The Smarter Founders backstory

Hi, I’m John Knapp, I made Smarter Founders and here’s why:

I wasn’t aware of a grassroots online network exclusively for founders, so I decided to make one. I bought a domain, spun up some cloud compute and installed the amazing Discourse forum software. Fun times!

The other reason is I wanted to give founders the opportunity to pay-it-forward and help their fellow founders.

SmarterFounders.com is open to all active founders from all nations

Founders come in all shapes and sizes and they’re all welcome. Aside from the obvious caveats, no illegal activities, dishonesty or bad behaviors but aside from that, I don’t care what kind of business you run, where you live, or what you look like. And while I’m at it, there’s no room for elitism either. That’s part of what I meant by grassroots.

We focus on topics that matter to founders

  • Ideation & Market selection
  • Cofounders & Incorporation
  • Customer Discovery& Product / Market fit
  • Growth & Marketing
  • Strategy, KPIs, & Analytics
  • Pricing, Revenue & Sales
  • Bootstrapping & Outside investment
  • Leadership, People & Culture
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Showcase & Celebrations

Everybody takes the Founders Pledge

Check the box when signing up

The Founders Pledge assures you that when you join Smarter Founders, you’ll be amongst peers. That matters because when it comes right down to it, nobody understands us founders better than another founder. And when we help each other, we all win.

One more thing, it’s free

Smarter Founders is not about money. Premium features and coffee donations should cover costs but that’s it. I’m doing it this way to make sure nobody is left out. And because founders with grit, especially those living outside typical startup hubs, deserve it.

Tell your founder friends. And please follow @smarterfounders on Twitter.