Episode 1 of Driven introduces a red-hot Silicon Valley startup, Visabot, that helps people complete the complicated US visa applications very easily. Available in beta on Facebook Messenger, Visabot helps complete the kinds of visa applications typically sought by skilled tech workers and startup founders – a very important issue for Silicon Valley today. Within just a few months from launch, Visabot has already attracted over 50,000 paying customers, and was voted one of the top three chatbots on Product Hunt in 2016.

With all this success behind it, Visabot is now stepping forward to meet its next challenge of funding future growth. Visabot’s CEO & founder, Artem Goldman, has reached out to his Advisor, Adeo Ressi, the CEO & founder of the Founder Institute, and they’ve allowed us into their meeting discussion – while being driven...

Founder Institute is the world's premier idea-stage accelerator and startup launch program. For aspiring and idea-stage entrepreneurs up to the challenge, their comprehensive step-by-step program is designed to provide the structure, mentor support, and global network of entrepreneurs needed to start an enduring company. In addition, the Founder Institute is the only program of its kind that focuses on people versus ideas, accepts founders with day jobs, and shares equity with all participants.

Leaders of the world’s fastest-growing startups have used the Founder Institute program to transition from employee to entrepreneur, test their startup ideas, build a team, get their first customers, raise funding, and more. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 150 cities and 60 countries, the Founder Institute’s mission is to “Globalize Silicon Valley” and empower talented and motivated entrepreneurs to build companies that will create one million new jobs.

The Founder Institute was founded in 2009 by Adeo Ressi and Jonathan Greechan. It is operated out of Palo Alto, California.