What we’re about
Startup Founder 101 brings together aspiring and experienced tech entrepreneurs to discuss, meet, and collaborate to build great new startups, and to push the local startup ecosystem forward.\
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This group hosts numerous free events throughout the year where you can learn the best practices of starting a company from people who have been there and done that. You’ll have the opportunity to meet local founders and investors, exchange ideas with experts, get feedback on your idea, participate in startup workshops, and more.\
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Typical startup event topics include:\
• Coming up with a strong startup idea\
• Startup legal basics\
• How to pitch your startup\
• Starting a company without quitting your day job\
• How to raise funding for your startup\
• And much more!\
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Join the group to be invited to our next event!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- FI Silicon Valley Spring 2025 Graduation: Meet the New Portfolio CompaniesLink visible for attendees
Join us for the most recent Silicon Valley Graduation, where you can see an inspiring talk by and a few debut presentations from the new Alumni. Learn about some of the companies that will go onto seed-accelerators, raise funding, and build the next great Silicon Valley startups. There will also be an opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and celebrate the new Graduates.
❯ Featured Keynote Speaker:
- Dilip Goswami - President @ Inlyte Energy - Dilip Goswami has spent his career as a founder, executive, and venture investor in deep tech companies. Currently Dilip is President of Inlyte Energy, a venture backed battery company. Prior to joining Inlyte Dilip was a Venture Partner with At One Ventures, where he made investments while also assisting portfolio companies with commercialization and scale up. Prior to At One, Dilip co-founded Molekule, a deep tech company using photo electrochemical oxidation (PECO) technology to destroy pollutants in the air. As CEO Dilip grew the company from a lab-bench proof of concept to shipping 1M+ units, $95M in annual revenue, Nasdaq listing, and raising $130M in capital along the way. He is an inventor on 12 patents. Dilip grew up in Florida and enjoys playing guitar, sitar, and harmonium.
❯ We Proudly Announce the Following Graduates:
- Aamir Siddiqui - OrangePro
- Alex Wick - Cascadia Carbon Inc
- Bill Zuo - Softprobe
- Deepak Jha- Quantum Mosaic
- Elizabeth Wu - Cybersecurity Auditing Technologies
- Jay Veal - Brightmatch
- Lavanya Poreddy - Cora
- Mark Lenke - Porchi, Inc
- Sean Gigremosa - Claritiv
- Stephanie Acosta - Waste Sync
- Thiri Kyaw - Finja
- Wilzer Jean-Baptiste - Aidelly
❯❯ This is a live, interactive online event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/375837/meetup to receive the Zoom URL to join us live!
- Ask an Investor Anything: Q&A with Sonam VelaniLink visible for attendees
Do you want to ask questions to startup investors about fundraising in a friendly, judgment-free environment? Are you looking to raise funding in the future, and want to learn what investors look for and how they evaluate potential investments? Then join us for this live, interactive Q&A event featuring Sonam Velani, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Streetlife Ventures. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your network and ask in-depth questions - Register now!
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❯ What You'll Learn:- Key metrics and pre-requisites for raising funding
- How to make yourself more attractive to investors
- The best ways to source different funding resources such as Angel investors, Venture Capitalists, grants and loans
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❯ Featured Speaker:- Sonam Velani - Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Streetlife Ventures - A mission-driven leader bridging capital, policy, and technology, she has led multi-billion-dollar investments in climate infrastructure, affordable housing, and inclusive economic growth across roles at Goldman Sachs, the World Bank, Zipline, and the NYC Mayor’s Office. With deep expertise in structuring complex deals and building public-private partnerships, her work spans global markets; from financing the largest U.S. transit agency to deploying medical drones in Africa. Her career is dedicated to tackling systemic inequities and aligning innovation with long-term impact.
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❯❯ This live, interactive online event promises valuable insights! Ensure your participation by RSVPing now at 👉 https://fi.co/startupwebinar/19119 to receive the link to join us live! - Find a Co-Founder, Help or Join a Tech StartupLink visible for attendees
Welcome to Startup Oasis!
If you are a startup founder or anyone else in the tech ecosystem looking to start, join, or help a tech startup, this event is for you!
Startup founders pitch their business or concept to the audience like on Shark Tank. Then, each founder gets a breakout room for more collaboration and discussions, similar to a hackathon.
If you are a Founder and you come away with teammates, DO NOT LET IT GO TO WASTE. This windfall of resources may change your perspective, but remember you were just in the desert, trying to find human capital. Schedule weekly benchmark calls, keep them excited about the vision, be open to input, and celebrate small wins.
We are meeting on Zoom, the link is here in the listing.
Agenda:
8:00pm – 8:10 EDT
Intros: During the first 10 minutes, we will give you the history, structure, and future plans of Startup Oasis and open signups for founders that want to pitch their startups.8:10 - 8:25
Pitches: Each founder will then get up to 3 minutes to pitch their startup. This format is recommended: name, business, the problem, your solution, target customer base, and your biggest challenge/current need. This part is similar to Shark Tank.8:30 – onward
Breakout Groups: For the remainder of the event, each founder gets a breakout room, and you can talk to the founders in greater detail about their needs and challenges in a small group setting. This part is similar to a hackathon.Startup Oasis was created to pierce the illusion of accessibility of startups and tech by creating a grassroots forum for early-stage founders to pitch to those in the tech ecosystem to get real-time feedback for their idea or business.
Use this link to:
- Follow us on LinkedIn
- Join our community on Discord
- Donate to our cause
- Visit our website
FAQ:
Is this event free to attend? Yes - Startup Oasis will always be free for anyone to attend. If you would like to donate, you can do so directly on our website. You can also talk to us about volunteer or sponsorship opportunities.How do I sign up to pitch? RSVP here. Right when the event starts, fill out the form and then raise your hand on Zoom. That will also determine the order. You can also buy a VIP ticket to support our cause and guarantee you a spot to pitch. To be eligible to pitch, you must be the cofounder of a technology-based startup. Agencies, consultants, coaches, MLM schemes, and nonprofits are not eligible to pitch, but you can still watch the pitches and join the breakouts.
What happens after the pitches? The breakout groups open for the remainder of the event. Each founder gets a breakout room, and you can talk more about their business and needs with them.
Is this event recorded? No. We will also not allow any participants to record nor grant permissions to AI assistants to record. This is to maintain the efficiency of the event and and privacy of the pitches.
Can I invite other people that I know? Yes - please have them RSVP here or on the LinkedIn event listing.
How do I get the most out of this event?
- Founders - In this event, no money is awarded nor are any winners named. We are not here to critique your pitch, just to help you find teammates, cofounders, and feedback from other professionals. Make sure your pitch is 3 minutes or less and clear about what your biggest needs are.
- Attendees - If you are new to startups and tech, feel free to just watch with no pressure to participate. If you are looking to join a startup or find a side project, make sure you take notes during the pitches to join the group of the founder that you're most interested in helping. Most founders need help with either developing the product or with a go-to-market strategy.
Do we meet in person? We host a separate, in-person version in Atlanta, GA on the 3rd Thursday each month in Midtown at ATDC.
Content: We are looking for founders to be interviewed or people to interview founders for short videos. Let us know if you are interested!
- Find a Cofounder, Help or Join a Tech Startup (in-person!)ATDC, Atlanta, GA
Welcome to Startup Oasis in a promotional collaboration with Founder Institute!
If you are a startup founder, investor, developer, marketer, entrepreneur, or anyone else in the tech ecosystem looking to start, join, or help a tech startup, this event is for you! Startup founders pitch their business to the audience (similar to Shark Tank), then they will join their own breakout room to get feedback from the attendees (similar to a hackathon). People have been able to start a business as a result of this process. If you would like to pitch, please RSVP here, and sign up at check-in on the day of the event.
We meet on the 3rd Thursday evening of each month in person at our location at ATDC (Tech Square, 2nd-floor lobby)! If you have any questions, please reach out! ATDC is a technology incubator with world-class facilities - you will be impressed!
Free food and drinks are provided beforehand at a partner event with ATDC. ATDC Entrepreneurs Night starts at 5 PM, our event starts promptly at 7 PM. Everyone here is welcome to attend both events for free.
Schedule:
5:00 PM EST - Doors Open/Networking
5:10 - Catered food and drinks are served
6:50 - Up to 10 founders are chosen to pitch; please sign up at check-in
7:00 - Startup Oasis Begins, each founder gets 3 minutes to pitch
7:35 onward - Founders break off into break-out rooms and attendees can move around and help one for the remainder of the time, similar to a hackathon.Startup Oasis was created to pierce the illusion of accessibility of startups and tech by creating a grassroots forum for early-stage founders to pitch to those in the tech ecosystem to get real-time feedback for their idea or business.
Use this link to:
- Follow us on LinkedIn
- Join our community on Discord
- Donate to our cause
- Visit our website
- Sign up for our events newsletter
Find more information about the Founder Institute here.
FAQ:
Is this event free to attend? Yes - Startup Oasis will always be free for anyone to attend. If you would like to donate, you can buy a VIP ticket here and it will be appreciated! You can also talk to us about volunteer opportunities.How do I get inside the venue? Look for 75 5th St in the courtyard - you'll see the flyers by the security desk when you enter. You can take the elevators up to the 2nd floor.
Am I eligible to pitch? You must be the founder or on the leadership team of a technology-based startup to be eligible to pitch. You can be early stage (pre-funding, pre-revenue, or pre-MVP) up to series A. Consultants, firms, coaches, and agencies cannot pitch their services - please join a breakout to speak with the founders.
How do I sign up to pitch? RSVP here and sign up on the list at the check-in desk on the day of the event. That will also determine the order. You can also buy a VIP ticket to support our cause and guarantee you a spot to pitch.
What happens after the pitches? The breakout groups form for the remainder of the event. Each founder gets a breakout room and you can talk with them more there about their business and needs.
Can I take photos or videos? Yes, please be respectful when doing so. You can tag Startup Oasis on LinkedIn. If you have a video or YouTube show, you are welcome to interview founders and attendees.
Parking: If you are driving in, there is cheap street parking in front of the building. You can also park at the Centergy Deck (815 Williams St NW), Modera Deck (cheapest), or at the Coda Deck.
Train: Alternatively, you can take the Marta train to North Ave or Midtown stations and walk from there. You can park at certain Marta stations for free, like Lindbergh station. See the website for a full list. The fare is $5 roundtrip.
