Seattle
Seattle chapter

Seattle Startup Community

Founders Network’s mission is to connect Seattle Founders with global resources that they don’t have access to in Seattle. Based in Silicon Valley, Founders Network is a mentorship program that supports Founders with a global network of peer mentoring and investment opportunities. Seattle members can find the strength of a global network behind them.

Seattle chapter

Our Local Leadership Team

Neha Saigal
Membership Chair
Co-founder, Article
FN January 2024 Cohort

I'm the co-founder of Article, a manufacturing company for the people building the physical world. We make custom metal parts for data center, robotics, automotive, energy and hardware teams, from one prototype to full production, quoted in 24 hours and delivered in days. Behind every order is a certified factory and a swarm of AI agents we're building to take the slow, manual work out of manufacturing. I grew up in manufacturing, spent most of my career in tech, and I'm now bringing the two worlds together.

David Plonsky
Growth Chair
Founder, MyStandby
FN December 2014 Cohort

I love to help businesses grow by employing the latest technology. Most of my professional experience has been online - working to achieve this goal. I love this line: in order to be successful at work, you have to like who you work with, and you have to believe that what you do truly helps others. I am presently working on a startup to automate waiting lists, which I believe will increase efficiency for scheduling appointments in virtual every vertical. David Plonsky https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=16156706

A Founders Network member speaking at an event

The Seattle startup scene

Seattle’s startup ecosystem was valued at $96 billion for 2023 to 2025 in Startup Genome’s Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026, nearly four times the global average of $25 billion.

Seed and Series A funding in Seattle tech startups totaled $3.3 billion over the same period, against a global average of $554 million per ecosystem, and exits reached $34 billion from 2021 to 2025. The city is known for the engineering talent that Amazon and Microsoft have drawn there.

Founders Network in Seattle

Founders Network is a peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Members get mentorship from other founders, chapter events, and introductions to investors and founders across a global network.

The Seattle chapter is run by volunteer member leaders, who are listed on this page. Members in the area meet at chapter events.

Founders listening at a Founders Network sessionFounders talking at a Founders Network eventA Founders Network roundtable
600+
Vetted tech founders
$50B+
In exits by members
55%
Serial founders
100+
Events a year
Next step

Meet us in Seattle

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to the Nominee Preview Q&A, a 30-minute Zoom where current members walk through how Founders Network works and take questions. The next one is Thursday, November 19 at 9:30 AM PT.

Request an invitation

Already nominated? RSVP to the Nominee Preview.

Frequently asked questions

What startup events can I attend in Seattle before joining?

Chapter events are open to guests by invitation. The Seattle chapter has met in person a couple of times in the last year, so most of what members here do happens in the weekly online program, and local events pick up as the chapter grows. Request an invitation and we'll send you the next local date. Your first event is on us with a one-time guest pass. Upcoming dates in every city are on the events page.

How do I get a feel for the members before I apply?

Listen to our podcast. It features the network's most successful members telling the story of how they built and sold their companies. Most members are somewhere along that journey, from first-time founder to serial founder, and the episodes show the kind of founder they are learning from.

Is Founders Network a Seattle group or a global one?

Global. Founders Network started in San Francisco in 2011 and now has city chapters and sector groups around the world, with the largest concentration of members in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Most of the program is online and runs every week: facilitated peer roundtables, live expert sessions, moderated founder forums, and 1-1 introductions to members in any city. Members meet in person at the annual conferences, fnIRL and fnSummit. The Seattle chapter adds local meetings on top of that, and they are a small part of the whole. The full program is on the mentoring tracks page.

Who are the members?

Founders of tech startups at every point on the journey, from a first company getting to market to serial founders who have exited. Each is nominated and approved, and what we select for is alignment with the network's values and vision rather than stage or sector. Members join to find customers, raise their first rounds, hire co-founders and early teams, and work through the hard parts of running a company with peers who have done it.

Can Founders Network help me raise money?

Founders Network can make you a more competent and better-connected fundraiser. It can't guarantee funding. The Scale plan is built for founders getting to market and raising seed: 1-on-1 pitch mentoring from VCs, a curated investor directory with warm opt-in introductions, and a pass to fnIRL, the annual San Francisco conference. On every plan you can ask the forums and get introduced to members who have raised at your stage. Plan details are on the membership page. Pricing is shared on approval.

How do I join Founders Network in Seattle?

Membership is by nomination and approval. Request an invitation and we'll review your background. If it's a fit, we arrange a nomination and invite you to an info call with current members. All memberships are annual, and we never take equity.

Not a member yet?

Get an invitation to the community.

Founders Network is an invite-only peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. Drop your email — we'll take it from there.

No spam. We review every request individually.