FounderX 2022 will be attended by several thousand founders, advisors, investors, and executives from the global FI Network, which spans 95+ countries across 6 continents.
The goal of FounderX is to facilitate meaningful connections and learning across the FI Network. As such, the event is designed to be very interactive, with an emphasis on video networking, Q&A chats, and live “lounges” with global experts.
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Keynote Speakers
FounderX 2022 will gather dozens of top global experts on startups and venture capital.
Esther Dyson is the Founder of Wellville, a 10-year non-profit project to cultivate equitable wellbeing.
She is also an active angel, journalist, board member and advisor concentrating on emerging markets, tech, new space and health. She sits on the boards of BAMF Health, Element 3 Health, ProoPilot, Avanlee Care and SWVL, and is an investor in 23and Me (past board seat), Block (née Square), EPAM Systems, Ezra.com, Hurdle Health, Levels Health, Mindright, Nobil, Omada Health, StartUp Health, Voyager Space and many others.
Previously, she was the Founding Chairman of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), and trained in Star City as a backup cosmonaut. She is also a long-time IT/Internet analyst and the author of the best-selling “Release 2.0: A design for living in the digital age.”
Andrew Filev is the founder and CEO of Wrike, a collaborative work management platform that was acquired by Citrix for $2.25BN in 2021. Wrike was included on Deloitte’s Technology Fast™ 500 list for the sixth consecutive year in 2020, named a Leader in the Forrester Wave on Collaborative Work Management Enterprise Tools for the third time in 2020, and selected as a top workplace by the Bay Area News Group for the fifth straight year in 2019.
Andrew has more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector and his insights on entrepreneurship, productivity, and the future of work have been featured in leading business publications, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., and The New York Times.
He was named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 Award Finalist in Northern California and Bay Area News Group 40 Under 40 nominee.
Co-founder of Obvious Ventures, James makes investments with a plant-forward approach to food including Beyond Meat (IPO) and Miyoko’s Creamery, “good for you goods” consumer visionaries Olly (acquired by Unilever) and Welly (acquired by Unilever).
James has been working in venture capital since 2007, and has invested in a wide range of mission-driven startups including Plum Organics (acquired by Campbell’s Soup), TenMarks Education (acquired by Amazon), Opower (IPO), and Seventh Generation (acquired by Unilever).
Prior to investing, James began his entrepreneurial career while studying computer science at Brown University, co-founding Clearview Software which was acquired by Apple, where he spent six years in engineering and marketing roles.
Phil Libin is the Co-Founder & CEO of mmhmm (an easy-to-use web app for making, watching, and talking on videos together) and All Turtles (an early-stage startup studio solving meaningful problems). He is also a Senior Advisor and Former Managing Director at General Catalyst; and Co-Founder and Former CEO of the global productivity tool Evernote, which created an epic transformation in workflow and has redefined the way individuals and teams work today.
A sought-after leader on innovation, Libin provides audiences with an engaging look at what it takes to reinvent productivity at global scale. His investment focus is generally on using technology to enhance humanity, productivity, and business globally.
Jenny Fielding is a Co-Founder & General Partner at THE FUND, a first-check venture fund and community of 400 founders and operators who care deeply about supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. THE FUND is currently active across eight funds and 200+ portfolio companies.
Jenny also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Colombia University, and has invested in the first-check to 200+ companies.
Previously, Jenny was the Managing Director of Techstars NY for nearly 8 years, a Kauffman Fellow, and the Head of Digital Ventures at BBC.
Patrick Lee is a veteran entrepreneur, who has started six startups (three exited) across three countries; including Rotten Tomatoes, where he was a Co-Founder and Former CEO.
Patrick is currently a Managing Partner @ PKO Investments, a syndicate that invests in startups at the intersection of tech+entertainment. The syndicate has invested into 44 companies since March 2021 and has raised over $33M for those companies across 410+ active investors.
He is also an Advisor to companies including Analogue, Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Dataherald, Immortal Studios, Instaread, Kiwibot, Leo AR, Morty, Oishii, Tales, and more.
Adeo Ressi is CEO of VC Lab, which runs the leading venture capital accelerator and operates the Fund in a Box 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.
Session Hosts & Panelists
Kamal Hassan
Managing Partner at Loyal VC, a global venture fund with 220+ investments across 50+ countries.
Kamal has served as Global Director with the Founder Institute accelerator, former INSEAD Alumni Association President, a consultant at Bain & Co, and an engineer at IMAX.
Rami Essaid
Co-Founder and CEO of Finmark, financial planning software for fast growing companies.
Venture Partner to several venture funds.
Previously, Founder & CEO of Distil Networks (acquired 2019) and Founder of Chit Chat Communications (acquired in 2005).
Jonathan Greechan
Co-Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute. Advisor to Horasis, Oxford Entrepreneurs, USC Incubator + hundreds of startups. Contributor to TechCrunch, Entrepreneur, Fortune.
Previously Product Manager at RealNetworks (which he joined after acquisition of GameTrust, which raised $18M+ where he led marketing).
YJ Lin
YJ is a program manager for Dell Technologies supporting startups, and a part-time business owner of an e-commerce shop selling and making custom board game pieces and accessories.
YJ enjoys mentoring and supporting entrepreneurs throughout their journey and continues to facilitate those conversations through a podcast, Drunkstartups.co.
Mike Suprovici
Mike is Head of Acceleration at VC Lab (the venture capital accelerator & FI’s sister company), and an advisor and Venture Partner.
Previously, Mike was FI HQ’s MD leading portfolio at the global level, and the Founder of Explorence (a venture funded gaming startup).
Hanah Tran
Hanah is a Founder, Venture Builder & Goldman Sachs veteran. She founded and manages FHH Ventures, an AI-enabled Venture Studio in Fintech-in-Web3 and Agri-Food-Bio-Tech for Health Equity.
FHH’s strategy is to build in-house ventures & take them to exit by selling equity at small scale for capital gain or licensing to third party operators for cashflow.
Russell Brand
Russell is the founder of Responsible Solutions Limited, Einsteins Elephant, and Dynamic Security Research. Each has been successful in its respective software field. He has been an active angel investor.
He advises early-stage companies on customer discovery, product direction, and strategy; and established companies on effectiveness, appropriate uses of technology, and stewardship.
Nelly Yusupova
Nelly was included in Fast Company’s, “League of Extraordinary Women”, and has been at the forefront of the women’ s movement online since 1999. She was also named Wall Street Journal’s “Woman on the IT Fast Track.”
She is a start-up tech advisor, outsourced CTO, and the creator of TechSpeak for Entrepreneurs.
Evgeny Kruglov
Evgeny started his career with Accenture in 2001, and then spent several years working for a mobile telco Beeline where he headed a partner program. In 2005, Eugene joined his first startup. Having co-founded a company which designed mobile applications for operators, he sold his stake in 2016 to concentrate fully on AppFollow.
Diane Yoo
Founding Partner of Parliament Ventures Fund, Diane has invested in 30+ businesses with top tier leads and venture backed Silicon Valley tech companies.
Peter Adams
Co-Author of “Venture Capital for Dummies”, Managing Partner at Rockies Venture Fund, Executive Director at Rockies Venture Club (one of the longest-running angel groups in the U.S.).
Asya Bradley
Senior Partner at Mendoza Ventures, a VC firm focused on funding diverse founders in fintech, AI, and cybersecurity. Active angel, advisor, and champion of diversity and gender balance in the workplace.
Simon Turner
Following an elite-level junior gymnast career that was ended by a fractured spine, years of rehab enabled a career as an Intelligence Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Simon successfully launched PropTech startups based in Australia and Singapore.
Derrick Maultsby
Derrick serves as a business advisor and corporate transactional lawyer to startups, small to mid-sized businesses, and Fortune 50 companies. Derrick’s clients range across multiple sectors.
Kevin Brockland
Experienced private equity professional with a track record of achievement. A business coach giving back to support local businesses in each country he has worked. Always seeking to help build an idea.
Abhishek Garg
Head of Growth & Partnerships at TheCapitalNet, Abhishek is always looking forward to collecting and connecting dotes related to strategy, private investments, innovation, growth hacking, and more.
Martin Tobias
Founder of Incisive Ventures, Martin has raised over $500M in equity, project finance, and working capital, and has personally invested in over 70 startups and led about half a dozen through venture funds.
Javier Cueto Soto
Recognized as one of Chile’s top 100 young leaders in 2018, Javier is CEO of Imagine, a recognized incubator-accelerator and consultancy, design and digital platform supported by Microsoft Chile.
Adam Spector
Founding team member at AbstractOps, an operations platform for businesses to outsource their operations to a trusted third party. In previous lives, Adam has been a product leader, CEO, company founder, and operations do-it-all so that the engineering team can focus.
Chintan Oza
Chintan is the Founder of Anantam Ecosystems & Regional Director of Founder Institute India. He has 22 years of experience in the Telecom & ICT domain, in addition to global projects with Reliance & Tata Group.
Alejandro Galvez
Managing Partner at 99 Startups, a seed capital fund that invests in Fintech, healthcare, and logistics companies in Latin America, Alejandro has invested in Clara, Fintual, Torre, Aplazo, and Beek.
Kwaku Jyamfi
As CEO of Farm to Flame Energy, Kwaku has commercial experience as well as project management and fundraising ($1M cash, and $1M+ startup credits). His qualities are tactical and multifaceted when dealing with high-tech problems.
Anna Lindbäck
To date, Anna has 4000+ hours of experience coaching in sales and business modelling and has worked with over 200 startups. She is a mentor in Founder Institute, demo juror at VentureCup Sweden and a LoyalVC advisor.
Chris Foltz
From his roots in partisan politics to a battle with drug addiction, 119 days in jail, and facing homelessness, Chris is now one of the most sought-after strategic advisors & initiators of unique, impact-focused, go-to-market collaborations around the world.
Ankur Shrivastava
Managing Partner at Stealth Seed VC Fund., based in North America and India.
Co-founder & VP at Globevestor, a tech investment platform and micro-VC funds, to invest in early-stage startups in the US and India since 2014. Written 70 checks in 40 startups. Backers include Tim Draper, Bill Draper & Boost VC.
Juan Lacey
CEO/Founder of Farms Close By, providing local communities with year-round access to fruit and vegetables by blending vertical farming, greenhouse farming and grocery stores together.
Our solution provides smaller stores that will fit into food deserts as franchise units that will be able to grow all year.
Danny Tamez
Founder of Gum, the app for making & sharing videos about your startup. Gum helps founders get networked, promoted, & funded.
Venture partner at WeFunder and GoingVC. Featured on this year’s investor panel for the Founder Showcase pitches.
Chuck Ng
Chuck Ng is an entrepreneur, tech investor and community leader. He has invested in multiple unicorn tech companies. He is also an advisor/partner to a number of leading technology companies.
He is featured on this year’s investor panel for the Founder Showcase pitches.
Burak Büyükdemir
Burak is the founder of Startup Turkey, Startup Istanbul, and Etohum, the leading accelerator and seed investor organization in Turkey. Etohum selects 40 startups every year, trains, mentors, and seed invests startups every year.
Burak is featured on this year’s investor panel for the Founder Showcase pitches.
Day One Agenda: Tuesday, Aug 2
9:30AM – 5:00PM PT (see your local start time)
9:30AM PT
DOORS OPEN
We encourage everyone to sign in early and start networking with other attendees before the official programming begins.
10:00 – 11:00AM PT
FOUNDERX WELCOME & FIRESIDE CHAT WITH ESTHER DYSON
Join this special fireside chat with Esther Dyson, Founder of Wellville, hosted by Jonathan Greechan, CEO of Founder Institute.
INVESTORS & ADVISORS TRACK (DAY 1)
11:05 – 11:45AM PT
FIRST STEPS TO LAUNCH A VENTURE FUND
Featuring Mike Suprovici (Head of Acceleration at VC Lab)
Learn the best practices for building a fund from VC Lab, an accelerator to launch venture funds that has already helped spawn over 200 new funds.
11:50 – 12:30 PM PT
ASK AN ANGEL
Featuring Martin Tobias (Founder of Incisive Ventures), Peter Adams (Managing Partner at Rockies Venture Fund), and Alejandro Galvez (Managing Partner at 99 Startups).
Meet a group of prolific angel investors and ask them questions about deal sourcing, diligence, and more.
12:40 – 1:20 PM PT
DECIPHERING BAD PITCH DECKS AND FINDING THE HIDDEN GEMS
Featuring Russell Brand (Founder of Responsible Solutions, longtime angel and advisor).
Meet a group of prolific angel investors and ask them questions about deal sourcing, diligence, and more.
1:30 – 2:10 PM PT
DIVERSITY IN STARTUP INVESTING
Featuring Asya Bradley (Senior Partner at Mendoza Ventures), Kamal Hassan (Managing Partner at Loyal VC), and Diane Yoo (Founding Partner at Parliament Ventures).
Details TBA.
FOUNDERS TRACK (DAY 1)
11:05 – 11:30 AM PT
R.I.P. GOOD TIMES? NAVIGATING YOUR STARTUP THROUGH UNCERTAINTY
Featuring Rami Essaid (Co-Founder & CEO of Finmark)
Get answers to questions about building contingency plans to protect your startup’s cash flow, financials, and fundraising milestones during times of economic uncertainty.
11:30 – 12:00 PM PT
HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE DILUTION AS YOU FUNDRAISE
Featuring Hanah Tran (Founder of FHH Ventures).
Details TBA.
12:00 – 12:30 PM PT
HOW STARTUPS CAN BUILD COMMUNITIES
Featuring YJ Lin (Program Manager for Dell Technologies supporting startups).
Details TBA.
12:30 – 1:00 PM PT
HOW TO SPEED UP YOUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & OUTPACE COMPETITORS
Featuring Nelly Yusupova (Founder of Techspeak).
Details TBA.
1:00 – 2:00 PM PT
FUNDERS & FOUNDERS LOUNGE
A social lounge where founders can join tables with angels and early-stage investors from across the globe, and give their elevator pitch for feedback.
2:00 – 3:00PM PT
OPEN NETWORKING SESSION
Network with other attendees via one-on-one chats, video chat rooms, and more.
3:00 – 5:00PM PT
MENTOR Q&A LOUNGE
A social lounge where founders can join tables with top rated FI Mentors from across the globe, and ask them questions for feedback.
Day Two Agenda: Wednesday, Aug 3
3:30PM – 10:30PM PT (see your local start time)
3:30PM PT
DOORS OPEN
We encourage everyone to sign in early and start networking with other attendees before the official programming begins.
4:00 – 5:00PM PT
WELCOME & THE STATE OF VC
Adeo Ressi, Co-Founder & Chairman of Founder Institute addresses the state of VC.
INVESTORS & ADVISORS TRACK (DAY 2)
5:05 – 5:45PM PT
LAUNCHING A FUND IN 2022: MEET NEW FUND MANAGERS
Featuring Mike Suprovici (Head of Acceleration, VC Lab), Kevin Brockland (Managing Partner, Indelible Ventures), Javier Cueto Soto (CEO, Grupo Imagine), and Ankur Shrivastava (Co-founder & VP, Globevestor).
Details TBA
5:50 – 6:40PM PT
EXACTLY WRONG OR APPROXIMATELY RIGHT? MAKING SENSE OF STARTUP VALUATIONS
Featuring Kamal Hassan (Managing Partner, Loyal VC)
Learn about valuator’s motivations, industry standard approaches, deal terms, valuation rules of thumb, and the surprising way that some companies reach unicorn status.
6:40 – 7:30PM PT
GLOBAL MENTORSHIP: LEVERAGING INTERNATIONAL EXPERTISE FOR LOCAL IMPACT
Featuring Chintan Oza (Venture Advisor, Loyal VC), Anna Lindbäck (Advisor, Loyal VC), & Simon Turner (Managing Director, Founder Institute Ghana). Moderated by Chris Foltz (Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Founder Institute).
This panel will highlight the impact of international mentorship and collaboration between local ecosystems.
7:30 – 8:10PM PT
THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF GENERAL PARTNERS AND FUND MANAGERS
Moderated by Abishek Garg (Head of Growth & Partnerships, TheCapitalNet). Panelists TBA.
Details TBA
FOUNDERS TRACK (DAY 2)
5:05 – 5:30PM PT
TBA FOUNDER WORKSHOP
Details TBA
5:30 – 6:00PM PT
OPERATING YOUR STARTUP IN A CASH CONSTRAINED WORLD
Featuring Adam Spector (Founding Team & COO of AbstractOps)
Details TBA
6:00 – 6:30PM PT
RAISING MONEY AS FOUNDERS OF COLOR
Featuring Juan Lacey (CEO & Founder, Farms Close By), Derrick Maultsby (Corporate Attorney, Frost Brown Todd), & Kwaku Jyamfi (CEO, Farm to Flame Energy).
Learn to create an environment for a growing and thriving business independent of its industry or location.
6:30 – 7:00PM PT
HOW TO BUILD A REMOTE TEAM IN 23 COUNTRIES
Featuring Evgeny Kruglov (Co-founder & COO, AppFollow)
Learn how and who to hire at different stages of startup growth and how to nurture team relationships in a remote company full of international people.
7:00 – 8:00 PM PT
FUNDERS & FOUNDERS LOUNGE
A social lounge where founders can join tables with angels and early-stage investors from across the globe, and give their elevator pitch for feedback.
8:00 – 8:30PM PT
OPEN NETWORKING SESSION
Network with other attendees via one-on-one chats, video chat rooms, and more.
8:30 – 10:30PM PT
MENTOR Q&A LOUNGE
A social lounge where founders can join tables with top rated FI Mentors from across the globe, and ask them questions for feedback.
Day Three Agenda: Thursday, Aug 4
8:00AM – 10:00AM PT Mentor Q&A Lounge (see your local start time)
10:00AM – 3:00PM PT Founder Showcase (see your local start time)
8:00 – 10:00AM PT
MENTOR Q&A LOUNGE
A social lounge where founders can join tables with top rated FI Mentors from across the globe, and ask them questions for feedback.
FOUNDER SHOWCASE @ FOUNDERX
10:00 – 10:45 AM PT
WELCOME & FIRESIDE CHAT WITH ANDREW FILEV
Join this special fireside chat with Andrew Filev, Founder and CEO of Wrike, hosted by Jonathan Greechan, CEO of Founder Institute.
10:45 – 11:30AM PT
COMPANY PITCHES: ROUND 1
Investor panel: Danny Tamez (Founder & CEO, Gum), Chuck Ng (Investor, Databricks), & Burak Büyükdemir (Founder, Etohum).
Watch 3 minute pitches from promising companies, and see top investors analyze and ask questions about the businesses.
11:30 – 12:00PM PT
FIRESIDE CHAT WITH JENNY FIELDING
Join this special fireside chat with Jenny Fielding, Co-Founder & General Partner at The Fund, hosted by Jonathan Greechan, CEO of Founder Institute.
12:00 – 12:35PM PT
COMPANY PITCHES: ROUND 2
Investor panel: Shin Nagpal (Program Manager, Amazon), Ozan Sonmez (Co-founder, Zillion Pitches), & Aaron Welker (Marketing Lead, Dell Technologies).
Watch 3 minute pitches from promising companies, and see top investors analyze and ask questions about the businesses.
12:35 – 1:30PM PT
CLOSING PRESENTATION BY PATRICK LEE
Join us for the closing Founder Showcase Keynote presentation by Patrick Lee, Managing Partner @ PKO Investments, and Co-Founder / Former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes. Hosted by Martin Martinez, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Founder Institute.
1:30 – 3:00PM PT
OPEN NETWORKING & VIRTUAL EXPO HALL
Open networking session to connect with hundreds of international founders, investors, advisors and mentors via group live video chats.
* FounderX is 100% free, but strictly invite-only and reserved for FI and VC Lab Local Leaders, Alumni, Mentors, Investors, Partners, and currently Enrolled participants. If you fit these criteria you should have an invitation in your email. If not, reach us at support [at] founderx (dot) com.
