How much do Foundations and Foundwell Founder Circles cost?

Foundations: Not published (verified 2026-10-27). Foundwell Founder Circles: Not published (verified 2026-10-29). Prices are shown verbatim from public sources; nothing is estimated.

What are the requirements for Foundations vs Foundwell Founder Circles?

Foundations: Not published Invite-only application; Member acceptance requires strong track record of building/scaling startups; FIR path for earlier founders; Seattle or SF/Bay based options Foundwell Founder Circles: Not published; Circles for startup CEOs who have raised some capital (Seed to Series B); also earlier-stage cohorts without raise Vetted for fit; startup CEOs; confidential (no recordings/summaries)

Which is better for venture-backed founders?

Both Foundations and Foundwell Founder Circles are venture-specific. Compare stage fit (Pre-seed and seed, Series A vs Pre-seed and seed, Series A) and format.

Last verified 2026-10-29

Foundations vs Foundwell Founder Circles

Foundations is a hybrid community platform with staff-convened. Foundwell Founder Circles is a hybrid facilitated forum with peer-led. This page compares cost, requirements, format, and stage fit using verified public data. Foundations: Seattle technical founders who want an invite-only in-person community, space, mentors, and peer accountability around early company building. Foundwell Founder Circles: Seed to Series B startup CEOs who want a small, confidential founder circle focused on honest peer support.

Side-by-side

Field	Foundations	Foundwell Founder Circles
Format	hybrid	hybrid
Structure	community platform	facilitated forum
Facilitation	staff-convened	peer-led
Group size	Not published for peer subsets	6 to 10
Stage fit	Pre-seed and seed, Series A	Pre-seed and seed, Series A
Revenue / capital floor	Not published	Not published; Circles for startup CEOs who have raised some capital (Seed to Series B); also earlier-stage cohorts without raise
Annual cost	Not published	Not published
Application model	application	application
Venture-specific	Yes	Yes
Other requirements	Invite-only application; Member acceptance requires strong track record of building/scaling startups; FIR path for earlier founders; Seattle or SF/Bay based options	Vetted for fit; startup CEOs; confidential (no recordings/summaries)
Time commitment	FIR: 4-month residency (rolling); FIRs commit to coming in at least once a week plus programming; Members: community and space access plus weekly events	Typically every other week for 75 minutes
Geography	Seattle (Capitol Hill) and San Francisco (South FiDi)	In-person New York City and Miami; virtual Circles elsewhere
Best for	Seattle technical founders who want an invite-only in-person community, space, mentors, and peer accountability around early company building.	Seed to Series B startup CEOs who want a small, confidential founder circle focused on honest peer support.
Not for	Operators seeking a classic confidential CEO peer board with published dues and a fixed monthly half-day forum.	Non-founder executives or lifestyle business owners seeking a classic SMB CEO board with published pricing.
Last verified	2026-10-27	2026-10-29

Verdict by stage

Pre-seed and seed

At Pre-seed and seed, both Foundations and Foundwell Founder Circles list this stage. Foundations facilitation is staff-convened. Foundwell Founder Circles facilitation is peer-led. Foundations revenue floor is Not published. Foundwell Founder Circles revenue floor is Not published; Circles for startup CEOs who have raised some capital (Seed to Series B); also earlier-stage cohorts without raise. Foundations group size is Not published for peer subsets. Foundwell Founder Circles group size is 6 to 10.

Series A

At Series A, both Foundations and Foundwell Founder Circles list this stage. Foundations facilitation is staff-convened. Foundwell Founder Circles facilitation is peer-led. Foundations revenue floor is Not published. Foundwell Founder Circles revenue floor is Not published; Circles for startup CEOs who have raised some capital (Seed to Series B); also earlier-stage cohorts without raise. Foundations group size is Not published for peer subsets. Foundwell Founder Circles group size is 6 to 10.

Growth

At Growth, neither group lists this stage as a primary fit. Foundations targets Pre-seed and seed, Series A. Foundwell Founder Circles targets Pre-seed and seed, Series A.

Late stage

At Late stage, neither group lists this stage as a primary fit. Foundations targets Pre-seed and seed, Series A. Foundwell Founder Circles targets Pre-seed and seed, Series A.

FAQ

How much do Foundations and Foundwell Founder Circles cost?: Foundations: Not published (verified 2026-10-27). Foundwell Founder Circles: Not published (verified 2026-10-29). Prices are shown verbatim from public sources; nothing is estimated.
What are the requirements for Foundations vs Foundwell Founder Circles?: Foundations: Not published Invite-only application; Member acceptance requires strong track record of building/scaling startups; FIR path for earlier founders; Seattle or SF/Bay based options Foundwell Founder Circles: Not published; Circles for startup CEOs who have raised some capital (Seed to Series B); also earlier-stage cohorts without raise Vetted for fit; startup CEOs; confidential (no recordings/summaries)
Which is better for venture-backed founders?: Both Foundations and Foundwell Founder Circles are venture-specific. Compare stage fit (Pre-seed and seed, Series A vs Pre-seed and seed, Series A) and format.

Foundations profile·Foundwell Founder Circles profile

Sources

Primary public pages used for the fields above.

5 sources from 3 sites

fndtns.org

fndtns.orgRetrieved 2026-10-27 · Foundations
/membershipRetrieved 2026-10-27 · Foundations

root.fndtns.org

/kb/root/founder-in-residenceRetrieved 2026-10-27 · Foundations

wearefoundwell.com

/founder-circlesRetrieved 2026-10-29 · Foundwell Founder Circles
wearefoundwell.comRetrieved 2026-10-29 · Foundwell Founder Circles