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Security report for fi.co

Founder Institute · Technology · United States

Medium risk. 6 critical or high findings in Email security, Security headers and 2 other checks.

Security score

60/100

Risk levelMedium

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

Founder Institute is a globally recognized startup accelerator network established in 2009, offering structured programs to early-stage entrepreneurs worldwide. The organization supports founders through its Core Program, Founder Lab, and FI Venture Network, providing mentorship, funding opportunities, and a global community. The website reflects a mature digital presence with professional design, clear navigation, and extensive content tailored to startup founders and investors. Technically, the site leverages modern web technologies including Ruby on Rails, Google Tag Manager, and multiple tracking pixels, hosted on AWS infrastructure, ensuring fast performance and mobile optimization. Security posture is strong with HTTPS enforcement, CSRF protection, and secure login options, though explicit security policies and incident response contacts could be improved. Privacy compliance is well addressed with comprehensive policies and cookie consent mechanisms. Overall, the site demonstrates high business credibility and trustworthiness, supported by consistent WHOIS data and transparent registration details.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

6 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Email security

    SPF, DKIM and DMARC stop others sending email that looks like it comes from your domain, a common route to phishing and invoice fraud.

    • Critical

      No email authentication configured

      Domain is vulnerable to email spoofing

      What to do: Implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC immediately

    • High

      No SPF record found

      SPF helps prevent email spoofing

      What to do: Add SPF record: "v=spf1 include:_spf.yourmailprovider.com ~all"

  2. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…
  3. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

  4. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • High

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching fi.co

This scan found 22 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

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Recommended

€25per month

  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
42
Security headers
65
Email security
55
DNS health
75
Network security
40
GDPR outside view
80
Average
60

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention fi.co, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
2,208
Employees
0
Customers
2,192
Third parties
16
Weak passwords
14%

3 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for fi.co.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

The Founder Institute holds a leading position in the startup accelerator market, with a vast global footprint spanning over 200 cities and 6 continents. Its business model focuses on pre-seed startup acceleration, combining education, mentorship, and investor syndication. Revenue streams likely include program fees, partnerships, and equity stakes in startups. The target audience includes aspiring entrepreneurs, early-stage startups, mentors, and investors. The organization benefits from strong media coverage and partnerships with entities like VC Lab and Founder Showcase, enhancing its ecosystem. Growth indicators include a large alumni base, significant funding raised by portfolio companies, and a broad mentor network. Strategic observations highlight the organization's emphasis on structured programs and global scalability.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with HTTPS enforced site-wide, presence of key security headers, and secure form handling including CSRF tokens. Login mechanisms support OAuth providers, enhancing security and user convenience. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the analyzed content. However, the absence of a dedicated security policy page, incident response contact information, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms represents gaps in transparency and readiness. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanisms. Overall, the security maturity is high but could benefit from formalized policies and public disclosure channels.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide explicit incident response contact channels such as security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement and publish a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Regularly review and audit third-party scripts and tracking pixels to minimize security risks.
  5. Enhance transparency by listing any relevant security certifications or compliance attestations.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Founder Institute
Description
Founder Institute is a global network of startup incubators, accelerators, and investors on a mission to activate and empower communities of entrepreneurs worldwide. Since 2009, it has helped startups raise funding, get into seed accelerators, generate traction, and more.
Key services
Core Program accelerator, Founder Lab advisory programs, FI Venture Network investor syndication, Global startup mentorship, Funding opportunities
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, Google Tag Manager, Facebook Pixel, Quora Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Phosphor Icons, Google Fonts
Frameworks
Ruby on Rails
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • CSRF tokens in forms
  • Secure login with OAuth options (Google, LinkedIn)
  • Cookie consent banner with opt-in
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via GTM)
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Google Ads, Facebook Pixel, Quora Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
excellent
User experience
excellent
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is professionally designed and well-structured
  2. Strong global presence with extensive accelerator programs
  3. Multiple social media and media mentions enhance credibility
  4. Secure login and application forms with CSRF protection
  5. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies with consent mechanism
  6. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity
  7. Use of modern web technologies and analytics/tracking tools
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a robust Ruby on Rails backend with modern JavaScript and CSS assets. It utilizes Google Tag Manager to manage analytics and marketing tags, including Facebook Pixel, Quora Pixel, and LinkedIn Insight Tag, indicating sophisticated marketing and tracking capabilities. Hosting on AWS S3 for static assets ensures scalability and performance. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and accessibility considerations. SEO is well addressed with comprehensive meta tags, Open Graph data, and structured JSON-LD markup. No technical debt or deprecated technologies were observed. Opportunities exist to further enhance security transparency and incident response readiness.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

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