Founder Institute is a global pre-seed startup accelerator founded in 2009 by Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan, running a four-month training program that helps entrepreneurs launch technology companies without quitting their day jobs.

The idea grew out of Ressi's experience running TheFunded.com, where he saw idea- and launch-stage founders lacking the structure, feedback, and network needed to succeed. Starting from a single Stanford classroom in 2009, Founder Institute has expanded into a network spanning over 200 cities and 100 countries, graduating more than 9,000 entrepreneurs who have collectively raised over $2 billion in funding — positioning the organization as an attempt to "globalize Silicon Valley" through local, mentor-run chapters rather than a single physical hub.