Just the right rigor that my startup needed

I have been pursuing my startup idea of SMBSure with an idea stage incubator called Founders Institute’s Chennai Chapter. Entry into FI Chennai was not an easy one. One had to take an entrance test be in the shortlist of candidates that FI would even consider for incubation. Post that you had to prove that you had loads of passion of being an entrepreneur.

Past all of that I got into the incubator and was even offer a Tech Fellowship that waived off my entry fees of $340. I was joined by 22 other founders who all had great ideas and truck loads of passion to make a difference to themselves and others around.

Founders Institute claims that they incubate founders and not startups. I would agree to that every bit. They take a aspiring entrepreneur through a structured curriculum through which one gets exposed to the various facets of running a startup. The mentors who take these sessions are just awesome to say the least. They have been there and done that and they share insights from their personal experience that is so enlightening. The mentors also have spent enough time with all the founders in guiding them through the company building process.

The assignments that follow these sessions get you out of your comfort zone and stretch the boundaries of what you thought you could be doing. They help you get comfortable with every aspect of running a startup. Another aspect that helped quite a bit is the way they make you work in groups. You get to bounce of your ideas, questions and take help from others in your work groups. A strong camaraderie also gets built in the process.

In all I am extremely happy with the decision that I took to join Founder’s Institute. The program imbibed the discipline that I needed and the rigor that I had to apply to run my startup.