Credit: NASA
I am happy to announce that we have had our official hand off and go ahead to launch the Exploratory semester of Founders Institute Reykjavik Chapter from the leadership of Founders Institute. I blogged about that we are working on it about a month back. We have been in the selection process of finding the directors for the local chapter. The directors of the Reykjavik chapter are yours truly (Bala Kamallakharan), Gisli Olafsson and Ævar Rafn Björnsson. We are in the process of recruiting mentors, venues and potential applicants for the first batch of candidates for Founders Institute semester which we want to launch this fall.
All those who reached out to me to participate as directors, volunteers and mentors, please watch for invites from us to get together and meetup. For those of you who are interested, the topics of discussions in the meetup and for the class that would selected for the first semester are as follows:
1. Making a Leap from Employee to Employer – September 18, 5.00 pm – Venue TBD
Do you want to start your own technology company, but don’t know where to get started? You are not alone. Every day millions of people go to jobs they don’t enjoy, but few do something about it. At the “Employee to Entrepreneur” event, you can hear the stories, tips, and best practices of those who left their jobs to pursue their own startup company. Listen to the experiences of people just like you that have made the transition, and discuss any questions or concerns that you have. How do you know if you have a good idea? What are the first steps in an entrepreneurial journey? Join us for a fun evening!
2. Founder Institute Information Session – September 25, 5.00pm – Venue TBD
The Founder Institute is the world’s largest idea-stage accelerator. Join us for an informational event where you can meet local Directors, ask questions and learn how you can launch a startup in Reykjavik with help from top CEOs, experienced peers and a structured approach. What is it like to be in the Founder Institute? Who are some of the peers that you will be working with? Can the Institute help you build your dream company?
3. Founder Night Out
If you have a startup idea or idea-stage company and you are interested in the Founder Institute program, then join us for the Founder Night Out. Meet fellow peers that are applying to the program or already enrolled, as well as the program Directors and Mentors. Socialize over drinks with other entrepreneurs at the same stage of development. Meet potential Co-Founders. Meet potential partners. Most of all, have fun!
We are very excited about the opportunity to help entrepreneurs realize their dreams of starting and building their companies. A Structured approach as designed by the Founders Institute reduces the odds of failure in this process. We also want to increase the success rate of startup founders creating companies that go on to be accepted in accelerators, raise funding or start out of the door with positive cash flow. Looking forward to great participation from the Community in Iceland.
