4FF • Four Flying Founders

Pip, 4FF Manager

Let's sum up. 4 founders + 1 angel commit to monthly 4FF-sessions for 1 year. To get warmed up, the first 3 sessions are fortnightly. Sessions are 2 hours long. Pizza + beer, or suchlike after the 1st hour. Each founder contributes $200 upfront.

For best results, founders should be at a similar stage of their startup journey. The Founder Matching form helps with this. The first meeting gives founders an opportunity to check each other out and assess general compatability.
Participating angels must have relevant experience and appropriate interpersonal skills to facilitate the sessions. The Angel Screening form helps with this.
Pip Gilbert is the 4FF-manager who helps founders and angels to get the best results out of the program. She in turn is helped by Andy Harwood and Debra Hall with founder matching and angel screening.

IS 4FF ONLY FOR FOUNDERS THAT HAVE TAKEN ANGEL INVESTMENT?

Initially, yes. However, we will review this over time to also include startups that have received funding from any source, be that bootstrapping, friends and family, angels or VCs. The critical participation requirement is that 4 founders can be matched with each other and with 1 angel.

Can the $200 contribution be paid in installments?

Unfortunately, not. 4FF is a lean organisation, run by voluneers and processing part payments would create additional overhead.

I'm already meeting regularly with another founder, can we join together?

Absolutely, 4FF wants to strengthen and widen founder support networks. Building on from existing relationships makes a lot of sense. Just complete the Founder Matching form.

Can I join the meetings virtually?

To be effective each 4FF group needs to build trust and bond. We believe this is best achieved with in-person meeting. Therefore, we form groups where everyone has a good chance to attend once a month and be in the room with everyone.

is this a prospecting ploy by angel investors?

NO! We know this is helpful for founders and more effective and sustainable than many other advisory models. We help with the matching and meeting rooms but then leave the groups to run autonomously. The group members sign up to a mutal confidentially agreeement and what happens in the sessions stays with those individuals.