Gildre · Austin, TX
Austin is full of people building things. The ones building at your level are harder to find.
Gildre is a private founder membership for Austin’s most serious builders. Monthly curated dinners. Weekly 1:1 introductions. A community where everyone was chosen.
Applications reviewed weekly · Limited spots per chapter
250+
Active Members
$2.4B+
Member Valuations
Weekly
Curated Intros
15+
Cities Represented
Why founders join and stay
Austin has the energy.
Gildre has the right people in the room.
The dinner is the visible part. What actually changes is who calls you on a Tuesday when something goes sideways.
They chose Austin on purpose.
Whether they relocated from SF, NYC, or Chicago, or built here from the start, Gildre Austin members are invested in this city's ecosystem and building relationships designed to compound over years, not quarters.
They give before they ask.
Texas has a culture of warm introductions and genuine hospitality. Gildre channels that into something structured and high-signal — a community where reciprocity is the baseline expectation, not the exception.
Every industry. One standard.
SaaS, creator economy, healthcare, hardware, consumer, services. Gildre Austin has members building across all of it. The filter isn't your vertical. It's whether you're serious enough to be genuinely useful to someone else.
They're building for the long game.
Austin attracts founders who are less interested in venture theater and more interested in durable businesses, real revenue, and peer accountability that outlasts any single funding cycle.
Your Future Peers
The room you’ve been
trying to get into.
Gildre members are hand-selected founders, operators, and builders who are active, giving, and at your level. Not LinkedIn connections. Actual peers.
Armando Vera
Founder · HangTight
Armando grew up in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, arrived in the United States with very little, and built his way from working at Amazon to founding HangTight — a platform connecting people through shared experiences. His story is one of the most honest in the Gildre Austin community: resourcefulness over resources, community over credentials, and the conviction that where you started doesn’t determine where you land.
Read his story →
Luke Ashenbrand
Founder · Startup Athlete
Armando Vera
Founder · HangTight
Steve Ramona
Host · Servant Heart Podcast
John Lionberger
Founder · Broadway & Engineering
Monthly Founder Dinner
Austin, TX
In-Person Events · Austin, TX
More than dinners. A full calendar built around founders.
Gildre Austin events run the full range — from intimate curated dinners to escape rooms, co-hosted startup events, and seasonal BBQs. Every format is designed for one thing: getting the right people in the right room.
- ✓
Founder Dinners
Seated. Small. Every attendee selected. Twelve founders around a good table — no panels, no pitching. The conversations here don't happen at the average Austin startup event because this room was built for them.
- ✓
Team Building Experiences
Escape rooms, off-sites, and challenges designed to build trust faster than a conference ever could. The best peer relationships start when you're solving something together.
- ✓
Co-Hosted Events with Other Startups
Gildre partners with top startups and ecosystem organizations across Austin to co-host events. Curated cross-pollination — access to complementary communities, not just ours.
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BBQs & Social Gatherings
Austin was made for this. Some of the best founder relationships start over good food and good weather. Gildre hosts seasonal social events where the agenda is just being around the right people.
From Gildre Members
What building inside Gildre
actually feels like.
Being in Gildre feels like having founder co-workers that actually get it. They've saved me hours of research just by sharing what's worked for them.
Caitlin Van Berkel
Founder · Silver Lining Career Coach
The structure at Gildre is impressive. It's truly a space where founders challenge each other and mentorship isn't abstract.
Christof Mannfeld
Founder · Solvee
I wanted to surround myself with others going through similar growth and challenges. Gildre gives me exactly that, a community where I can both give and gain exceptional value.
Elise Madrick
Founder · Cerené
Selection Criteria
Membership isn’t automatic. That’s what makes it worth having.
We review every application. Not to be difficult — because who’s in the room determines what the room is worth. If the bar drops, the conversations drop with it. The people already inside are the reason you want in.
Chapter Leads
Meet the team behind Gildre Austin.
Ola George
Founder, Plugged In PR · Austin Chapter Lead, Gildre
Ola is the founder of Plugged In PR, a public relations agency specializing in tech and innovation brands. She has built a reputation across the Austin ecosystem as a connector and operator who understands what early-stage founders actually need — not just press, but real positioning that opens doors. She brings that same practical, no-hype orientation to her role as Gildre Austin's chapter lead.
LinkedIn →
Diana Muturia
CEO, Clyn · Austin Chapter Lead, Gildre
Diana is the CEO of Clyn, a cleantech startup that went through Techstars Austin. Originally from Kenya, she built her company in Austin and has become one of the city's most respected voices on founder resilience, diverse capital access, and building with limited resources. Her work has been recognized by national media and she brings an unusually honest perspective on what it actually takes to build something that lasts.
LinkedIn →Austin FAQ
Questions about Gildre Austin.
How are 1:1 founder introductions curated in Austin?+
Every week, Gildre's team reviews your profile, stage, and goals to match you with an Austin founder or operator with directly relevant experience. These are warm, intentional introductions, not algorithm-generated connection requests.
Where are Austin founder dinners and events held?+
Gildre Austin hosts monthly founder dinners and curated events throughout the city. Venues rotate so no matter where you're based in the Austin metro area, you're in range.
What types of founders join Gildre Austin?+
Gildre Austin welcomes founders across every industry — SaaS, creator economy, healthcare, hardware, consumer, and services. What members share is not a sector. It's a stage of seriousness: actively building, accountable to peers, and ready to give as much as they get. Members typically range from pre-seed to Series A.
How is Gildre different from Austin's existing startup communities?+
Austin has a vibrant founder scene and plenty of open events. Gildre is the curated, private layer: selected members, intentional 1:1 introductions, and small-group dinners where every person in the room was chosen deliberately. No open applications. No panel speaker pitches.
Can I attend an Austin event before becoming a member?+
Occasionally Gildre opens select Austin events to prospective members by invitation. Apply and mention your interest in an Austin preview dinner. We regularly prioritize local applicants so you can experience the community before committing.
Austin, TX
The next dinner already has a guest list.
Apply to be on it.
Applications take less than five minutes. If you’re a fit, you’ll hear from us within a week. The founders you’ve been trying to get in the room with are already members.
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