Steve Hoffman is one of the most hardworking founders I have known. It is like every entrepreneur Silicon Valley area knows about him. Also, I think it is very smart to be focusing on overseas entrepreneurs and building connections with overseas capital resources. It differentiates Founders Space with a ton of incubators in SF and the South Bay very well.

I am very honored to become one of the members in Founders Space. The teachers, friends, lessons and practices have really paid off. If you have a lot of questions about how to start a startup or how to make your startup a success, I would really recommend that you look into Founders Space. Take time to learn, you will not only invest yourself but also your team and the company.

Meanwhile, I liked the location of Founders Space, very close to the Caltrain Station. So it is very convenient for my team members to travel from Silicon Valley area. Also, it is a quiet neighborhood with some food trucks and cafes nearby. Read More...

I’ve been involved in the first batch of startups, then visited most of second batch meetings (we could do that), and now occasionally visiting the space seeing training of other batches. I can say for sure that the program is evolving and improving each time. Steven as an ex-entrepreneur takes feedback very seriously and iterates till the best satisfaction of people who he is doing this for – entrepreneurs.

All of the instructors were entrepreneurs or work closely with them during their life, so have great first hand experience to share. At the same time, we had guest speakers coming every week who were either the experts in a particular field, either investors who were looking to share what they are looking for and learn more about Founders Space’s startups. There are no limits to learn if you are proactive enough and would like to follow up with instructors and guests anytime during the program or even after you graduate. This perfect synergy of in house support and a warm introduction to the outside entrepreneurial world makes the program so successful.

Outside of most other programs, where there is a strict week by week schedule with certain deliverables, Founders Space mentors are very flexible and they tailor their course around your particular needs. They help not like teachers, but more like consultants who want to maximize value for the time with them. The success of such approach results in a number of investments to startups which graduated from Founders Space. One of these startups was TalkToChef.com, which received its next round of financing right after graduation from Founders Space. Mentors, including Steve were very supportive, helping with valuable advice through the process of negotiation. Read More...

I really enjoyed the one-month intensive program at Founders Space (FS). Our captain at FS, Steve Hoffman, is a well-rounded and highly experienced leader to help start-ups direct themselves of what they should do. Captain Hoff always tried to support all of the batch program participants as much as he can do!

He also provides more than 70 video clips of online lectures, which are invaluable resources for all start-ups initiating their business in Silicon Valley! His video lectures shed light on many mysterious factors entrepreneurs could be facing with. To me, the lectures seem to be a START-UP 101 lessons.

The inside classes were very helpful. Two head coaches, Steve Austin and Scott Gray, taught us a great deal of information regarding growth hacking, budgeting, preparation for pitch and intro deck, and business development & strategies. During the mentoring sessions, we were able to meet VCs, angel investors and start-up experts in various fields such as marketing, PR, legal and patent services. The best thing from all the sessions is that each company was able to receive real-time feedback from the mentors and to have direct coaching services in person. Read More...

I was trying to do a startup for 10 months before joining founders space, and I feel I joined Founders Space before planning to go full time in to my startup.

Learned a lot valuable lessons and have to say that now I know what it takes to be successful. Before Founders Space, I had a vague idea and did not know how I measured up. Also, I feel that within a short time we were able to learn and internalize the keys to success.

– Scott Gray’s Teaching
===> Good input on refining the pitch deck and overall strategy Read More...

Founders space for us was kind of a soft-landing program. We are the new people in the US market that don’t know what’s going on. During the four weeks, they give us a lot of information on how to start your company, legal issues for the US market. Although I have expertise in accounting, they provided professionals that could help me. We learned a lot on how to market, fundraise and make Americans know our product!

Another thing Founders Space does differently is the pitching itself on Demo Day. It was a totally new experience for me. The normal demos pitches are about five minutes with slides. However, after one month, we had to do a two minute pitch without any audiovisuals, just by ourselves. You have to captivate the VCs and Angel investors with your words. It’s very tough but very interesting.

The online videos of Captain Hoff’s online accelerator series are the best lectures for startups. Everyday he gives a short videos (3 ~ 7mins) to the startups to let them understand the most important topics or subjects. Mentors and lectures in Founders Space are very supportive and helped us to work out our business plan. They did help us a lot! Read More...

I moved to the Bay Area to launch my company after finishing my MBA at MIT, in which I focused on many entrepreneurship courses. Founders Space quickly re-oriented me to what was important to focus on as a start-up, and what people and investors really cared about, by offering real-world advice.

Scott Gray and Steve Austin were the perfect blend of instructors offering positive encouragement and tough love, while encouraging the class to actively engage their customers and learn more. Instead of a standard lecture, Scott and Steve would open the dialogue to truly get to know your business and offer practical advice and strategies that applied to your business in particular. Since the entire cohort learned about everyone’s companies, I was able to make valuable connections from other founders’ networks.

The course ended with the Founders Space pitch event, which brought us together with VCs, angels and other people in industry who wanted to learn about our companies. This event is where I made several connections with investors, which I’m not sure would have been possible without going through the month-long accelerator. Read More...

I liked my Founders Space experience because of its intensity and depth. Having Scott Gray and Steve Austin as mentors is like going through an ivy league bootcamp, with Scott being the professor and Steve being the drill sergeant.

Both have tremendous experience and knowledge in running successful startups, pitching and fund-raising. They and many other mentors who lectured during the program got me to think deeper and harder on my startup than I ever did before.

The one-to-one attention on each program participant is invaluable. I highly recommended Founder Space to all of my friends who are looking for accelerator programs. Read More...

Wow! If you are a startup and think you don’t need the help, think again. Founders Space is AMAZING.

For me, who has been an entrepreneur but not in tech, it was an endless fountain of education, connections and mentors. I thought I was pretty smart but man, the classes (which I attended all) and the videos hit all of the buttons that you could ever think of on how to create, launch, keep and exit a successful company. It’s up to you to attend the classes but I assure you, you will be thankful you did.

We all feel so much smarter and are already more focused and sure-footed than we were just a month ago. An incredible experience. It’s really intense but that’s why it’s awesome. And we bonded with our classmates from the mere fact of learning side by side everyday with them and being in essentially the same place at the same time professionally. Read More...

As a first time founder, I was constantly searching for the right formula to build a company. I can’t even count the number hours I spent reading blogs, books and conversations with other entrepreneurs. There is so much information that it is overwhelming. You can’t really figure out what makes sense for you and your company. I wasted a lot of time…

We dreamed of getting into YC, 500, TechStars or AngelPad…thinking they had the magic potion to make everything go.

After meeting Steve Hoffman and learning a little about Founders Space, we reluctantly applied. It wasn’t the most well known accelerator program or had many companies go through…so we were naturally very skeptical. But I liked Steve and felt he genuinely wanted to help. Read More...