founderpeergroups

Last verified

Alternatives to Founders Network

Founders look past Founders Network when they miss the bar, want a different format, or need a different stage mix. Service-firm operators, non-founders, or people looking to sell inside the network.

Ranked alternatives

  1. Foundations · staff-convened vs peer-led.
  2. FounderNexus · staff-convened vs peer-led; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stage. FounderNexus site
  3. Foundwell Founder Circles · Seed to Series B startup CEOs who want a small, confidential founder circle focused on honest peer support.
  4. Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) · broader (not venture-only) membership; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth.
  5. On Deck / ODF (On Deck Fellowship) · staff-convened vs peer-led; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed.
  6. The Founders Forum · broader (not venture-only) membership; in-person format vs hybrid; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stage.
  7. South Park Commons · in-person format vs hybrid; staff-convened vs peer-led; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed.

Comparison table

RankGroupCostStage fitWhy listed
1FoundationsNot publishedPre-seed and seed, Series Astaff-convened vs peer-led.
2FounderNexusNot publishedPre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stagestaff-convened vs peer-led; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stage.
3Foundwell Founder CirclesNot publishedPre-seed and seed, Series ASeed to Series B startup CEOs who want a small, confidential founder circle focused on honest peer support.
4Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)Global dues published as US$2,470 (apply page) vs US$2,630 (chapter p…Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growthbroader (not venture-only) membership; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth.
5On Deck / ODF (On Deck Fellowship)Pay-what-you-can; suggested contribution $1,000 USDPre-seed and seedstaff-convened vs peer-led; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed.
6The Founders ForumNo membership fee (potluck; optional donations)Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stagebroader (not venture-only) membership; in-person format vs hybrid; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stage.
7South Park CommonsNo membership fee or dues (Member Residency). Founder Fellowship is s…Pre-seed and seedin-person format vs hybrid; staff-convened vs peer-led; stage fit: Pre-seed and seed.

Founders Network vs the top alternatives

FieldFounders NetworkFoundationsFounderNexusFoundwell Founder Circles
Formathybridhybridhybridhybrid
Structurecommunity platformcommunity platformcurated roomsfacilitated forum
Facilitationpeer-ledstaff-convenedstaff-convenedpeer-led
Group sizePeer Advisory Roundtables: 10 to 12; community 600+Not published for peer subsetsStage-matched rooms (size not published)6 to 10
Stage fitPre-seed and seed, Series APre-seed and seed, Series APre-seed and seed, Series A, Growth, Late stagePre-seed and seed, Series A
Revenue / capital floorNo single floor; tiers by experience — Launch (pre-revenue–$10K / self-funded–$100K raised); Scale ($10K–$1M / $100K–$3M raised); Lead ($1M+ / $3M+ raised).Not publishedVenture-scale; stages mapped as $0–2M ARR (pre-seed/seed) through $50M+ ARR / Exit. Pre-approval: 3+ years as a venture-scale founder or meaningful VC round already raised; experience navigating a VC or angel raise; building or seeking to build a venture-scale company.Not published; Circles for startup CEOs who have raised some capital (Seed to Series B); also earlier-stage cohorts without raise
Annual costLaunch $75/mo; Scale $134/mo; Lead $249/mo (annual commitments). Lifetime plan amount Not published.Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Application modelinvite-onlyapplicationapplicationapplication
Venture-specificYesYesYesYes
Other requirementsFull-time tech startup founder (no service firms); invite-only with membership committee approval; no selling/pitching.Invite-only application; Member acceptance requires strong track record of building/scaling startups; FIR path for earlier founders; Seattle or SF/Bay based optionsApplication → pre-approval → first session free as guest → peer evaluation → invitation to matching stage room. VC-fund referrals receive expedited pre-approval.Vetted for fit; startup CEOs; confidential (no recordings/summaries)
Time commitmentFlexible; 100+ events/year available; Lead includes monthly peer roundtablesFIR: 6-month residency with space as full-time office; Members: visit as third space up to a couple times/week plus weekly eventsMonthly stage sessions plus Nexus Partner 1:1; cadence otherwise not quantified on homepageTypically every other week for 75 minutes
GeographyGlobal chapters including SF, Silicon Valley, LA, Seattle, Vancouver, NYC, LondonSeattle (Capitol Hill) and San Francisco (South FiDi)Online plus in-person (Seattle, San Francisco, London named on Luma)In-person New York City and Miami; virtual Circles elsewhere
Best forFull-time tech startup founders who want a vetted peer community and stage-tiered mentoring without giving equity.Seattle technical founders who want an invite-only in-person community, space, mentors, and peer accountability around early company building.Venture-scale founders who want stage-pure peer rooms around live decisions from pre-seed through exit.Seed to Series B startup CEOs who want a small, confidential founder circle focused on honest peer support.
Not forService-firm operators, non-founders, or people looking to sell inside the network.Operators seeking a classic confidential CEO peer board with published dues and a fixed monthly half-day forum.Lifestyle businesses, sub-$1M ARR services firms, or founders who want a paid facilitator-led CEO forum.Non-founder executives or lifestyle business owners seeking a classic SMB CEO board with published pricing.
Last verified2026-09-152026-09-152026-09-152026-09-15

Full Founders Network profile

Sources

Primary public pages used for the fields above.