Startup Institute

Startup institute was instrumental in helping me make the career change I wanted, which was to move from being a financial analyst at a consulting firm to a programmer at a startup. They are connected to a large number of very qualified and competent instructors. They do an excellent job at immersing you in the startup community and giving you the knowledge to succeed in that community. And equally importantly, they are not there to make as much money as possible off students - they cost 1/2 as much or less than many boot camps, and run an excellent program.

If you are looking to learn a technical skill, whether that be design, coding, or "technical marketing," then Startup Institute is not for you. In fact, even if you're looking to learn sales/account management, Startup Institute is not for you. There was no cohesive curriculum. Rather, it was a collage of random people in the NYC tech scene they could get to come in and teach/speak. Were you to do an exit poll of the students and ask if they had a marked improvement from when they first started, I'd bet a lot of money that the response would be a resounding "no." 

What Startup Institute does well though, is the amount of attention that the staff gives to the students. I haven't done any other bootcamp but the staff members at Startup Institute are in your corner pulling for you. During your job search they will send you positions they think you would be well-suited for and make intros to companies when they have a connection to someone there. Throughout a job search, there are certainly moments of deflation of lack of self-confidence but the fine folks at SI will be supporting you the whole time. 

It's not just the staff at SI that does a fantastic job of supporting you. Your friends and colleagues are perhaps your biggest champions. I made some great friends during my time there, all of whom have different jobs throughout NYC's tech industry. 

The question here is if Startup Institute is worth the $5000. Again, if you're looking to learn technical skills or substantially improve on the ones you have, then I would say it is certainly not worth it. However, if your end game is to break into the tech startup scene, then it may be worth considering. Could my friends have gotten the jobs they have now without Startup Institute? Perhaps. But I do know that SI helped them achieve their goals faster. If Startup Institute had a job placement money back guarantee then I would say this is a no-brainer but they don't. Ask yourself what you really want out of a bootcamp. If you want a fantastic support team and a rapid job search, then SI might be for you. 

I hope this helps!

I had a wonderful experience in the program. I moved from Puerto Rico to take part in the first class to happen in New york. I had a unique experience because I was able to do the program along side my business partner and best friend, Damone Franklin. 

I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to know the heart beat of the technology industry and who is hungry to jump start their career. I chose the Sales and Business Development track to be my focus while attending SINY because it was the area I needed the most work in. I had wonderful classmates who I am still in contact with nealy three years later. We were like a huge family. I was lucky enough to get a position while being in the program with Lean Startup machine that ended up taking me to teach entrepreneurship workshops in China. I also recieved intensive sales training at a company upon leaving the program.

One highlight was attending startup weekend representing SINY. Our team was very successful, and we used this time for networking and learning from the most active people in the New York Startup scene. You can read the full story here - http://blog.startupinstitute.com/tag/damone-franklin/

Authentic networking is key to success. Startup Institute puts you in relationship with leaders in the startup community that you would probably not otherwise get to meet. Each student gets out the program what they put into it. It is a practice in taking the lessons given daily from successful entrepreneurs and the excellent instructors and then working to turn those experiences into results. Bets of luck! 

I was a student in the web development track at Startup Institute. We had direct access to the smartest minds in the NYC tech community. I was able to quickly expand my network in NYC and make the transition into a company that has the resources and man power to mentor me. The web development track was taught by lead developers and CTO's from actual startups in NYC. These are the people who are leading the charge in developing innovative technologies! SI became the perfect way for me to obtain the mentorship that I was looking for, while expanding my network with all of the really smart and talented people that were students in our class. SI can provide the bridge that can help cross you over into a career as a web developer, marketer, sales person/business development person, and/or product person.

If you have no experience coding but want to be a developer, Startup Institute is probably not the best place to start. It is not a coding bootcamp like General Assembly or Launch Academy and the technical knowledge they impart is meant to give you a high level understanding of web technologies; not make you an expert. However, if you are sick of your job, looking to do something more meaningful, tired of the profession you’re in, or just having difficulty networking, Startup Institute is the best place to be. It is an 8 week intensive that injects you into the startup community while simultaneously helping you to find or create the opportunities that guide you to your dream job and prepare you to pursue the career that follows. This may sound like a fluff course, but I can assure you it is not. It is an exhausting, stressful, twelve hour-per-day experience that will teach you skills you may not have known existed. The staff is extremely supportive, but they are not afraid to be curt and direct with you and they will cut through your crap. You will not become an expert coder. What you will get is a massive network, the skills you need to market yourself to employers, and a host of new friends and supporters.

Startup Institute is a TON of work, but well worth the effort. I came from an art historical background and was skeptical at first that a three month program would get me through the door into a startup/web development job but it actually worked!

SI provides a multitude of resources that give you insights into the industry and networks you need to know to get a job after the program. They focus heavily on the soft skills, which is an important life skill to continually land jobs, start a company or to look for opportunties that are availabe in and out of Boston.

In terms of coding, the classes are fast paced. I would come in to the web development course with some background knowledge in coding (however little) and continue to learn on the side as you go through the program. Every bit helps when finding a job and the instructors will definitely give you the help you need if you put in the time and effort.

The Startup Institute full-time program is an door-opening experience that I would recommend to anyone looking to expand their network and get excited about their career. The community is definitely the best part of SI - I have never met a more supportive group of people that were so willing to help people they barely knew. And it stays strong, even long after graduation. The cirriculum is all about putting the time in to get out of it what you want, so be ready with specific goals. The technical training is not the strongest part of the program, so if you're not interested in joining the community or getting to know local companies, there are probably better uses of your time. I'm now super happy to be working at a small company that couldn't be more different from my last job. I can't imagine I would be there without the guidance from SI.

The SI technical marketing program worked like a charm for me. I had multiple interviews and a job offer before graduation. I'm 8 months into my first marketing role and I love my job. 

However, the recent turnover and price hikes leaves me feeling skeptical about the direction of the program and future students. I'm afraid they will be pricing out some of the best talent, and attracting only those who have deep enough pockets that spending $10k and not working for 8+ weeks is not such a big deal. This matters because part of the big sell on the program is that you'll have an ever growing network of talented, passionate people in the startup community. 

Moral of the story is I'm glad I was able to complete the program when I did and find a job that I love. However, if I were a year later in my decision, it wouldn't have been able to afford it. I've spoken to many previous SI alum who feel the same way.

If you are going to Startup Institute its a great expereience. You will meet so many people from the industry and becuse it belongs to Tech Stars it has some very good Y Combination with venture capatalists which you will not get any where else.

If you are doing any thing other than back end web dev you will most likely find a job in the startup industry.

They just dont have the expertese or instructurs to teach in a way that will make you a good programmer.

Their teachers are part time contributors who you will most likely only see once and most are not CS degree grads. They will tell you to look through google for everything. Teaching is sporatic with no consistancy and its almost like throwing mud on the wall and see which one sticks.

As a matter of fact you will learn a lot of bad skills from doing random stuff and not learning methodically without skipping the necessary details. 

In the end you will not get a job or even feel remotely prepared to apply as a web dev. 

Only one of my cohort (web  devs) got a job and he had a bachelors in CS. I checked previous cohorts and same story atleast in NY. 

Its definately worth it if you have a CS degree or been to a boot camp before. They will expose you to a lot of top industry people and very inspiring. 

Its also worth it if you are in any of the other programs and you will get a job.

Its hard to find the info on Web Dev part of Startup Institute and thats why I wrote this to help you make a better decision.

Startup Institute changed my life.  Before this I had done sales, personal training, and other random jobs that I was not passionate about.  Taking part in Startup Institute allowed me to transition into a career that I really wanted to do.  I had some coding experience but not nearly enough to get hired and this pushed me into the new career.

Dont get me wrong, this was a TON of work.  But the people in the program that wanted it and worked really hard all landed jobs within a month or two.  I personally had 6 interviews and 2 offers within 60 days of completing the program.