Summary:
Founder Institute is returning to Seattle with a renewed focus on in-person accelerator programs and community events
Tech veteran Aniket Naravanekar leads the revival with a team including Nicole Doyle, Jewel Atuel, and Angie Parker
The Seattle leadership now has more autonomy and decision-making power to tailor programs to local needs
First cohort begins in March with an official launch event on December 12 featuring panels on building and scaling in Seattle
The program aims to leverage Seattle's abundant tech talent and provide more opportunities for aspiring founders
Founder Institute, the global business incubator and pre-seed startup accelerator, is making a comeback in Seattle with a renewed focus on in-person programs and community building.
Tech veteran Aniket Naravanekar, co-founder and CEO of Skillsheet, is leading the charge as one of the program directors. With over 11 years at Microsoft and experience at Seattle startups, Naravanekar is passionate about providing more opportunities for aspiring founders in the region.
The Seattle skyline. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
The Leadership Team
Naravanekar is joined by a strong leadership team:
- Nicole Doyle, founder and CEO of Aspir
- Jewel Atuel, technical program manager at Averro
- Angie Parker, executive director of the Alliance of Angels
Aniket Naravanekar
Why Seattle Needs This Revival
"I think the Seattle ecosystem has such a large amount of talent that it deserves more opportunities for aspiring founders to turn their ideas into a real business," Naravanekar explained. "I've been going through this process as a founder myself and I want to provide more options to those that are still on the fence or want to build but not sure how."
Founded in Palo Alto in 2009, Founder Institute has expanded to six continents and more than 200 cities, with over 8,100 graduates worldwide. However, the Seattle program had shifted to remote/virtual cohorts starting around 2021 due to a lack of community and leadership.
The New Approach
The key change: Seattle's leadership team now has more autonomy and decision-making power instead of being treated as a "satellite" location.
"We're now bringing back the local community — local mentors, local partners, sponsors, investors and in-person meetups and events," Naravanekar emphasized. "We're still using the same FI tooling and branding but have a lot more leeway in decision making to suit the unique needs of the Seattle ecosystem."
Upcoming Events and First Cohort
The first Seattle cohort begins in March, but the official launch happens sooner. An open house on December 12 at AI House in Seattle will feature two panels:
- "Building in Seattle"
- "Scaling & Leverage"
Panelists include prominent figures from Venture Black, Loti, AI2 Incubator, Founders Live, Microsoft AI Ventures, Light Legal, and the University of Washington's Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship.
Connection to Local Ecosystem
Interestingly, former Seattle Founder Institute managing director Levi Reed is now an entrepreneur-in-residence at Startup425, a non-profit funded by six Seattle-area city governments. Startup425 launched a new accelerator last year modeled after the Founder Institute curriculum, showing the program's lasting influence in the region.
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