Gildre — Founder Stories, Guides & Insights https://www.gildre.com Founder interviews, startup guides, and community insights from Gildre — the private founder community for pre-revenue to $5M+ ARR startups. en-us Gildre, LLC info@gildre.com (Gildre) info@gildre.com (Gildre) <![CDATA[Founders Don't Need Fancy Dinners. They Need Someone Who Gets It.]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founders-dont-need-fancy-dinners https://www.gildre.com/blog/founders-dont-need-fancy-dinners Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Nelson Brooks of Cabana Boys: From COVID Layoff to Shark Tank]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/nelson-brooks-cabana-boys-shark-tank-founder https://www.gildre.com/blog/nelson-brooks-cabana-boys-shark-tank-founder Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Accelerator or Peer Community: The Real Difference Founders Miss]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/accelerator-vs-peer-community-founder-difference https://www.gildre.com/blog/accelerator-vs-peer-community-founder-difference Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Co-Founder to Loneliest Job: Why Two People at the Helm Still Feel Isolated]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/co-founder-startup-isolation-peer-scarcity-not-headcount https://www.gildre.com/blog/co-founder-startup-isolation-peer-scarcity-not-headcount Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Equity-Free Founder Networks: How Gildre Structures Mentor Access Without Taking a Stake]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/equity-free-founder-networks-gildre-mentor-access https://www.gildre.com/blog/equity-free-founder-networks-gildre-mentor-access Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Fellowship or Membership: How to Choose the Right Founder Community Model]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/fellowship-vs-membership-founder-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/fellowship-vs-membership-founder-community Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Keynote Slides to Cap Tables: Finding Advisors Who Have Actually Exited]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/finding-advisors-who-actually-exited-founder-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/finding-advisors-who-actually-exited-founder-community Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Founder Communities Ranked: Which Ones Actually Match You by Revenue Stage]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-communities-ranked-revenue-stage-matching https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-communities-ranked-revenue-stage-matching Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Networking Theater to Product-Market Fit: What Founder Communities Actually Do]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-community-product-market-fit https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-community-product-market-fit Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Solo Decisions to Shared Ones: What Founders at $200K ARR Do About Isolation]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-isolation-200k-arr-peer-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-isolation-200k-arr-peer-community Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Supported to Understood: Why Founder Isolation Doesn't Go Away With Encouragement]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-isolation-support-vs-understanding-peer-mentorship https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-isolation-support-vs-understanding-peer-mentorship Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Founder Loneliness Is Predictable, Not Personal]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-loneliness-predictable-stage-peer-support https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-loneliness-predictable-stage-peer-support Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Founder Proximity Bias: How Solo Founders Test Market Fit Without Fooling Themselves]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-proximity-bias-test-market-fit https://www.gildre.com/blog/founder-proximity-bias-test-market-fit Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[What Scaling-Stage CEOs Should Look For in a Founder Community]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/gildre-founder-community-scaling-stage-ceos https://www.gildre.com/blog/gildre-founder-community-scaling-stage-ceos Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Zero Churn, 25% Growth, and the Compounding Bets That Got Us There]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/gildre-july-2026-25-percent-growth-zero-churn-product-market-fit https://www.gildre.com/blog/gildre-july-2026-25-percent-growth-zero-churn-product-market-fit Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Coaching Calls to Cap Tables: Where Healthtech Founders Find Mentors Who've Actually Exited]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/healthtech-founders-find-mentors-who-exited https://www.gildre.com/blog/healthtech-founders-find-mentors-who-exited Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Polite Nods to Real Signal: Why Honest Startup Feedback Is So Rare]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/honest-startup-feedback-why-founders-rarely-get-it https://www.gildre.com/blog/honest-startup-feedback-why-founders-rarely-get-it Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[On Deck vs. Gildre: What Founders Use When They Outgrow the Cohort Model]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/on-deck-vs-gildre-founder-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/on-deck-vs-gildre-founder-community Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Generic Advice to Stage-Matched Guidance: Where Pre-Revenue Founders Actually Belong]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/pre-revenue-founder-stage-matched-peer-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/pre-revenue-founder-stage-matched-peer-community Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Solo SaaS Founder Facing a Pivot: Who to Talk To Before You Decide]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/solo-saas-founder-pivot-decision-who-to-talk-to https://www.gildre.com/blog/solo-saas-founder-pivot-decision-who-to-talk-to Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Under $500K ARR and Second-Guessing Everything? Where Founders at Your Stage Actually Talk]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/under-500k-arr-founder-community-stage-matched https://www.gildre.com/blog/under-500k-arr-founder-community-stage-matched Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Why $59 Beats Gatekeeping: The Real Math Behind Accessible Founder Communities]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/why-59-dollars-beats-gatekeeping-accessible-founder-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/why-59-dollars-beats-gatekeeping-accessible-founder-community Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Why Founder Isolation Happens in the First Two Years (And Why It's Structural, Not Personal)]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/why-founder-isolation-happens-first-two-years https://www.gildre.com/blog/why-founder-isolation-happens-first-two-years Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[From Zero to $500K: Why Generic Startup Advice Fails the Founders Who Need It Most]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/zero-to-500k-arr-why-generic-startup-advice-fails https://www.gildre.com/blog/zero-to-500k-arr-why-generic-startup-advice-fails Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Dr. Michael Filosi: From Two Dental Chairs to Adelaide's Biggest Practice and a Private Equity Exit]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/dr-michael-filosi-fullarton-park-dental-adelaide https://www.gildre.com/blog/dr-michael-filosi-fullarton-park-dental-adelaide Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Alex Jekowski: From College Pinboards to $140M — How Cents Is Building the All-In-One Platform Powering America's Laundromats]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/alex-jekowski-cents-laundromat-tech-vertical-saas https://www.gildre.com/blog/alex-jekowski-cents-laundromat-tech-vertical-saas Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Christof Gomez Mannfeld: The Bosch Engineer Who Got Fired and Built solvee]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/christof-gomez-mannfeld-solvee-ai-business-coach https://www.gildre.com/blog/christof-gomez-mannfeld-solvee-ai-business-coach Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Cody Graham: How SoGo Is Turning Restaurant Discovery Into Personalized Curation]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/cody-graham-sogo-restaurant-app-chicago https://www.gildre.com/blog/cody-graham-sogo-restaurant-app-chicago Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Florian Kemmerich: The Impact Investor Who Left the Olympics and Built an AI Platform]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/florian-kemmerich-vocating-ai-impact-investor https://www.gildre.com/blog/florian-kemmerich-vocating-ai-impact-investor Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[The $1M–$3M ARR Gap: What Founder Communities Get Wrong, and What Actually Works]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/one-to-three-million-arr-founder-community https://www.gildre.com/blog/one-to-three-million-arr-founder-community Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chris Yeh: The Co-Author of Blitzscaling on Winning Winner-Take-Most Markets]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/chris-yeh-blitzscaling-reid-hoffman https://www.gildre.com/blog/chris-yeh-blitzscaling-reid-hoffman Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Frances Pratt: From the Ritz Carlton to $18M Exit — How the Author of More Sales Less Marketing Rewires Founders Who Hate Selling]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/frances-pratt-more-sales-less-marketing https://www.gildre.com/blog/frances-pratt-more-sales-less-marketing Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Iliana Alvarado: The Mexico City Attorney Who Left Banking to Build XPERTEKIT.Inc]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/iliana-alvarado-ensyx-it-governance-ai-mexico https://www.gildre.com/blog/iliana-alvarado-ensyx-it-governance-ai-mexico Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Sharon Gai: From Alibaba Head of Global Accounts to International Keynote Speaker on the Future of AI and Work]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/sharon-gai-keynote-speaker-alibaba-ai https://www.gildre.com/blog/sharon-gai-keynote-speaker-alibaba-ai Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Steve Ramona: The Servant's Heart Business Philosophy That Turned a Gym Front Desk Into Millions]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/steve-ramona-servant-heart-podcast-networking https://www.gildre.com/blog/steve-ramona-servant-heart-podcast-networking Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chris Tsakalakis: How the StubHub CEO Grew Ticket Sales From $400M to $3.2B in Eight Years]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/chris-tsakalakis-stubhub-ceo-marketplace https://www.gildre.com/blog/chris-tsakalakis-stubhub-ceo-marketplace Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Russell Breuer: From Studio Apartment to Nine-Figure Pet Health Empire With Spot and Tango]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/russell-breuer-spot-tango-pet-food-founder https://www.gildre.com/blog/russell-breuer-spot-tango-pet-food-founder Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chris Riklin: How a Decade in Political Tech Led Him to Co-Found Topline]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/chris-riklin-topline-professional-marketplace https://www.gildre.com/blog/chris-riklin-topline-professional-marketplace Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Elise Madrick: Why Real Transformation Requires Changing Your Entire Context]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/elise-madrick-cerene-executive-transformation https://www.gildre.com/blog/elise-madrick-cerene-executive-transformation Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[John Olson: From Managing a Billion-Dollar Healthcare Budget to E-Commerce and Executive Coaching]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/john-olson-healthcare-entrepreneur-coaching https://www.gildre.com/blog/john-olson-healthcare-entrepreneur-coaching Sat, 01 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Robyn Hobson: From Cape Town Startup to US CMO — A Global Marketing Career Built on Grit]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/robyn-hobson-cape-town-to-us-cmo https://www.gildre.com/blog/robyn-hobson-cape-town-to-us-cmo Wed, 01 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[NASA Engineer to Y Combinator: Building Open-Source AI]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/nasa-engineer-y-combinator-chatopensource https://www.gildre.com/blog/nasa-engineer-y-combinator-chatopensource Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Alex Bean: How the Co-Founder of Divvy Sold to Bill.com and Moved Into Venture Capital]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/alex-bean-divvy-billcom-acquisition https://www.gildre.com/blog/alex-bean-divvy-billcom-acquisition Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Aytekin Tank: How He Bootstrapped Jotform to 25 Million Users Without a Dollar of VC Funding]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/aytekin-tank-bootstrapped-jotform-no-vc https://www.gildre.com/blog/aytekin-tank-bootstrapped-jotform-no-vc Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[James Corwin: How a Montana Wildlife Artist Built Corwin Galleries into a Thriving Business]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/james-corwin-wildlife-artist-corwin-galleries https://www.gildre.com/blog/james-corwin-wildlife-artist-corwin-galleries Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Fritz Lanman: Building Products That Scale — From Microsoft to ClassPass Unicorn]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/fritz-lanman-classpass-microsoft-unicorn https://www.gildre.com/blog/fritz-lanman-classpass-microsoft-unicorn Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Ryan Hughes: Google and Snapchat Alum Building Fan Pier Labs]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/ryan-hughes-google-snapchat-fan-pier-labs https://www.gildre.com/blog/ryan-hughes-google-snapchat-fan-pier-labs Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Luke Ashenbrand: Princeton Athlete Turned Startup Founder]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/luke-ashenbrand-princeton-football-startup https://www.gildre.com/blog/luke-ashenbrand-princeton-football-startup Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[John Lionberger: From Broadway Technician to Electrical Engineer to Pro Racing Driver]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/john-lionberger-broadway-engineer-racing https://www.gildre.com/blog/john-lionberger-broadway-engineer-racing Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Armando Vera Carvajal: From the Amazon River to Building Hangtight]]> https://www.gildre.com/blog/armando-vera-carvajal-hangtight-amazon https://www.gildre.com/blog/armando-vera-carvajal-hangtight-amazon Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Your Next 100 Customers: The Gildre GTM Playbook for Founders]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/next-100-customers-gtm-playbook https://www.gildre.com/guides/next-100-customers-gtm-playbook Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[How to Build a High-Performing SDR Team]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/building-high-performing-sdr-team https://www.gildre.com/guides/building-high-performing-sdr-team Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Pre-Seed Fundraising: The 7-Step Playbook for First-Time Founders]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/pre-seed-fundraising-playbook https://www.gildre.com/guides/pre-seed-fundraising-playbook Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Equity Dilution Explained: How Much to Give Away at Each Funding Round]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/equity-dilution-explained https://www.gildre.com/guides/equity-dilution-explained Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Startup Equity 101: The Complete Founder's Guide to Splitting Shares and Vesting Schedules]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/startup-equity-101 https://www.gildre.com/guides/startup-equity-101 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[When to Say No to Customers: The Founder's Playbook]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/when-to-say-no-to-customers https://www.gildre.com/guides/when-to-say-no-to-customers Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[How to Get Your First 100 Customers]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/first-100-customers https://www.gildre.com/guides/first-100-customers Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[How to Use Customer Feedback to Build a Product People Actually Want]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/how-to-use-customer-feedback-build-product https://www.gildre.com/guides/how-to-use-customer-feedback-build-product Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Cap Table Management From Pre-Seed to Series A: The Founder's Equity Playbook]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/cap-table-management https://www.gildre.com/guides/cap-table-management Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital: What Real Founders Know]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/bootstrapping-vs-venture-capital https://www.gildre.com/guides/bootstrapping-vs-venture-capital Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Micro-Influencer Marketing: The Founder's Playbook for Niche Creator Partnerships]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/micro-influencer-marketing https://www.gildre.com/guides/micro-influencer-marketing Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Startup Fundraising Terminology: The Complete Founder's Glossary]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/startup-fundraising-terminology https://www.gildre.com/guides/startup-fundraising-terminology Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Building Products That Scale: Lessons from ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman]]> https://www.gildre.com/guides/building-products-that-scale https://www.gildre.com/guides/building-products-that-scale Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT