Four Foundry Institute graduates explain why they chose the program. They cite the ability to stay employed while building a company, strong mentors paired with founders, and a selective admissions process. One speaker recalls a mentor saying Elon Musk succeeded through sheer hard work, which motivated her to embrace the program's demanding nature.
First was at that moment that I didn't have to quit my job yet, and I was not sure like if it's right fit for me to do my own company or not. Second, I looked at the curriculum, and their curriculum was Pretty clear, and it was clear that bringing great mentors, great people to help aspiring founders. And third thing, maybe surprising, that it was not easy to get. You have to pass the test, you have to write the essay and a lot of things. So it created kind of a competition moment.
I mean, to be fair, back then, like, there weren't a lot of different programs. And Foundry Street was one of the kind of pioneers of the model. And the other thing that attracted us was that it was more flexible because when I first moved to the US, I was on a working visa. So I wasn't able to just quit my job and work at my new startup. But Foundry Street actually understood that good founders came from all backgrounds and it was more flexible. So that was one of the big reasons.
In the introductory session which was taken by Adeo, and he was talking about Elon Musk and really giving out the secret of why he is what he is. He shared something which has stayed with me in my subconscious, I think, from that day, and which is that it's sheer hard work that made him who he is today. And really, that's something that I picked up from that day, really thinking that if I'm looking at all of this, if I think it's too much of hard work, it's going to be too much of effort, that's a wrong reason to say that this place is not good. And so through the evening, I realized that if it's hard work, I'm up for doing that because that's something that I've been doing all my life.
Okay, for me, selecting the Foundry Institute was in a way a no-brainer because it was the only one that allowed me to join while I was still having a day job. So that's, that's number one. It was the only program that allowed me to join without an actual precise idea of what I wanted to do. I had a vague vision of what I wanted to achieve, but it's actually through the Foundry Institute that I was able to transform this vague vision into a precise, concise idea that then I turned into a business. So I didn't see any other program that would provide that kind of guidance that is founder-oriented.
