and approval
How to apply
- 1
Open the chapter page, not the fi.co homepage
fi.co/apply/philadelphia is the Keystone chapter page carrying this cohort's dates and fee. Do not use fi.co/join/philadelphia: fi.co geolocates the /join paths and serves whatever chapter is nearest the visitor, so it shows a different city's page.
- 2
Create a Founder Institute account
The chapter page's 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 then shown at the top of your profile page when you are logged in.
- 3
Submit the written application
Founder Institute reviews the written application alongside your professional background and input from the local chapter leaders.
- 4
Take the Entrepreneur DNA Assessment
This is the step founders miss. After the written materials you must complete a required online aptitude and personality test that takes about 30 minutes. Founder Institute states it has proven over 85% accurate in predicting entrepreneurial success, and the result is one of the inputs the admissions team weighs.
- 5
Wait for a human review decision
Applications are reviewed by people, not automatically, and you are placed in one of four categories: Accepted, Reviewing, Finalist or Declined.
- 6
Pay the entrance fee before the early deadline if you can
The Philadelphia entrance fee is $999 if you are in by the early deadline of Aug 25, 2026, and $1,299 after that.
- 7
Be ready for onboarding and kickoff
Onboarding is Oct 13, 2026 and the cohort kicks off Oct 20, 2026, with the first session (Vision) on Oct 21, 2026.