The only founder network in the world where every member holds a slice of every other member's upside — through the EFLF and ECLF pools — so this is a room with a real financial stake in you, not passing interest. It's also the only founder network that comes with downside protection and early liquidity: a floor under every founder, even if your own startup doesn't make it.
See the ProblemAccelerator networks are built to launch you — then quietly decay the moment you leave. The Rising Tide Founder Network does the opposite: it grows denser and more useful at every stage of your company's life. Founders, investors, advisors, and the service providers who actually specialize in startups — mapped, curated, and backed up by an AI introduction engine meaning we can make warm intros seamless, rapid, and easy.
A great accelerator builds an extraordinary network — for about three months. Then the batch scatters, the group chat goes quiet, and the introductions dry up right as the hard part begins. The network that got you to seed does almost nothing for you at Series B.
So you rebuild it from scratch, over and over: cold LinkedIn, guessing who knows whom, hoping the InMail lands. Every stage, every raise, every crisis — starting the relationship-hunt from zero.
No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose to a team.Reid Hoffman
Four directories, real-world events, and an introduction engine — curated for founders and built to grow with you.
Curated, high-quality, in-person events — the serendipitous environments where deals actually get made.
We're building toward the largest founder network in the world1 — so whatever you're facing, someone here has already solved it. But moreover, every founder in the network has a vested interest in your success.
VCs across every stage, vertical, and geography — and, more importantly, the fastest warm path to the ones you need for your next round.
Vetted advisors and board-ready operators across stages and specialties, matched to what your company needs now.
Accountants, lawyers, marketing, PR, crisis comms — the best firms that actually specialize in startups, not generalists you have to educate.
We map who knows whom, and then automate the outreach for you with AI, so a warm introduction is always one step away. More below.
We map the relationships across the whole network — who backs whom, who advises whom, who already uses that law firm or that fund. When you need an investor, an advisor, or a vendor, we already know the shortest warm path to them.
No more LinkedIn archaeology. No more cold InMail into the void. Our AI introduction engine surfaces the back-channel or delivers the direct intro — exactly when you need it. A warm introduction, every time.
Too much of the startup world now happens behind a screen. We pull founders out from behind their desks and into curated, high-quality, in-person events — the serendipitous environments where investments, partnerships, hires, and acquisitions actually get made.
The kinds of rooms we build
· Founder dinners — small tables, candid conversation.
· Investor days — the right founders in front of the right funds.
· Expert roundtables — a room organized around one hard problem.
· Off-sites — time away from the desk to think and connect.
Plenty of communities will sell you a directory and a Slack. None of them are built like this:
Every member holds a slice of every other member's upside — through the EFLF and ECLF pools. This isn't a room of acquaintances with a passing interest in your company; it's a network with a vested, financial stake in your success. Here, founders help because when you win, they win.
Membership is earned. Every founder clears the same selective bar as our EFLF and ECLF pools — top investors, top programs, a real record of execution. No pay-to-play, no noise.
The only founder network on earth that comes with downside protection, early liquidity, and a path to generational wealth2 — even if your own startup doesn't make it. No other network offers anything close.
Founders in an EFLF or ECLF pool. Membership in the network is a benefit of being in a Rising Tide pool.
An accelerator network is most active for a few months, then fades. The RTFN is built to compound across your whole company lifecycle — and its members are financially aligned with your success through the EFLF/ECLF pools.
We map relationships across the network and use AI to find the shortest warm path to any investor, advisor, or service provider you need — then back-channel or make a direct introduction.
No separate fee. The network comes with EFLF or ECLF membership.
Curated, high-quality, in-person gatherings — founder dinners, investor days, and expert roundtables — designed for the serendipitous meetings where real deals happen.
The Founder Network comes with a position in an EFLF or ECLF pool — the same position that gives you downside protection, early liquidity, and a path to generational wealth. Join the ladder, join the network.
1 "Largest founder network in the world" — This describes an aspiration and a direction of travel, not a present, measured fact. The network is live for EFLF and ECLF members today and is actively expanding; we make no claim that any directory here is currently the largest in existence.
2 Downside protection, early liquidity & wealth-creation — These benefits are delivered through membership in the Exceptional Founder Liquidity Fund (EFLF) or Exceptional Company Liquidity Fund (ECLF), and are subject to those funds' offering-document terms and eligibility requirements (including accredited-investor and other qualifying criteria). Nothing on this page is an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security, or investment, legal, or tax advice. Investment in early-stage startups and collective equity pools involves significant risk, including possible loss of principal; past performance is not indicative of future results.