Foundations, an invite-only community of tech startup founders, is proud to announce the launch of our Founder in Residence (FIR) Program. After a successful three-month pilot, we’re excited to introduce an enhanced curriculum, a strengthened mentorship structure, and a variety of recurring events—each designed to help founders quickly accelerate their progress and expand their networks.
Programming
Buddy Assignment
- Each founder is paired with a dedicated Buddy—drawn from our pool of Member Mentors—for bi-weekly or monthly one-on-one sessions.
- Mentors opt in based on their expertise, ensuring focused, high-value guidance, and the Foundation’s ops team coordinates and confirms the pairing.
- As part of being an FIR, founders must always be paired with a buddy. However, they can change them at any time.
- Co-founders can be assigned to the same buddy, but it is not required.
Founder Circles
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All FIRs are assigned to a founder circle of up to 6 founders.
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Each founder circle has its own private Slack channel.
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Each founder circle is given a monthly budget of $250 to spend on whatever they want and are encouraged to do a monthly in-person activity together.
Monthly Show & Tell Event
- A 90-minute Friday session, followed by happy hour, where up to five FIRs demo their products.
- New FIRs pitch their vision and 6-month goals, giving them a platform to attract resources and feedback from the community.
- This event also allows new FIRs and members to meet, build relationships, and identify new potential mentorship relationships.
Weekly Office Hours
- The Foundation’s ops team coordinates well in advance to ensure at least one member or guest mentor is available weekly to hold a three-hour block of office hours. Office hours can be held by founders, functional experts, or investors.
- FIRs can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis for in-depth conversations or brainstorming sessions.
Monthly Pitch Clinic (Optional)