Founder Communities

Building a company is one of the hardest but also most rewarding paths you can take in your career. Beyond the sheer number of hours and stress, being a founder can be lonely, especially if it's your first time. Questions like, "Which HR software do I pick?" or "How do I handle remote employees in different states?" or even "How do I handle founder burnout?" can feel overwhelming.

But you don’t have to face these challenges alone. I've been fortunate enough to be part of several founder communities that significantly changed the trajectory of my last company and helped it go from zero to acquisition.

Here are a few founder communities and strategies for building community that worked for me:

1. Maker
   makermember.com
   Private invite-only group for top young founders, backed by Sequoia, a16z, and Founders Fund. Known for its strong network and low-ego culture.

2. Asian Founders Club
   asianfounders.club
   Curated community for ambitious Asian founders and creators in NYC and SF. Hosts intimate dinners and salons.

3. On Deck Founders
   joinodf.com
   One of the best-known founder fellowships. Brings together early-stage founders globally with access to capital, talent, and support.

4. Z Fellows
   zfellows.com
   A 7-day remote fellowship for builders. Offers $10k grants and access to a strong mentor network of top VCs and operators.

5. South Park Commons
   southparkcommons.com
   A community of builders and researchers figuring out their next big thing. Many members are ex-FAANG, PhDs, or repeat founders.

6. Founders Inc (F.inc)
   f.inc
   A startup studio for hacker-founders. Their SF “campus” is a 42,000 square foot workspace, hardware lab, and media studio.

7. Pear VC
   pear.vc/programs
   Pear runs several niche founder communities: Pear Dorm (students), Female Founder Circle, Persian Founder Circle, and AI Research Grant.

8. Neo Scholars
   neo.com/scholars
   Mentorship and funding for the top 0.1% of CS students interested in building startups.

9. PEF (Post-Exit Founders)
   pef.xyz
   A community for founders who’ve exited their companies and are now seeking purpose and exploring what’s next.

Founder Retreats

Many of these founder communities also host retreats. These are typically multi-day experiences in nature where you can fully unplug and build deep, lasting connections with your fellow founders. Sometimes you simply need to disconnect completely, step away from daily distractions, and spend meaningful time with peers outside the usual happy hours and networking dinners.

Most accelerator programs incorporate a retreat at the start of their program to kick things off:

• YC hosts a 3-day retreat in Sonoma at the start of each batch, offering founders the opportunity to bond and connect deeply with peers and the YC team.

• Neo organizes a month-long bootcamp in Oregon for their accelerator companies, where founders live and collaborate alongside peers and mentors.

• Pear hosts "Camp Pear," a 3-day immersive retreat for their PearX accelerator cohort.

• Maker holds quarterly retreats at stunning Airbnbs for members to connect, join peer-led roundtables, and engage in sports and wellness activities.

I've personally attended retreats that made a profound impact:

The founders behind Joya Villas in Costa Rica graciously a group of eight founders in their beautiful beachside villa in Santa Teresa. We spent our days exchanging stories of our entrepreneurial journeys and connecting over fresh, healthy meals. We took part in a wellness program hosted by re:center, complete with yoga, biohacking workshops, energy audits, and breathwork. We left the retreat feeling rejuvenated and grounded knowing that we had a community of other builders with shared experiences and learnings.

If you’re interested in the retreat villa we stayed at in Costa Rica, check it out here.

Another impactful retreat was hosted by the Dobkin Intuitive Foundation at Land of Medicine in Santa Cruz County. It featured a reflective 4-hour solo silent hike, sound healing sessions, contrast therapy, and guided meditations led by respected meditation instructors. This retreat stood out because the group consisted of young founders who had recently raised funding and were early in their startup journeys, allowing us to deeply connect over shared challenges and support one another.

Finding the right community or retreat can change your trajectory as a founder. These aren’t just founder friends – they’re the people who will be in your corner long after the pitch decks are gone.