Three days, one location, 200 founders: The Founders Club Frankfurt launches The Founder Bootcamp

Guest Post: Founders Club Frankfurt – A conference day goes by quickly. You listen to a few good talks, exchange a few business cards, and in the evening, everyone heads home. That’s exactly where the Founders Club Frankfurt comes in. From June 10–12, 2027, the student initiative at Goethe University will host the FBC, The Founder Bootcamp, for the first time: three days at Frankfurt’s premier venue, where around 200 founders will stay together from the first day to the last. 

Three Days of Entrepreneurship 

The concept is simple. Everyone gathers in one place and stays there, even overnight. Spanning 2,400 square meters, the event features workshops, speakers, and dedicated deep-work sessions where teams can work on their startups undisturbed. They’ll be supported by serial entrepreneurs, business angels, and VCs. In between, participants will eat together, exercise, and network; in the evenings, there will be parties. 

The event culminates in a final pitch event in front of a jury. The mentors decide who gets to pitch: each of them nominates up to two startups they’ve mentored over the three days. 

We lock ourselves away for three days and really go all out. We work during the day, party in the evenings, and in between, we get to know the people who can really help us move our startups forward.

Henry Poppke, Head of Marketing at FBC 

Who the Bootcamp Is For 

The FBC is aimed at young founders whose idea has already made it to market—with initial revenue, pilot customers, or concrete commitments. Participants are selected. This makes the bootcamp the final step in a journey that the Founders Club charts throughout the year. In the Entry Phase, the program is open to everyone; in the Founder Development Phase, founders move forward with targeted support; and in June, the strongest teams come together at the FBC. 

The Bootcamp’s Origins: Five Years of GEC 

The FBC builds on the Goethe Entrepreneurship Conference, or GEC for short. The Founders Club hosted it for the first time in 2022 as a one-day startup conference on the Westend Campus. By 2023, it had already attracted over 700 attendees. 

The fifth and, so far, final GEC took place on May 30, 2026. The theme was the journey from idea to first customer. The event featured keynote speeches, a startup fair, and a pitch battle. Speakers on stage included Darius Göttert (YFN), Marco Adelt (co-founder of CLARK), and Özkan Akkilic (ablefy). Across all five editions, around 2,000 people attended, and more than 100 partners supported the conference. The FBC picks up where the GEC left off: with startups that already have their first customers. 

Who’s Behind It 

The Founders Club Frankfurt was founded in 2012, originally under the name FRAppe. Today, it is a recognized student organization at Goethe University with over 350 members. New members begin with a two-week “Community Sprint,” during which they develop a business model from their initial ideas. In addition, there are workshops, talks by founders, and startup safaris to other cities. In 2025, the club joined forces with Launch Rhein-Main, the ECM, and Launch Darmstadt to form a network of initiatives and was honored, among other accolades, at Goethe University’s Dies Academicus. 

What’s Next 

The location, program, speakers, and application details will be announced in the coming months. Companies, startups, and investors who would like to participate as speakers, mentors, or partners can already get in touch via thefounderbootcamp.de. All the latest news is available on Instagram and LinkedIn at The Founder Bootcamp.