Aurum
Download

Founder Peer Groups

Find or form a small, confidential circle of founders, run monthly meetings that work, share experience instead of advice, and keep the group honest, useful and alive for years.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Founder Peer Groups, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

200

Starter tasks

🚀 Founding & Startups

Founder Peer Groups

Joining or forming a small group of founders who meet regularly to share problems, advice and honest support.

  1. What you want from a founder peer group
  2. Map of peer group options near you
  3. Confidentiality agreement for the group
  4. Group size and member criteria
  5. Shortlist of candidate members for a new group
  6. Invitation conversations with prospective members
  7. Founding meeting of the group
  8. Group charter with attendance and conduct rules
  9. Meeting time, place and format decision
  10. Trial evaluation of a paid peer programme
  11. Monthly meeting cycle
  12. Monthly member update on one page
  13. Rotating moderator rota
  14. Issue queue for presentations
  15. Commitments and follow-up log
  16. Mid-month check-in thread norms
  17. Attendance and engagement review
  18. Shared costs and the group kitty
  19. Annual group retreat
  20. Annual group health review
  21. Sharing experience instead of giving advice
  22. Presenting an issue in ten minutes
  23. Clarifying questions without solving
  24. Moderating a founder peer meeting
  25. Giving hard feedback to a peer founder
  26. Spotting the issue behind the issue
  27. Deciding what you are willing to share
  28. Private takeaways without breaching confidence
  29. Adding a new member to an existing group
  30. Handling a breach of confidentiality
  31. Asking a disengaged member to leave
  32. Refreshing a meeting format that has gone stale
  33. Leaving a group that no longer fits
  34. Choosing an external facilitator
  35. Conflicts of interest between members
  36. Splitting a group that has grown too big
  37. Guest expert session for the group
  38. Emergency meeting for a member in crisis
  39. Year-end reflection and goals session
  40. Marking a member's exit, raise or shutdown
  41. Joint session with another founder group
  42. Peer circle for pre-funding first-time founders
  43. Revenue circle for bootstrapped founders
  44. Remote peer group across time zones
  45. Group for founders who share a background
  46. Peer group in a small startup ecosystem
  47. Peer group after an exit or shutdown
  48. Peer group playbook others can copy
  49. Network of founder circles
  50. Ending a founder group well

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

What you want from a founder peer group

Founders join peer groups for very different reasons: some want accountability on targets, some want a room where they can admit they are scared, and some want introductions. Writing down what you need, what you can give and how many hours a month you can protect stops you joining the first group that asks and then quietly dropping out after three meetings.

First tasks

  • List the three problems you most wish you could talk through with another founder
  • Work out how many hours a month you can protect, including travel
  • Write down two hard-won experiences you could share with peers
  • Draft a one-paragraph brief describing the group you want

Map of peer group options near you

Options range from free accelerator alumni circles and informal dinners to structured forums run by founder organisations and paid programmes with a professional chair. Mapping what exists in your city or online, with entry criteria, cost and meeting format, shows whether you should join something established or start your own.

First tasks

  • Search founder organisations, accelerators and local networks for peer circles
  • Note entry criteria, cost, size and meeting frequency for each option
  • Ask two current members of the best options what meetings are like
  • Record whether you will join, apply or form your own group

Confidentiality agreement for the group

Nothing said in a founder group is safe to share unless every member has agreed in plain words what stays in the room. A short written agreement covering company names, numbers, people and personal matters, signed or affirmed by everyone, is what lets a founder bring a layoff plan or a marriage under strain before it is public.

First tasks

  • Draft a one-page confidentiality promise in plain words
  • Spell out what members may say about their own issues outside the room
  • Agree the consequence of a breach with the founding members
  • Collect each member's signed or recorded agreement

Make it yours.

Install Founder Peer Groups, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.