01
Operational Excellence
Improve every decision you make by integrating the experiences of your peers. Solve problems faster and achieve better operational results.
Connect, collaborate, and conquer business challenges together!
A COMMUNITY EXCLUSIVELY FOR VENTURE-
SCALE FOUNDERS
FounderNexus connects you with other talented, experienced Founders in your area and around the world. Intended for ALL Founders, regardless of role. We help you build your team, get immediate advice on current challenges, and learn from other successful entrepreneurs.
This community is for established Founders looking to expand their business, as well as experienced Founders looking to start something new.
Our promise: improve your odds of success 2-3X
Where experienced founders go to up their game
I enjoyed how well planned and executed the event was. Court’s presentation was relevant and actionable
Steve Tout
founder, Identient
I really loved how welcoming the vibe felt from the moment I arrived.
Katrina Romatowski
founder, reSpace
It was awesome
Edan Shahar
founder, Wild Zebra
The event was great! Highlight: Encouragement of diverse viewpoints and good founder mix
Darian Parrish
founder, PwrOn
I think the breakout sessions are a loose but useful way to get people talking about challenges and resolutions.
Mark Fiebig
founder, Payscore
I was initially hesitant to join yet another group as there is no shortage of people claiming to help entrepreneurs, but Court Lorenzini and FounderNexus are the real deal. Any serious founder will benefit immensely from joining FounderNexus.
Jasper Kuria
co-founder, ConversionMagic
Great event, I learned a lot! Looking forward to next one
Shama Keskar
founder, Mudita Studios
FounderNexus fills a gap for entrepreneurs by complementing traditional incubator and early investment programs with a high-quality peer founder network.
Bob Lach
founder, Lightbridge Solutions
I also felt a sense of real community for the first time as a founder. You're all onto something special here!
Elias DeFaria
co-founder, SDF Labs
This was a fast track to relevant experience/advice in a room where you hold nothing back.
Nicole Resch
Co-founder, Imperative
I have attended events nationwide and joined so-called “MasterMind” groups, but nothing comes close to the network and support I have experienced at FounderNexus.
Arthur Baranovskiy
co-founder, ARY Engineering
What is
FounderNexus?
FounderNexus is an engaged community of experienced Founders dedicated to helping each other excel throughout their Founder’s journey. We provide the opportunity and tools to connect, learn, and succeed together.
This community turns the entrepreneurial journey into a collective endeavor, where shared knowledge and experience become key drivers of individual and communal success.
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Challenge Validation
Being a founder is really hard! Find support and experience to make your own journey less challenging and lonely.
03
concept Development
Improve your products, operations and management techniques by hearing the results of what others have tried.
04
Team Building
Add founder-level talent to your existing team, or find the ideal co-founder for your next venture. FounderNexus makes sure you find the best possible fit.
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
Upcoming events
expert event
Effective use of AI in Sales and Marketing
16
October
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
zoom
David C. Jones, Altus Alliance
Dave Jones, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Altus Alliance, a leading Revenue Growth Services Firm, will lead a timely discussion around the use of AI in Sales and Marketing. If you’ve been caught up in the hype of AI but not sure where it can be effectively applied within sales and marketing, you’ll find this roundtable valuable.
What AI tools should you consider within your Sales & Marketing
Where can you realize the greatest ROI
Will AI replace sales professionals?
AI, while still in its infancy, has begun to emerge as a real difference maker. Beyond simple task automation and reporting it can be an asymmetric difference maker, altering workflows, improving productivity, and ultimately how we do business.
Innovator's Edge
Dave Jones has held executive and board positions focused on sales, marketing, business development, negotiation, and finance at companies including IBM, Oracle as well as multiple startups that he helped drive to liquidity.
At Oracle he co-led the development of the enterprise
business unit, establishing Oracle's leadership position in the enterprise database and applications market in the 80’s-90’s. Following Oracle, he served as the GM & SVP at Excalibur, a public company in the visual recognition and document management market that was
subsequently sold to Intel. He also helped start three companies: iCat, a pioneer in the emerging ecommerce market, acquired by Intel; Qpass, a pioneer in the "content by the drink" market, acquired by AmDocs; and Onvia, a leader in providing small business products and
services, which went public (ONVI).
Dave co-founded Altus in 2003. He provides company
leadership, drives Altus business development and helps small/mid-sized companies and startups build profitable and sustainable businesses by fostering excellence within the sales, marketing, and business development organizations.
Dave holds a BA in Economics from Lafayette College, and has completed an executive MBA program at Harvard Business School as well as postgraduate financial seminars at Stanford. He has served as Co-Chair of the Advisory Council for National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), on the ScoutReach Board of Trustees for the Seattle Council of Boy Scouts of America, and as
Chairman and co-owner of Mountain Madness a leading mountain travel and adventure company. He currently serves on the local (SF) and national Boards of NatureBridge.
upgrade your approach with our community
Experience transformative knowledge exchange and problem-solving through our curated group discussions. We use proprietary algorithms to ensure you're matched with the perfect peers for maximum insight and impact.
expert event
Early executive tax strategies with Brady & Peter from KBF Advisory
20
October
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Zoom
Peter Buss, KBF Advisory, LLC
Join us for a targeted session on navigating the unique tax landscape facing startup executives and founders. Learn how to optimize equity compensation (ISOs, NSOs, RSUs), understand 83(b) elections, minimize AMT exposure, and develop strategies for managing concentrated stock positions. We'll cover essential planning tactics for early employees and executives who are balancing salary, equity, and long-term wealth building in high-growth environments.
Ideal for founders, C-suite executives, and early hires at startups looking to make informed decisions about their compensation and personal tax strategy.
Founder’s Mentality: The Scalable Alternative to Heroics
06
November
4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Seattle
Greg Greeley
Much has been written recently about the trade-offs between running a startup in “Founder Mode” an intense, hands-on operating style, compared to shifting into “Manager Mode” to enable rapid scale. While both approaches have their place, I believe there’s a more effective path - ensuring the company’s culture is grounded in a Founder’s Mentality.
Drawing on lessons from my time at founder-led companies, including: Sun Microsystems, Amazon, Airbnb, and WheelsUp, we’ll explore how embedding a Founder’s Mentality can offer a more durable, scalable, and energizing alternative, while avoiding some of the more common mistakes that occur while scaling a company.
The challenge is to preserve the urgency, vision and front-line obsession of the founder, combined with demanding the discipline and repeatability of a high-functioning operating system. This approach supports long-term sustainable growth.
The session will introduce key principles of what it means to build with a Founder’s Mentality and set the stage for our breakout discussions on how to scale teams, process and culture.
event attendance and Club admission
We select club members based on a number of different experiential aspects. Everyone must complete the application process to qualify for participation.
Application process:
01
Submit your application.
We curate event attendance based on a standard application process. You must be selected to attend an event. Additional screening is required to join the organization.
02
Qualify for attendance.
All applications will be reviewed for proper community fit. Applicants with no prior experience as Founders, and service providers (lawyers, accountants, etc.) will be deferred to a future date.
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Receive invitation.
You will receive an invitation to attend an event once your application has been reviewed. Event attendance does not guarantee future club admission.
Candidate requirements:
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1+ startup as a Founder
Co-Founded at least 1 company
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2+ years of startup leadership
Served at least 2 years as a startup executive
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3+ years of management
Served at least 3 years as leader of people
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Venture-Scale
Business meets venture capital requirements
Interested in starting a FounderNexus chapter in your area?
If you're an experienced venture-scale founder that's passionate about growing your local entrepreneurial community and likes being at the center of things, we'd love to connect. We've got everything you need to get a local chapter started.