Background Paths
Background Paths

The accountability of a co-founder. Without giving up equity.

Meet two other founders at your stage in a monthly 60-minute virtual circle that keeps execution on track and surfaces blind spots.

Hana K.
Diego R.
Aisha D.

Free to apply. Pay only after your application is accepted.
Full refund if we can't match you or your first circle isn't a fit.

縁

縁 (en): The invisible threads that connect people at the right time.

How it works

1. Apply for free

Tell us your stage, business model, and availability. If you're accepted, you pay to join the next round of matching.

2. Get matched with two founders

You're matched with two non-competing solo founders at a similar stage. Matches are made every two weeks. If we can't find yours, you get a full refund.

3. Meet once a month, 60 minutes

Virtual by default. Each founder gets a 20-minute turn that covers three things:

  • Check-in. What are you focused on, and did you do what you said you'd do?
  • Calibration. Two peers share honest feedback and surface what you may be missing.
  • Commitment. State your next high-impact step out loud.

4. Stay together for three months

Same two peers every month, for at least three months, so every session builds on the last.

Why the usual options don't work

An informal accountability buddy

Helpful for a few weeks, but usually too loose to sustain momentum.

Why 1:1 buddies fizzle out →

Slack groups & founder chats

Lots of noise, little follow-through. Nobody knows your business well enough to help.

Compare support models →

A mentor or VC advisor

Valuable perspective, but infrequent, and they aren't in it with you.

Calibration vs. mentorship →

An executive coach

Real accountability, but expensive ($500 to $2,000+/mo), and still just one point of view.

Coaching vs. peer circles →

EO, YPO, Hampton

Great peer structure, but built for later-stage founders and gated by revenue minimums (EO: $1M+).

Peer advisory boards compared →

en

Three founders at your stage, one structured session a month, and peers who ask the hard questions from session one. Human-curated, at a fraction of a coach's cost.

How founder circles work →

Who it's for

Built for solo founders. Not for stable owner-operators. Not for people looking for a generic founder community.

  • From first idea to early scale.
  • Any industry: Tech, SaaS, DTC, services, marketplaces, media, and more.
  • For founders who want real accountability and honest peer input, not networking or pitches.
A solo founder writing in a notebook while working at her laptop

Why it works

Accountability that compounds

Your circle remembers what you committed to. Each session gets sharper because your peers already have the context. No starting over, no re-explaining.

Calibration that gets more precise

The longer your circle runs, the better your peers understand your market and your blind spots. Feedback moves from general to specific.

Trust without networking

High-context peers who've seen your reality up close, month after month, tend to become the people you trust most. Without ever going to an event.

Choose your stage

Build

$60 / 3-month circle

($20/session)

Idea to early distribution · typically pre-revenue

For founders building, validating, or pushing early distribution after launch. Stay accountable to what you’ll ship or test next, and get honest feedback on your assumptions.

Growth

$120 / 3-month circle

($40/session)

First customers to early traction · typically $1K+/mo revenue

For founders navigating product, pricing, and go-to-market. Stay accountable to what you committed to, and get honest feedback on what’s actually working.

Scale

$240 / 3-month circle

($80/session)

Traction to scale · typically $10K+/mo revenue

For founders making hard calls on team, capital, and strategy. Stay accountable with peers navigating the exact same stakes.

All circles include

  • A curated match of 3 founders at your stage.
  • 3 structured monthly sessions, 60 minutes each, virtual by default.
  • Confidential conversations with honest feedback, off the record.
  • Curation, matching, and coordination.
  • A full refund if we can't match you or your first circle isn't a fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Informal buddies

Good intentions, but usually too loose to stick.

Slack groups & founder chats

Useful for quick questions, but noisy, passive, and zero follow-through.

Mentors & Advisors

Great for high-altitude advice, but check-ins are too rare and they aren't in the trenches at your exact stage.

Executive coaches

Strong accountability, but high monthly fees and only one person's perspective.

Incubators / Accelerators

Excellent, but take heavy equity, demand a rigid full-time cohort, and usually push everyone toward VC funding.

en circles

Private, curated calibration with two other founders at your exact stage. Structured 60-minute monthly deep-dives focused on blind spots and mutual accountability. No equity, no fluff.

Your circle is matched by stage, business model, and timezone so that feedback is immediately relevant. Matches are made every two weeks, and a person reviews every circle before it starts. Circles stay small, exactly three founders, to keep discussions substantive.
Your circle is only as good as the two other founders in it. The application tells us your stage, business model, and what you're working on, so we can accept founders who are actively building and match them with peers facing similar decisions. It also keeps circles committed and focused on accountability, not networking. Applying is free, and you only pay once your application is accepted.
Applying is free. Once your application is accepted, you pay to join the next round of matching. Matches are made every two weeks. If we can't find yours, you can keep waiting or take a full refund.
One 60-minute session per month, scheduled to fit the members' timezones. Preparation is lightweight: a brief calibration update before each call.
Each founder gets about 20 minutes in rotation to walk through recent progress, test assumptions, and get input on upcoming decisions. A simple format keeps the discussion focused on high-leverage questions rather than small talk.
Yes. If a circle is not the right fit, you can request a rematch at the end of any cycle at no additional cost.
No. Circles include technical, commercial, and domain-expert founders who are actively building and operating their own businesses.
Two reasons. First, every circle is curated by hand. We review your stage, business model, and timezone, and check each circle for fit before it starts. Second, paying changes who shows up. Free accountability groups tend to fade because nothing is at stake. When you've all paid, you and your two peers are committed to showing up and executing your stated goals.
If we can't find your match, you get a full refund. If your first circle isn't a good fit, let us know after your first session and we'll refund your fee in full. No hurdles.

As a solo founder, your internal monologue is often your only sounding board.

Get matched with two other founders at your stage for a monthly sounding board that holds you accountable.

Free to apply. Pay only after your application is accepted.
Full refund if we can't match you or your first circle isn't a fit.