TheFoundersGuild

The
Founders
Guild

A community of builders.

The Guild is an online community of people building startups. Real ones, designed to solve human problems - not make investors rich.

If you have all the people you need and know everything you need to know about starting a company, keep scrolling.

Otherwise, join us.

 

Two things the Guild offers its members

01

People

Meet new people - beyond the people from your alma mater or whoever showed up to that tired networking event. Mentors, investors, advisors, collaborators, and just plain friends. They're all here.

02

Know-how

YouTube videos and puff pieces from last decade's startup celebrities don't cut it. The Guild offers real, actionable, on-the-ground knowledge from people who are building stuff today.

WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM

Entrepreneurship
is a team sport.

No matter how good you are, you can't do it alone.

We all need collaborators, brainstorming partners, accountability partners, advisors, coaches, and just plain friends to lean on.

It's way harder to find those people than it should be.
That's where the Guild comes in.

 

What Guild members say

Doug Sattler

"Starting a company is sometimes a lonely experience. It's always easier with a few friends."

- Jessica Hennessey,

Founder, BetterSites.ai

"Sometimes I need a sounding board. I know Guild members will give me honest feedback."

- Thiago Braz,

Founder, Jobbyo
Doug Sattler

"In less than a month, my Guild coach helped me transform my journey from navigating an uncertain landscape into pursuing my strongest path forward."

- Amanda Cheng,

Founder, Townhalls.ai
Doug Sattler

"Starting a company is tough. But in the Guild it's like we're all on the same team."

- Doug Sattler,

Founder, FantasyFootballHawaii

New this fall at the Guild

FitClinics

Live working sessions where founders learn a revolutionary way to find product-market fit.

Learn more

Build Circles

Facilitated, AI-centric events for people who want to get better at building stuff together.

Learn more

Who's in the Guild

38
Active ventures
280
Years of startup experience
171
Years of leadership experience
Founders
Active Past Future
Specialties
Product Marketing Engineering Sales
Leadership experience
Intermediate Experts Veterans
Industry backgrounds
Software Finance Healthcare Retail Consumer tech Packaged goods Sustainability Other

We think entrepreneurship is a calling.

Not a path to an wealth or a shortcut to fame -
a way of solving human problems, pooling resources, sharing risk and reward,
making peoples' lives meaningfully better
... and being able to do it again tomorrow.

The best founders share something that has nothing to do with funding or exits.
They love the process. They show up for each other. They’re here.

Learn how to join
OUR PHILOSOPHY

Unicorns should be the exception,
not the rule.

Maybe we should chase real animals instead.

What kind of company are you building?

The real opportunity is building a business that can thrive for decades.

High-growth billion-dollar game-changers:
Unicorn
  • Headline-making stories, compelling personalities
  • High-risk, founder-unfriendly ten-year journeys
  • Chance of success: worse than the lottery
Businesses that can thrive for decades:
Elephant
Buffalo
Camel
Gazelle
Wolfpack
Mustang

Built in Boston. Applicable everywhere.

Sure, we started in Boston.
But our community is global. Our values are universal.
And our philosophy matters anywhere people are trying to make the world better.

World
Interactive map of the Boston ecosystem

Upcoming Guild events

Events & classes Calendar
Fit Clinic
Monday, October 5, 2026
2:00 PM
Michael Sattler
Roundtable
Precision Pitch Practice
Thursday, October 8, 2026
12:00 PM
User #47
Courtesy Of
Ecosystem
Build Circle
Friday, October 9, 2026
3:00 PM
Michael Sattler
Roundtable

No upcoming events in this category right now. See the course catalog

Fit Clinic
Monday, October 5, 2026
2:00 PM
Michael Sattler
Roundtable
Build Circle
Friday, October 9, 2026
3:00 PM
Michael Sattler
Roundtable
Connection Lab
Monday, October 12, 2026
1:00 PM
Stephanie Kord Miller
Roundtable

No upcoming events in this category right now. See the course catalog

Precision Pitch Practice
Thursday, October 8, 2026
12:00 PM
User #47
Courtesy Of
Ecosystem
Cofounder Matching: Meet Your Future Founding Team
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
5:30 PM
User #31
Courtesy Of
Ecosystem
She Builds Boston: brewing bold ideas
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
9:30 AM
User #31
Courtesy Of
Ecosystem

From the Guild

Featured Insight

Can we please kill the solo founder myth?

Michael Sattler

You know the story. One person, one garage, one glowing screen. They wrote every line of code, drew every logo, answered every support ticket, and slept on the floor until, one day, they walked out a billionaire. Alone. It’s the most repeated story in all of startup culture, and it’s the one almost nobody stops to check.Well, I’m checking it. And it’s garbage.Here’s what makes this the right moment to say so. The myth just got a new spin. The old version was the lone genius in the garage.… Read more

More articles

We're interested in building
real, durable businesses.

We don't chase hype,
we don't raise money before we're ready,
and we try to avoid bad advice.
The Guild exists to smooth the path to startup success
through education, community, and practical tools that support real execution.
What kind of founder are you? What kind of company are you building?

Why Join the Guild?

Collaborators
and Collaboration Tools

Connect with Guild members who can volunteer or join your venture - technical help, feedback, introductions, or just an extra pair of eyes on something hard. An extra set of eyes or hands can make a big difference.

How collaboration works at the Guild

Classes and Workshops

Live classes on practical topics
from founders and operators who've been in the room you're in now.

More about classes Course catalog

Coaching

Connect with people who've navigated what you're facing
— from incorporation to finding product market fit to fundraising. Pick your coach from a bench of experts.

How coaching works at the Guild
Discussions

Hear it straight

Ask the questions you can't ask anywhere else. Get real feedback from people who have no reason to sugarcoat it.

How Guild discussions work

Peer Support Groups

Small, confidential cohorts of founders at similar stages — meeting every two weeks for honest conversations.

Building solo is hard. It's nice to feel less alone.

How support groups work at the Guild

What kind of founder are you?

There's more than one kind of entrepreneur.

Not every founder is built for the same path. The Guild uses founder archetypes to describe how you’re wired to build — what motivates you, what drains you, and what kind of work you’ll actually sustain.

We've built an assessment to find out what kind of founder you are.

Artisan Artisan
Operator Operator
Maker Maker
Sovereign Sovereign
Steward Steward
Disruptor Disruptor
Learn more about founder archetypes
Take the founder assessment

Don't miss out.

Guild membership is free for a limited time.

Learn How to Join

What kind of company are you building?

There's more to life than unicorns.

We believe in building durable businesses that can thrive for decades. If a unicorn is the goal, that's great. But if it's not, that's also great.

Each archetype is designed to summarize the goals and ambition of each venture and help founders focus on the right things. If you're building a Mustang, don't think too much about raising outside capital. If you're building a Buffalo, think about meeting a need that can be replicated. It's also helpful to connect with other founders who are building similar ventures.

Take our assessment to find out which archetype your venture fits into.

Elephant Elephant
Buffalo Buffalo
Camel Camel
Gazelle Gazelle
Wolfpack Wolfpack
Mustang Mustang
Learn more about how the Guild thinks about companies

Take the venture assessment

Join the Guild now. Free for a limited time.

Wanna help us build the Guild?

Founding Guild Member

  • 4 class sessions/month
  • 4 roundtable sessions/month
  • 2 hours of coaching sessions/month
  • Dedicated Peer Support Group
  • Unlimited Collaborator Directory access
  • Unlimited community discussion access
  • Unlimited idea sharing and concept validation

$0

for 60 days during our launch. $25/month after that.
Become a Founding Guild Member