Thanks for an epic FounderX 2023!
FI and Decile Group members from 40 countries joined us in Silicon Valley for three days of events, and the energy was incredible.
We are already planning the next event, which will take place in Florianópolis Brazil in April 2024. Stay tuned for more details.
To learn more about the FounderX 2023 event, see below.
FounderX 2023
Silicon Valley, CA | November 1st - 3rd, 2023
FounderX is the Founder Institute's global gathering of FI and Decile Group Alumni, Mentors, Local Leaders, and investors.
For the first time in years, the conference will reconvene in-person, in Silicon Valley, for three days of fun networking events, group workshops, and engaging talks from top Keynote Speakers.
The goal of FounderX is to facilitate meaningful connections and learning between members of the FI and VC Lab Networks, which span 100+ countries across 6 continents.
This event is strictly invite only. FounderX is reserved for FI and VC Lab/ Decile Group Local Leaders, Alumni, Mentors, and Investors. Unauthorized registrations will be voided and denied entry to all events.
Event Partners
FounderX is honored to have the support of leading organizations in startups, venture capital, and technology.
Keynote Speakers
FounderX 2023 will feature talks from top global experts on startups and venture capital.
Evan
Goldberg
Evan Goldberg is a Co-Founder of NetSuite, which was acquired by Oracle in 2016 for approximately $9.3BN.
Evan now leads the Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit. He and his team are responsible for the product strategy, development, and delivery of NetSuite’s unified business management suite, encompassing ERP/Financials, CRM, ecommerce, and more.
In 1998, Evan co-founded NetSuite and it was the first cloud computing company – ushering in the new era of cloud computing. Prior to Oracle’s acquisition of NetSuite, Evan was CTO and Chairman of the NetSuite board.
Before founding NetSuite, he spent eight years at Oracle Corporation, where he served as a vice president. He was involved in a variety of projects, all focused on making powerful database technology more accessible to users. Evan holds a B.A. Summa Cum Laude in Applied Mathematics from Harvard College.
Jason
Calacanis
Jason Calacanis is an entrepreneur, author, and angel investor in over 250 startups, including 7 "unicorns". He also hosts the popular podcasts 'This Week in Startups' and 'All-In'. Named “arguably the world’s greatest angel investor” by The Twenty Minute VC, Jason was among the early investors in companies such as Uber, Robinhood, Wealthfront, Thumbtack, and Trello.
He is the author of "Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups" (Harper Collins, 2017) and serves as Founder & CEO of LAUNCH (which encompasses the LAUNCH Festival and the LAUNCH Incubator). Additionally, he is the Founder & CEO of Inside.com, among other ventures.
Peter Pham is the Co-Founder of startup studio/incubator Science, which was behind Dollar Shave Club ($1B exit to Unilever), Liquid Death, and more. Peter leads the effort to raise money for Science incubated companies which has totaled $400M. By focusing on business development throughout his career and building a robust and strong network, Peter has sharpened his skills in identifying the best talent behind strong brand identity, as seen with his hands-on work with PlayVS, Liquid Death, and Mammoth Media.
Previously as an operator, he has helped companies like Photobucket as employee No. 5, spearheading growth and corporate development, thereby leading the company to its $300M acquisition of MySpace, as well as lending his insights as co-founder and CEO of BillShrink, which was acquired by MasterCard in 2012.
He is also an angel advisor to companies like Nextdoor, Ring, and Medium.
Eren
Bali
Eren Bali co-founded Udemy (Silicon Valley FI Alum) in January 2010 and has served as a member of Udemy’s board of directors since then. Mr. Bali also served as Udemy’s Chief Executive Officer from January 2010 to April 2014.
Mr. Bali currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Carbon Health, a technology-enabled healthcare provider, which he co-founded in October 2015. Carbon Health operates more than 125 brick-and-mortar clinics in 13 U.S. states along with virtual care services, and provides care for more than a million patients. Mr. Bali serves on the boards of directors of various private companies.
Mr. Bali received a B.S. in computer engineering and mathematics from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
Barbara Belvisi is the Founder and CEO at Interstellar Lab, which develops food production and habitation modules for sustainable living on Earth and space.
She is also a Co-founder of Hardware Club, the first community based investment firm dedicated to hardware startups.
Barbara started her career in finance at 22, investing in tech companies worldwide, and launched several global initiatives to foster scientific innovation and entrepreneurship. Youngest woman founder of a venture capital fund at 26, she is in the top 1O Women in Tech in France and Forbes Top 1OO in Europe in 2O18. Self-taught in engineering and architecture, Barbara is passionate about space, biology, and AI.
Jed
Katz
Jed Katz is a Co-Founder & Managing Director at Javelin Venture Partners, where he sits on the boards of Thumbtack, SmartAsset, HighArc, Landed, Fello, Arrive and Linqia, and is a board observer for MasterClass, Carbon Health and Homeward.
One of the true pioneers of online commerce, Jed has spent his career developing, advising, and investing in early-stage technology ventures, including founding four companies. He was also appointed by President Biden to be on the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Prior to forming Javelin Venture Partners, Jed was a Managing Director of DFJ Gotham Ventures in New York. Prior to DFJ Gotham, Jed was the COO of Yamcon, the developer of the highly acclaimed “SkyScout”, one of the best-selling astronomy products of all time.
George Ploss is the Head of Venture Capital Practice and Head of Oracle NetSuite Startup Accelerator, where he takes the resources of Oracle-NetSuite and uses them to accelerate the success of startups in incubators.
He was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where he received his MBA in finance and strategic leadership along with his bachelor's in African American studies and Political Science. While in undergrad, George enlisted in the Marine Corps, Reserves where he served a total of nine years.
George has been a Senior Program Manager at Oracle in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Veterans and has helped establish relationships and build more diverse recruiting pipelines. He also ran the Oracle-NetSuite Solution Consulting Academy, where he hired, enabled, and trained multiple, diverse teams of Solution Consultants to be a trusted advisor to companies.
Nichol Bradford is a Co-Founder and Partner at Nirmeia Collective, a seed-stage venture fund; and Co-Founder of TransformativeTech.org, a global ecosystem dedicated to educating, gathering, and activating wellbeing of tech founders, investors, and innovators – with 9000 members in 72 countries.
Nichol is a pioneer, innovator, investor, and thought leader at the intersection of technology and human transformation. She shapes global thinking as a speaker, futurist, strategist, and author.
She is also a senior interactive entertainment executive. Nichol has been responsible for strategy, operations, marketing, and production roles at major brands that include: Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, Disney, and Vivendi.
Kamal Hassan is a Managing Partner at Loyal VC, a global venture fund designed to offer above-average returns while preserving capital, through diversification and a unique gate-stage investing process that reduces bias.
Loyal is the fund Kamal wished he had available during his 20-year career as an entrepreneurial CEO, and 15 years as an angel investor. It draws upon his professional and philanthropic experiences and networks formed as a Global Director with the Founder Institute accelerator, former INSEAD Alumni Association President, a consultant at Bain & Co, and as an engineer at IMAX.
He has an INSEAD MBA and a degree in engineering physics from Queen's University. He has traveled to over 100 countries and speaks 5 languages.
Adeo Ressi is CEO of Decile Group, which runs the leading venture capital accelerator VC Lab and operates the Decile Hub platform. Adeo is also Executive Chairman at the Founder Institute. Adeo has launched 14 VC funds and founded 11 startups, having nearly $2 billion in exits before the age of 30.
He previously served on the Board of the X Prize foundation to pursue his interests in space exploration, and studied architecture and spent time living on a commune to explore his interests in designing better ways to live.
Adeo is passionate about inspiring people to achieve their potential.
Daniel
Sylvester
Daniel Sylvester is an attorney in Holland & Knight’s Chicago office and a member of the firm’s Financial Services Team. Mr. Sylvester’s practice focuses on the representation of borrowers and lenders in senior secured credit facilities, second-lien credit facilities, real estate finance and syndicated credit facilities.
Mr. Sylvester is a member of Holland & Knight’s Diversity Council and serves as a co-chair of the firm’s DiverseAbility Affinity Group. Mr. Sylvester served as chair/co-chair of the firm’s Veterans Group for 10 years.
Mr. Sylvester began his career by serving more than 10 years as an army officer. Mr. Sylvester served on the U.S. humanitarian operations into Bosnia and the Dayton Peace Accord’s multinational NATO logistics command for the former Yugoslavia.
Cliff DeGroot is a Partner at Holland & Knight. He focuses his practice on counseling startups on governance and general corporate matters from formation to financing to eventual sale. He has extensive experience forming and structuring corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships, and frequently advises clients on mergers, acquisitions and private placements of convertible notes, preferred stock, limited liability company interests and limited partnerships to angel investors, venture capital groups and private equity funds.
His experience prior to entering the practice of law includes working as a certified public accountant for an international accounting firm and serving as CFO of a public company.
Genevieve LeMarchal is the Managing Partner of Suncoast Ventures. She spearheaded Expert Dojo’s healthcare program, overseeing three full cohorts of health tech and medtech startups. This led her to become one of Southern California's most active early-stage VC investors (as recognized by Crunchbase, 2022) and the winner of the 2022 Biocom Lifescience Catalyst Award.
Genevieve is passionate about innovating financial models and discovering optimized ways to structure and finance companies and deals. In her illustrious career, she has served as a Partner at a science-focused advisory and fund formation, held the position of General Partner at the Oregon-based FoundersPad VC Fund II, and co-founded the XXcelerate Fund. She also hosts the AdVentureous Podcast.
Martin Tobias is the founder of Incisive Ventures, a Pre-Seed Fund based in Seattle. Incisive Ventures invests in technology companies that reduce friction at scale, leveraging the vast network Martin built as an angel investor in over 60 companies in the sector. Among these, 4 stand out as unicorns that have collectively secured $2.5B+ in follow-on financing.
Martin's entrepreneurial journey is extensive. He has invested in over 250 companies as an angel, partnered with a major VC firm, and has become a limited partner in over a dozen VC funds. Additionally, he founded the leading Angel network, Element8. With experience from Microsoft, Accenture, and as a three-time venture-backed CEO, Martin has successfully secured over $500M in funding for his companies, marking two of them with successful IPOs.
Ali Jamal is a founding partner at First Check Ventures. With over 10 years of experience, he has held various Product and Growth roles at companies like Zynga, RockYou, Agoda, Rappi, and most recently at PayClip, one of LatAm's fastest-growing FinTech companies.
He is also an accomplished angel investor, having completed more than 200 deals.
Jukka Alanen is the Managing Partner of Rebellion Ventures where he focuses on helping entrepreneurs build revolutionary AI and Automation companies.
Rebellion Ventures is a Silicon Valley based seed/pre-seed investment firm that helps entrepreneurs build AI and Automation startups that revolutionize operations and business models.
Previously, Jukka was a senior operating executive and built three VC-backed companies to $3.5B in IPO and M&A exits. Most recently, he was SVP of Strategy, Business & Corporate Development at PagerDuty, where he helped take the company public ($2.8B IPO) and led the strategy to revolutionize digital operations with AI and Automation.
Jonathan Greechan is Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator.
Since 2009, Jonathan has grown and scaled the organization to chapters in over 200 cities and 95 countries, which have produced over 6500 portfolio companies with nearly $2 billion in venture funding. He also serves as an Advisor to Oxford Entrepreneurs (Oxford University), Horasis, and the USC Incubator (University of Southern California).
Previously, Jonathan was a Partner of TheFunded.com; Executive Producer of the Founder Showcase; and Product Manager at RealNetworks (RNWK), a company he joined after its acquisition of Game Trust (a startup that raised $18M+ in venture capital, where he built and led all marketing and content).
Many more speakers to be announced…
Previous speakers include Steve Jurvetson, Jason Calacanis, Esther Dyson, Lauren Kolodny, Scott Heiferman, Andrew Filev, Christine Herron, Cyan Banister, Phil Libin, James Joaquin, and many more.
Agenda Overview
FounderX is an ‘unconference’ that combines traditional conference elements in a fun and informal environment
We are hard at work building the agenda and details will be updated below are they are confirmed.
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The first day of FounderX is all about making connections in an informal setting.
We will convene at a co-working space for the whole day, and there will be facilitated workshops, matched meetings, and office hours in an informal setting.
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The main ‘un-conference’ day takes place on Day 2, with 300+ people in attendance.
This single-track event will feature top Keynote speakers, engaging panels and group discussions, and plenty of opportunity for networking.
The day will end with an afterparty at a nearby lounge.
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The final day focuses on informal networking and culminates with a large outdoor ‘Farewell Cookout‘ party in the afternoon.
Day One Agenda: Wednesday, November 1st
10:30AM - 5:30PM PT @ WeWork San Mateo (400 Concar Drive)
The first day of FounderX is all about making connections in an informal setting. We will convene at a co-working space for the whole day, and there will be small facilitated workshops, matched meetings, office hours, and co-working.
10:30AM – 5:30PM PT:
All-day co-working and Facilitated office hours/ Meetings (4th FLoor Networking Suite)
The FounderX Networking Suite on the 4th Floor serves as the home base for the day. Coffee and drinks are available in the lobby common space.
11AM – 12PM PT:
SPeed Networking (4th floor)
12PM – 1PM:
Lunch, by Holland & Knight LLP (4th FLoor)
Holland & Knight LLP is a global law firm that provides representation in litigation, business, real estate, healthcare and governmental law.
Fourth Floor Networking Suite
1PM – 2PM: Office Hours & Matched Meetings
2PM - 2:30PM: Fundraising Heuristics Workshop
Featuring Kamal Hassan (Managing Director of Loyal VC)
2:30 - 3PM: Funding and Legal Negotiations Workshop
Featuring Kamal Hassan (Managing Director of Loyal VC) and Cliff DeGroot (Partner at Holland & Knight LLP)
3PM - 4PM: Office Hours (4th Floor)
Second floor meeting suite
1PM – 1:30PM: Non-Dilutive Financing Workshop
Featuring Leah Edwards (Investment Director at Lighter Capital)
1:30PM - 2PM: ‘Managing the Unsexy Side of Startups’ Workshop
Featuring Adam Spector (Founder & CEO of Levy)
2:15PM – 4PM: Founder Institute Local Leader Summit
A private planning and discussion meeting for FI Accelerator Leaders from across the globe. Invite-only.
4PM – 5:30PM:
Happy Hour Networking, by Holland & Knight LLP
Holland & Knight LLP is a global law firm that provides representation in litigation, business, real estate, healthcare and governmental law.
Dinner:
While Founder Institute Accelerator Leaders convene for a private dinner, we recommend others dine at The Barrel Bistro & Wine Bar (246 S B Street, San Mateo) at 7PM.
Day Two Agenda: Thursday, November 2nd
8:30AM - 5:30PM PT @ Oracle Conference Center, Redwood Shores CA (afterparty nearby from 7:30 - 11PM)
The main ‘un-conference’ day takes place on Day 2, with 300 people in attendance. This single-track event will feature top Keynote speakers, engaging panels and group discussions, and plenty of opportunity for networking. The day will end with an afterparty at a nearby lounge.
8:30Am - 9:15AM PT
Welcoming Breakfast, by FIrstbase
Firstbase helps startups worldwide expand into the United States and confidently navigate ongoing compliance. Since YC in '21, they have helped 35,000 founders from over 175 countries to launch and grow their companies in the US.
Breakfast Menu: Scrambled eggs (cheddar cheese, chives), Potatoes, Sliced bacon, Chicken sausage, House made granola (gluten free), Sliced fruit, Yogurt, Assorted pastries
9:15AM – 9:45AM:
Welcome & Opening Remarks
With Jonathan Greechan and Adeo Ressi
9:45AM – 10:15AM:
Building Impact with Interstellar Lab
A presentation and Q&A discussion on building impactful companies with Barbara Belvisi (Founder & CEO at Interstellar Lab)
10:15AM – 10:25AM:
Microrobotics in the human body
A demonstration by Torrey Smith (Co-Founder & CEO of Endiatx)
10:25AM – 10:35AM:
Speed Pitching Session 1
A quick-hitting showcase of pre-seed & seed-stage startups
10:35AM – 11:15AM:
Investor Panel/ Group Discussion
With Jed Katz (Co-Founder & Managing Director at Javelin Venture Partners), Martin Tobias (Founder of Incisive Ventures), Mercedes Bankston (Director at FI Silicon Valley & Advisor at Loyal VC), Mike Sherbakov (General Partner at The Veteran Fund), Jukka Alanen (Managing Partner of Rebellion Ventures), and more TBA.
11:15AM – 12PM:
FIRESIDE CHAT with Evan Goldberg, Co-Founder of Netsuite
Jonathan Greechan will host a discussion with Evan Goldberg: Co-Founder of NetSuite, which was acquired by Oracle in 2016 for approximately $9.3BN. Evan now leads the Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit. He and his team are responsible for the product strategy, development, and delivery of NetSuite’s unified business management suite, encompassing ERP/Financials, CRM, ecommerce, and more.
12PM – 1PM:
Buffet Lunch Reception, by Loyal
Loyal (Loyal.vc) is a global semi-liquid venture fund, designed to offer above-average returns while preserving capital, through diversification and a unique gate-stage investing process that reduces bias.
Lunch Menu: Chicken Yassa (chicken thigh, pomegranate vinegar, lemon, onions, pomegranate seeds), Spicy tofu (kale curry, potatoes, onions, masala, coriander, turmeric, tomatoes (vegan)), Steamed jasmine coconut rice (bell peppers, tomato, onions, garlic (vegan)), Akara (black eyed pea fritters, bell peppers, onions, garlic confit, flour (vegan)), Sliced baguette, Romaine salad (artichoke hearts, black olives, croutons, creamy lemon/ balsamic)
1PM – 1:45PM:
FIRESIDE CHAT Discussion with Eren Bali, Co-Founder of Udemy and Carbon health
Adeo Ressi will host a discussion and open Q&A with Eren Bali. Eren co-founded Udemy in January 2010 (Silicon Valley FI Alum) and has served as a member of Udemy’s board of directors since then. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Carbon Health, a technology-enabled healthcare provider, which operates more than 125 brick-and-mortar clinics in 13 U.S. states.
1:45PM – 1:55PM:
When Startups (and their Investors) Should Start Thinking About an ERP
With George Ploss (Head of Venture Capital Practice and Head of Oracle NetSuite Startup Accelerator)
1:55PM – 2:05PM:
Speed Pitching Session 2
A quick-hitting showcase of pre-seed & seed-stage startups
2:05PM – 2:30PM:
Human Performance & Technology
A presentation and Q&A discussion with Nichol Bradford (Co-Founder and Partner at Nirmeia Collective, and Co-Founder of TransformativeTech.org)
2:30PM – 2:40PM:
Quick break & Stretch
2:40PM – 3:20PM:
Investor Panel/ Group Discussion
With Kamal Hassan (Managing Partner at Loyal VC), Genevieve LeMarchal (Managing Partner of Suncoast Ventures), Ali Jamal (Founding Partner at First Check Ventures), George Ploss (Head of Venture Capital Practice and Head of Oracle NetSuite Startup Accelerator), Ihar Mahaniok (Managing Partner at Geek Ventures), and more TBA.
3:20PM – 4PM:
FIRESIDE CHAT Discussion with Peter Pham, Co-Founder of Science
Adeo Ressi will host a discussion and open Q&A with Peter Pham: Co-Founder of the startup studio/incubator Science, which was behind Dollar Shave Club ($1B exit to Unilever), Liquid Death, and more. Previously an operator, he has helped companies like Photobucket as employee No. 5 (acquired by MySpace for $300M) and BillShrink as Co-Founder & CEO (acquired by MasterCard). He is also an angel advisor to companies like Nextdoor, Ring, and Medium.
4PM – 4:30PM:
FIRESIDE CHAT Discussion with Jason Calacanis, Angel Investor
Adeo Ressi will host a discussion and open Q&A with Jason Calacanis: an entrepreneur, author, and angel investor in over 250 startups, including 7 "unicorns". He also hosts the popular podcasts 'This Week in Startups' and 'All-In'. Named “arguably the world’s greatest angel investor” by The Twenty Minute VC, Jason was among the early investors in companies such as Uber, Robinhood, Wealthfront, Thumbtack, and Trello.
4:30 - 5:30PM:
Happy Hour REception, by Grasshopper Bank
Grasshopper Bank is a client-first digital bank built to serve the business and innovation economy.
Happy Hour Menu: Turkey romesco meatballs, Impossible meatballs (gluten free), Fresh roma tomato and basil bruschetta (vegan), House made guac and tortilla chips (vegan), Beer, Wine
7:30PM – 11PM:
Conference Afterparty @ Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company
935 Washington Street, San Carlos CA
The day ends with a Casino-themed afterparty, featuring Texas Hold’em Poker, Craps, and Blackjack.
Food will be available from two food trucks (TBA).
Day Three Agenda: Friday, November 3rd
11:30AM - 2:00PM PT @ Venue TBA (Palo Alto, CA)
11:30am - 2:00PM
Farewell Cookout Reception
The event will culminate with a catered, outdoor barbeque and networking event in the hills of Palo Alto. Venue is hidden and address will be shared with attendees privately via email. Parking is not available at the venue so we recommend sharing a rideshare with other attendees.
* FounderX is strictly invite-only and reserved for FI and VC Lab Local Leaders, Alumni, Mentors, and Investors.
Email support (at) founderx (dot) com for assistance.