Aussie Founders Club

What Aussie Founders Club does

Aussie Founders Club (AFC) is a Melbourne-based, founder-led community platform that serves Australian startup founders, operators, and early-career talent. Founded in 2023 and operated by Megan Luttrell (also founder of Kairos Recruitment), the organization runs a curated Slack community of 2,000+ members, dual weekly newsletters (The Standup on Tuesdays and The Startup Shortlist on Thursdays) reaching 4,600+ subscribers with a ~51% open rate, and 20+ in-person events per year including panels, workshops, and meetups. The technology stack is built on third-party SaaS: Slack for engagement, Beehiiv for newsletter distribution, Luma for event management, and proprietary fractional operator and partner directories with profiles, reviews, and direct contact functionality.

AFC's revenue model combines free community access with diversified monetization: newsletter sponsorships ($700/edition headline, $450 secondary), monthly subscriptions for fractional operator listings on the Fractional Board ($19.99-$29.99/month), paid cohort-based workshops ($1,499-$1,999 per attendee), event partnership tiers, and approximately 10% referral fees on Startup Stack partner conversions. The Startup Stack is a curated, application-only directory of vetted service providers across nine categories (Hiring, Product, Marketing, Finance, Fundraising, Tools, Programs, Wellbeing, IT). The company is backed by LaunchVic through a government grant and is recognized by Innovation Victoria as a Victorian events partner.

The organization is structured as a non-profit community entity with a core team of 1-10 employees, supplemented by a volunteer program called Grow (with) AFC. Geographic expansion beyond Melbourne to additional Australian cities is planned for 2026, with implicit reach into New Zealand. The Life After Launch podcast and AFC Campus webinar series extend content distribution beyond the core Melbourne event footprint.

Name

Aussie Founders Club

Legal name

Aussie Founders Club

Website

https://aussiefoundersclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aussie Founders Club is a Melbourne-based, founder-led community platform connecting 2,000+ Australian startup founders and operators through Slack, dual weekly newsletters, Fractional Board and Startup Stack directories, workshops, and 20+ annual in-person events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Community Platform

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Academic & Education Conference Organizers (THAHACAE)

Keywords

• Founder community platform
• Startup networking events
• Newsletter sponsorship services
• Fractional executive directory
• Vetted partner directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Newsletter Sponsorships: Headline sponsor at $700/edition or $2,000 for 4 editions; Secondary sponsor at $450/edition; Featured job ads at $150. Community rates available for early-stage AFC members at reduced pricing.
2. Fractional Board Listings: Monthly subscription for fractional operators to be listed on the directory. Founding rate $19.99/month locked for life, regular rate $29.99/month. Free for founders to browse.
3. Workshop Revenue: Launch Your Product 2-day workshop at $1,499 founding pricing (then $1,999). Partnered with Everest Engineering for delivery.
4. Event Partnerships: Various event sponsorship tiers including panel events, Startup Sips, female founder events, later stage founder events, workshops, and AFC Campus sessions. Pricing open to conversation.
5. Startup Stack Referral Fees: Approximately 10% referral fee on successful conversions from the vetted partner directory. No onboarding fee for partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Aussie Founders Club is an Australian startup founder community platform that runs a moderated Slack community of 2,000+ founders and operators, publishes two weekly newsletters (The Standup on Tuesdays and The Startup Shortlist on Thursdays) reaching 4,600+ subscribers, hosts 2-3 monthly in-person events in Melbourne, and operates two directories: The Startup Stack for vetted service providers and the AFC Fractional Board for senior fractional operators (CFOs, CMOs, CPOs, CTOs, heads of growth). The platform also delivers structured learning sessions (AFC Campus), the Life After Launch podcast, and paid workshops such as Launch Your Product.

Product overview

Aussie Founders Club is a founder-led community platform for Australian startup builders offering a Slack community (2,000+ members), dual newsletters (The Standup on Tuesdays and The Startup Shortlist on Thursdays with 4,600+ subscribers), The Startup Stack vetted partner directory, the AFC Fractional Board for fractional executive hiring, AFC Campus learning sessions, the Life After Launch podcast, in-person events (2-3 monthly panels, workshops, and meetups), and the Launch Your Product 2-day MVP workshop. The platform is backed by LaunchVic and built by Megan Luttrell, founder of Kairos Recruitment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Startup Stack: AFC's curated, application-only partner directory connecting founders with vetted service providers, tools, investors, and programs.
• AFC Fractional Board
• Life After Launch
• The Standup
• The Startup Shortlist
• AFC Campus
• Grow (with) AFC
• Founders We Back

Products and services

• Slack Community Free moderated community platform connecting 2,000+ Australian startup founders, operators, and talent through curated channels including Headquarters, Founders Helpdesk, Job Board, Event Board, Female Founders, and Vibe-code Builders.
• The Standup Newsletter Tuesday newsletter covering Australian startup news, founder stories, events, deals, and wins. Read by 4,600+ subscribers including people from Blackbird, AirTree, Startmate, and other major Australian VC firms, with approximately 51% open rate.
• The Startup Shortlist Newsletter Thursday newsletter focused on hiring and getting hired in Australian startups, featuring open roles, market insights, and video interviews with founders and candidates.
• The Startup Stack Curated, application-only partner directory connecting Australian founders with vetted service providers, tools, investors, and programs across categories including Hiring and People, Product and Engineering, Marketing and Growth, Finance and Legal, Fundraising and Capital, Tools and Software, Programs and Accelerators, Founder Wellbeing, and IT and Operations. AFC operates on a referral fee model for successful partner conversions.
• AFC Fractional Board Australia's founder-led directory of vetted fractional operators including CFOs, CMOs, CPOs, CTOs, and heads of growth. Founders browse verified profiles with case studies and reviews and contact operators directly without agency fees. Operators pay a monthly subscription to be listed ($19.99/month founding rate locked for life; $29.99/month regular rate).
• AFC Campus Structured webinar-style learning sessions for founders and operators covering practical topics including Fundraising Foundations, Pre-raise Playbook, Startup Stack Building, Legal Foundations, AI Building (Lovable 101), and Building and Motivating Teams with Employee Equity. Sessions are facilitated by AFC or trusted partners and recorded for YouTube.
• Life After Launch Podcast Conversations with founders building Australia's next chapter, hosted by Megan Luttrell and George Geo, featuring interviews with notable Australian founders including Dom Pym (Up), Jodie Imam (Tractor Ventures), Kirstin Hunter (Birchal), and Stephen Woolsey (Ballers Clubhouse and Pawn and Co).
• Events Program In-person founder events including Panel Events, Startup Sips quarterly community drinks, Female Founder Events for women and non-binary founders, Later Stage Founder Events, Workshops, and AFC Campus Sessions. Runs 2-3 events monthly in Melbourne, with planned 2026 expansion to additional cities, managed through Luma.
• Launch Your Product Workshop 2-day intensive workshop delivered with Everest Engineering where founders build and ship an MVP. Covers validation, positioning, customer acquisition, and product storytelling with overnight India team testing. Founding pricing of $1,499, then $1,999, with 10 spots per cohort.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51% newsletter open rate vs industry average of 20-25%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LaunchViccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVictoria's startup agency backing AFC as a key ecosystem initiative. Provides funding, credibility, and strategic alignment with Victoria's startup development goals. Megan Luttrell received Victoria's Ecosystem Hero of the Year award from LaunchVic in 2025.
• Everest EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering partner for Launch Your Product workshop. Team behind builds for Canva, Atlassian, Bupa, and Heatseeker. Delivers 2-day MVP workshop with overnight India team testing.
• ElevenLabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAI voice generation platform listed in The Startup Stack. Provides tools for startup founders in the ecosystem.
• Kairos RecruitmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRecruitment service for startups founded by Megan Luttrell. Works with founders to hire great people and build repeatable hiring systems.
• NotionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConnected workspace tool partner offering 3 months free for AFC members. Used by 50%+ of YC startups.
• Standard Ledger & TorusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartners for Fundraising Foundations AFC Campus session on timing, valuation, and investor expectations.
• IcebergminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Pre-raise Playbook AFC Campus session covering systems, tools, and process for fundraising preparation.
• LunaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStartup legal partner for Getting Your Legal Foundations Right AFC Campus session covering company setup, founder agreements, and IP.
• AntlerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Lovable 101 AFC Campus session on building with AI.
• Cake EquityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Building and Motivating Teams with Employee Equity AFC Campus session on ESOPs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Startmate: Startmate is an Australian and New Zealand startup accelerator and fellowship running a founder community, events, and content that directly overlaps AFC's geographic and audience focus.
• Fishburners: Fishburners is a long-standing Australian founder community and coworking network providing events and peer support — a regional analogue to AFC's community-and-events offering with overlapping Sydney/Melbourne audience.
• Stone & Chalk: Stone & Chalk is an Australian startup hub running programs, events, and partner networks for emerging tech companies — a regional incumbent operating in the same Australian founder ecosystem as AFC.

Direct peers

• Indie Hackers: Indie Hackers is an online community and content platform for startup founders offering interviews, stories, and discussion — closely comparable to AFC's Slack-plus-newsletter community model and now operated by Stripe.
• Reforge: Reforge runs subscription-based communities and structured learning programs for product and growth practitioners, with events and a content library similar in concept to AFC Campus and the AFC newsletters.
• Hustle Fund: Hustle Fund combines a venture fund with an active founder community, content, and events aimed at early-stage operators — comparable to AFC's community-plus-events model for the Australian founder segment.
• Pavilion: Pavilion (formerly Revenue Collective) is a paid membership community for professionals offering curated Slack channels, events, and a partner directory — overlapping AFC's monetization and engagement mechanics.
• OnDeck: OnDeck operated curated, paid founder and operator communities with events, content, and directory-style offerings closely mirroring AFC's Slack-plus-events-plus-directory model before sunsetting its core programs.
• South Park Commons: South Park Commons is a members-only community for founders and technologists that combines curated membership, events, and content — directly comparable to AFC's curated Slack community and educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage accelerator with a strong Australian presence, running cohort programs, community events, and founder content that compete for the same Australian founders AFC serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AussieFoundersClub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aussiefoundersclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aussie Founders Club