The Founding Network
The Founding Network is a UK-based membership community serving scaling startup founders across Seed (£100k–£1m), Scale (£1m–£10m), and Lead (£10m–£50m) revenue tiers via tiered annual memberships, monthly TFN Connects peer mentoring, 12+ annual events, and the Found London conference, with 1,200+ members served.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersTwickenham, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Founding Network does
The Founding Network is a UK-based, founder-led membership community established in 2020 that serves scaling technology and startup founders at three distinct revenue and funding stages: Seed (£100k–£1m revenue, Seed-funded or second-time founders), Scale (£1m–£10m revenue, Series A), and Lead (£10m–£50m revenue, Series B). The company delivers value through tiered annual memberships, monthly virtual peer mentoring under the TFN Connects sub-brand, twelve or more in-person events per year (Founder Spotlights, workshops, roundtables), the annual half-day Found London conference drawing 100+ attendees, and an Insights content library of founder interviews and expert advice. More than 1,200 founders are reported as members.
The Founding Network operates without a proprietary technology platform. Delivery is built on a Wix-hosted website with application-based onboarding, virtual event hosting for TFN Connects, and content publishing. Revenue is generated through annual membership subscriptions across the three tiers (specific pricing is not publicly disclosed) and a Partner Program that connects brands with the founder audience via sponsored events, content, and introductions; named partners include Sky Media, Sage, Allica Bank, Twilio, 3Search, OakNorth, Spotify, and LegalEdge. The company maintains a PR footprint in business and marketing media (Campaign, Marketing Week, Management Today, City AM, Le Bulletin) and publishes a YouTube documentary series titled "Founders Changing The World."
The Founding Network Ltd (Company No. 11916579) is the primary UK private limited company, registered at 19 Post Lane, Twickenham, with a UK headquarters at 7 Bell Yard, London. A US operating entity, The Founding Network LLC, is based at 1460 Broadway, New York, signaling transatlantic ambitions. The company is led by founder James Sutcliffe, operates with a small 1-10 person team, and shows no external institutional investment, acquisitions, or parent-subsidiary relationships in the source material.
The Founding Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Founding Network
- Legal name
- The Founding Network Ltd
- Website
- https://thefoundingnetwork.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Founding Network is a UK-based membership community serving scaling startup founders across Seed (£100k–£1m), Scale (£1m–£10m), and Lead (£10m–£50m) revenue tiers via tiered annual memberships, monthly TFN Connects peer mentoring, 12+ annual events, and the Found London conference, with 1,200+ members served.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Founding Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Founder Community / Peer Mentoring Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH), Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)
Keywords
Where The Founding Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Twickenham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Founding Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership subscriptions: The Founding Network operates a membership-based model with three tiers (Seed, Scale, Lead) targeting founders at different growth stages. Membership is application-based with specific criteria around revenue and funding raised. The specific pricing is not publicly disclosed.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Seed tier for early-stage founders with £100k-£1m revenue who have raised Seed funding or are second-time founders |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Founding Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Founding Network is a curated, application-based membership community for scaling-stage startup founders, organized into three revenue/funding-stage tiers (Seed: £100k–£1m revenue; Scale: £1m–£10m; Lead: £10m–£50m). Members receive monthly virtual peer mentoring via TFN Connects, access to 12+ in-person events per year (Founder Spotlights, workshops, roundtables), tickets to the annual Found London half-day conference, an Insights content library, and a Partner Program that connects brands with the founder community. The platform serves more than 1,200 founders and is positioned as an execution-focused alternative to conversation-driven business networks.
Product overview
The Founding Network is a founder-led community platform built to accelerate progress for scaling founders. It offers three tiered membership programs (Seed, Scale, and Lead) differentiated by revenue stage and funding round, providing targeted support including monthly TFN Connects mentoring sessions, 12+ annual events including the flagship Found London conference, curated Insights content, and a Partner Program connecting brands with founders. The platform serves over 1,200 founders and positions itself as a trusted hub for honest relationships and strategic support.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TFN Connects: Monthly virtual peer-to-peer mentoring forum where founders are paired based on specific challenges they are facing.
- FOUND London
Products and services
- Seed Membership Annual membership tier for Seed-stage founders (UK £100k–£1m revenue, raised Seed or second-time founder) providing support with product–market clarity, founder time allocation, first hires and early team structure, building a repeatable sales motion, and early funding readiness, plus access to TFN Connects mentoring, 12+ events per year, Found London conference, and Insights content.
- Scale Membership Annual membership tier for Scale-stage founders (UK £1m–£10m revenue, post-Series A) providing support with org design and leadership, scaling GTM, metrics and decision frameworks, fundraising strategy vs profitability, and moving from operator to leader, plus access to TFN Connects mentoring, 12+ events per year, Found London conference, and Insights content.
- Lead Membership Annual membership tier for Lead-stage founders (UK £10m–£50m revenue, post-Series B) providing support with capital allocation, executive hiring and succession, governance and boards, strategic optionality, and personal sustainability as CEO, plus access to TFN Connects mentoring, 12+ events per year, Found London conference, and Insights content.
- TFN Connects Monthly virtual mentoring forum that pairs member founders with peers who can help on specific challenges they are facing, available to all membership tiers.
- Found London Annual half-day conference bringing together 100+ community members, offered as part of The Founding Network's flagship live programming focused on execution and meaningful connections.
- Insights Curated content resource of founder insights, interviews, highlights, and expert advice covering fundraising, marketing leadership, community building, brand development, and scaling strategies, accessible to the public via thefoundingnetwork.com/insights.
- Partner Program Business partnership offering for brands (e.g., Sky Media, Sage, Allica Bank, Twilio, 3Search, OakNorth, Spotify, LegalEdge) seeking structured engagement, expertise showcases, tailored introductions, and event or content access to the TFN scaling-founder community.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,200+ founders served
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Founding Network
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Founding Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Founding Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sky MediacoreSky Media partners with The Founding Network to host private breakfast events for scaling founders, providing insights into TV advertising accessibility and measurement capabilities for challenger brands. Events are designed to give TFN members access to practical marketing channel alternatives.
- SagecoreSage partners with TFN for the Exit Readiness: Life Beyond The Raise event, hosting at their Tower Bridge offices and providing an acquirer's perspective on building durable businesses. Sage brings entrepreneurial experience through Sean O'Keefe, Entrepreneur in Residence.
- Allica BankcoreAllica Bank partners with TFN for events exploring AI-first approaches for scaling brands. Chief Strategy Officer Conrad Ford leads sessions on organization-wide AI transformation and adoption strategies for mid-sized businesses.
- TwiliominorTwilio's Executive Engagement Director provided testimonial praising TFN's quality of curation and ability to attract high-caliber founders to the network.
- 3Searchcore3Search partners with TFN for talent and hiring-focused events. They have partnered with more than 6,000 brands across UK, US, and Europe to support growth-stage recruitment needs.
- OakNorthminorOakNorth is listed among brand partners of The Founding Network.
- SpotifyminorSpotify is listed among brand partners of The Founding Network.
- LegalEdgeminorLegalEdge is listed among brand partners of The Founding Network.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Founding Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Founders Network: Peer-to-peer founder community offering vetted membership, monthly mastermind groups, mentorship, and events. Closely aligned with TFN's curated, stage-aware, peer-led founder support model.
- Endeavor: Global network supporting high-impact entrepreneurs through peer mentorship, events, and partner introductions. Strongly comparable to TFN's peer-mentoring and stage-progression support framework, though selection is more selective and globally distributed.
- Tiger 21: Peer membership organization for high-net-worth entrepreneurs and founders running group portfolio-defense and mastermind sessions. Comparable to TFN in tiered, vetted peer-group structure with shared exec-stage challenges, but skewed toward wealth-preservation rather than scaling operating businesses.
- Vistage: Long-established peer advisory organization that groups SME CEOs and founders into monthly peer advisory meetings and one-to-one executive coaching. Directly comparable to TFN's tiered, curation-led founder peer-support model, though Vistage typically targets larger-revenue companies.
- YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): Global peer community of CEOs and founders operating in private forum-based peer groups, with events, learning programs, and networking. Closely comparable in tiered membership, executive peer learning, and event programming to TFN's approach, but at a much larger scale and CEO seniority.
- Antler: Global early-stage founder program that recruits founders, supports them through cohort-based residencies, and often co-invests. Comparable as a founder development platform with cohort-style peer engagement and scaling-stage support, though Antler operates a more investment-driven model.
- Founders Forum: UK-based private community for tech founders and senior leaders running invitation-only gatherings and networking programs. Comparable to TFN in UK founder-market focus and curated event-driven engagement.
- OnDeck: Application-based fellowship network connecting founders and operators through curated peer cohorts and events. Directly comparable to TFN's application-driven, stage-segregated founder community model.
Regional players
- Station F: Paris-based founder campus running programs, peer cohorts, and events for early-stage startups, primarily across Europe. Comparable via peer/founder programming and event-driven activation, though anchored to a physical campus and continental European ecosystem rather than UK/US as TFN.
Emerging players
- Escape the City: UK career-change and founder-launch platform connecting corporate professionals to startup and entrepreneurial paths via community, courses, and events. Adjacent rather than direct: focuses on pre-founder stage career transitions whereas TFN serves scaling-stage founders, but shares the UK founder-community framing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Founding Network social profiles
Digital presenceThe Founding Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Founding Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Founding Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Founding Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Founding Network
What does The Founding Network do?
The Founding Network is a curated, application-based membership community for scaling-stage startup founders, organized into three revenue/funding-stage tiers (Seed: £100k–£1m revenue; Scale: £1m–£10m; Lead: £10m–£50m). Members receive monthly virtual peer mentoring via TFN Connects, access to 12+ in-person events per year (Founder Spotlights, workshops, roundtables), tickets to the annual Found London half-day conference, an Insights content library, and a Partner Program that connects brands with the founder community. The platform serves more than 1,200 founders and is positioned as an execution-focused alternative to conversation-driven business networks.
Is The Founding Network a public or private company?
The Founding Network is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Founding Network founded?
The Founding Network was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Founding Network based?
The Founding Network is headquartered in Twickenham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Founding Network make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership subscriptions.
Who are The Founding Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Founders Network, Endeavor, Tiger 21, Vistage, YPO (Young Presidents' Organization), Antler, Founders Forum and OnDeck. Station F is listed as a regional player. Escape the City is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Founding Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Founding Network.
What industry is The Founding Network in?
The Founding Network's product category is Founder Community / Peer Mentoring Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAN, Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms, with a secondary code of THAHAMAH, Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.