Founder-led
Conversations are shaped by people who are in the work: founders, cofounders, and operators navigating growth in real time.
About
A space for the realities of building.
A supportive community where founders and startup leaders connect, share the realities of building, learn from one another, and grow stronger companies together.
Knowledge shared
We believe lessons should travel. Members share what worked, what didn’t, and what they would do differently next time.
Success celebrated together
Wins matter more when they’re shared with people who understand the cost of getting there.
Not merely a networking group.
The Founders Experience is a community, not a platform. We bring founders together for honest conversation, peer support, and relationships that last beyond a single event. Membership is free.
Through shared experience, members can learn faster, make better decisions, and build stronger companies.
The co-founders
Built by people who have worked with the companies shaping this space.
The Founders Experience is made by people who have worked with TDengine, C3.ai, OpenAI, Meta, Google, Workday, Wave, Anthropic, and other Fortune 500 enterprises.
Arun Arulraj
Co-founder, The Founders Experience
AI Solutions Engineer, TDengine
Builds AI systems for industrial operations at TDengine, working with time-series databases, ML, and cloud-scale data platforms. Right out of college he joined early-stage startup Soundromeda as Head of AI, raised a pre-seed with no VC experience, and serves as a scout for Necessary Ventures. Previously engineering at C3 AI and Meta.
Technical depth
Ryan House
Co-founder, The Founders Experience
Senior Consultant, Technical, The Search Experience
Over a decade in technical, product, and design recruitment for high-growth SaaS, fintech, and venture-backed startups from Seed through Series C. He's spent that time on the hiring side of the table, learning what separates the teams that scale from the ones that stall. Now he brings that pattern recognition to founders building their first teams.
Recruiting experience
Privacy
We treat member and partner information with care. Application details are used to review fit, operate the community, and share relevant updates you opt into. We do not sell personal data. For privacy questions, reach out through the partner or member forms and note “Privacy” in your message.
Join the community
Build alongside people who understand the journey.
Membership is free for accepted founders and operators. Apply and we’ll be in touch.