First ever Founder Institute Dubai startup accelerator opens applications
Now, more than ever, the world needs entrepreneurs to build the future. As a result, the Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is excited to announce that it is officially launching its newest chapter in Dubai. While the Silicon-Valley based program has chapters in over 185 cities worldwide, early-stage entrepreneurs in Dubai can finally now take advantage of the Founder Institute's renowned structure, mentor support, and network to build an enduring company. 
In an effort to #StopTheSpread and ensure everyone’s health and safety, this program is planned to be held online.
The Founder Institute provides high-potential entrepreneurs and teams with the support network and structured growth process needed to get to traction and funding, and build something that matters. Since 2009, the Founder Institute has helped over 4,000 Alumni raise over $950M funding, get into seed-accelerators, generate traction, recruit a team, build a product, transition from employee to entrepreneur, and more.
To celebrate the launch, the Founder Institute will host several free online startup events in Dubai, where you can learn from top entrepreneurs and hear more about the program from the comfort of your home:
- Building & Expanding Your Brand: During Covid-19 & Beyond (Online Event) 16 June, 8:00PM
- How to Start a Global Startup in Dubai (Online Event) 17 June, 6:00PM
- How to Scale Your Early-Stage Startup During COVID-19 (Online Event) 17 June, 8:00PM
- Making the Leap from Employee to Entrepreneur in Dubai (Online Event) 8 July, 6:00PM
- Startup Funding in Dubai: How to Raise Money for Your Business (Online Event) 22 July, 7:00AM
The experts that have been critical in bringing the Founder Institute to Dubai include local startup leaders Karan Deep, Sameer Sortur (Founder & CEO, SquareCircle Global), Sandhya Prakash (Founder & Managing Director, Beacon Energy).
In addition, over 60 of the region’s top startup investors, founders, corporate executives, and government establishments have joined the program as mentors to help entrepreneurs in the Dubai 2020 Founder Institute program. The Founder Institute is designed for founders and teams all throughout the pre-seed stage, including aspiring founders with a full-time job, solo founders, teams, and founders of established companies that are pre-funding. The organization's mission is to "Globalize Silicon Valley" and build sustainable startup ecosystems that will create one million new jobs worldwide.
Apply for funding from the Founder Institute on MAGNiTT.
The Lebanese startup ecosystem saw an increase of 18% in startup deals between 2018 and 2019, with 45 deals taking place. While the number of investments has gone up, the majority of these involve Early-Stage companies. Discover more details in our 2019 Lebanon Venture Investment Report.