Chris Burry
CEO, USMAC · Founder, Global Innovation Dojo
Where Africa's next founders are made.
Founder Dojo Imo is a world-class, zero-fee founder-development programme at Imo Digital City, backed by the Imo State Government. We develop ambitious people into founders who can build and scale real companies — with mentoring from Silicon Valley and a method proven across 82 countries.
Imo Digital City, Owerri
Zero fee
One year · Open across Nigeria
Next cohort
Cohort 2 · Applications open now
What Founder Dojo Imo Is
We build founders, not just startups.
Founder Dojo Imo is a one-year founder-development programme based at Imo Digital City in Owerri and backed by the Imo State Government. It is zero-fee and open to founders and aspiring founders across Nigeria.
It doesn't hand you a business plan. It develops how you think about problems, customers, uncertainty and your role as a founder. You can come with a startup, or with nothing but the drive to build one.
Funding follows great founders, so we start with the founder.
“The Founder Dojo isn't about startups, it's about building founders… think of it as a high-level gym for your founder skills.”
The Method
Applied learning, not lectures.
Hands-on challenges, real teams and real-time feedback that mirror the volatility of building a company. The method was developed with UC Berkeley's Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and has been used with more than 5,000 founders across 82 countries.
Phase 1
Mindset Dojo
Reset how you think about problems, customers, uncertainty and your role as a founder, on a Berkeley-based syllabus.
Phase 2 · 40 founders · 7 weeks
Opportunity Dojo
A 5-day residential in Owerri plus remote coaching to find truly valuable problems, then validate them with target customers.
Phase 3 · 12 teams · 16 weeks
Solution Dojo
An in-person intensive in Owerri, then remote mentorship toward a Minimum Viable Product validated with customers.
Phase 4
Sales & GTM Dojo
Business model refinement and go-to-market prep, for founders who show a strong signal from the market.
Four phases, each designed to sharpen judgement, strengthen execution, and prepare founders for international exposure. Top performers earn Silicon Valley immersion opportunities.
Our Approach
Three pillars behind every cohort.
Founder-first
Immersive, research-based learning that builds life-long founders, not one-off companies.
Learn from A-players
Mentors who have founded startups themselves, and have the scars and exits to show for it.
A structured process
A carefully designed curriculum built on global founder experience.
Mentors & Global Exposure
Mentors who have done it themselves.
Ken Singer
Managing Director, UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology
David Law
Director of Global Programs, UC Berkeley Sutardja Center
Steve Adelman
Lead Mentor, Global Innovation Dojo
100+ combined years of founder experience, and $500M raised collectively.
What It Produces
Judged by what its founders build.
In the first cohort, 100 founders came to Owerri and, within the year, nine startups emerged and pitched to UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, and teams showcased at GITEX Lagos.
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founders came to Owerri
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startups pitched to UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed
The nine Cohort 1 companies
See the nine Cohort 1 companiesAlpha WPC Products4First TechnologiesWakaBidLyfeBloodSneephaVolkesOriginTraceShopCopWorka
Building Founders At Scale
More than a single cohort.
It is a deliberate effort to make Imo State a place where founders are developed, companies are born, and talent that would otherwise leave finds a reason to build at home. Each cohort adds to a growing community of founders, mentors and companies — the foundation of a lasting startup ecosystem in the South-East.
Our mission
To make Imo State the launchpad of the next generation of unicorn founders.
Backed By
A partnership built to last.
Founder Dojo Imo is a partnership of the Imo State Government, Imo Digital City, the Global Innovation Dojo and USMAC — who have worked with 5,000+ founders from 82 countries since 2011. Their tracked portfolio of 517 companies has raised $6.7B in follow-on funding, with 61 exits including 13 IPOs.
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founders worked with
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countries
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companies in the tracked portfolio
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exits, including 13 IPOs
Community partners
Startup Grind OwerriStartup Grind EnuguStartup Grind LagosStartup Grind AbujaFounders Smith (FSL)
Join the next cohort
Applications open ahead of each cohort. If you're ready to commit to a year of building, this is where you start.
Not the right time? Forward this to a founder who should be in the room.
info@founderdojoimo.com