About us
SAN DIEGO'S HANDS-ON STARTUP COMMUNITY
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A working community for founders and operators who want clearer decisions about validation, product, fundraising, hiring, scaling, and exits.
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WHAT YOU'LL GET
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🚀 Startup Phase Clinics — Identify your phase and next move.
🎤 Founder AMAs — Get candid answers from a founder with 12 successful exits.
🛠 Working Sessions — Turn one challenge into a focused 90-day plan.
🤝 Peer Networking — Build relationships with founders operating right now.
📚 Masterclasses — Go deeper on The Startup Lifecycle.
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WHO IT'S FOR
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Founders, startup operators, angel and early-stage investors, and ecosystem leaders across San Diego and North County.
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NO PITCHES. NO FLUFF.
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Bring your hardest question. Leave with a clearer plan and stronger local relationships.
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HOSTED BY GREGORY SHEPARD
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Gregory Shepard is The Startup Architect, a founder with 12 exits and author of The Startup Lifecycle. He helps startup founders understand what matters now and move from idea to exit.
Upcoming events
3
The Founders Pathway Fall 2026: Kickoff + Session 1
·OnlineOnlineWhere do you want your business to end up?
Founders can work hard and still stay stuck when every piece of advice feels urgent. The real question is which work belongs to your current phase, what your company must prove next, and what can wait.
Kickoff + Session 1 opens The Founders Pathway with that question. It gives the cohort a clear starting point for the 3 months ahead, when each session connects a Startup Lifecycle phase, a practical skill, and a Founderswork™ outcome.
A working cohort, not more founder content
The Founders Pathway is Startup Science Institute’s Fall 2026 guided cohort for early-stage founders. It focuses on Vision, Product, and Go-to-Market through live guidance, applied Founderswork™, mentorship, and a peer cohort.
What you will work toward- A validated customer
- A refined pitch
- Evidence of demand
- A clear roadmap for the next phase
- Better preparation for an accelerator application, fundraise, or independent traction
How the Pathway works
- Live 90-minute core sessions on Wednesdays at noon Mountain Time
- Optional Thursday workshops and Founderswork™ review sessions at noon Mountain Time
- Founderswork™ completed on the Startup Science Institute platform
- Multiple mentors and a peer cohort
- Facilitation by Chris Breen, Colin Christensen, and Dr. Arthur Barbut
- Gregory Shepard joining throughout the term
- Live delivery through Google Meet
Who this is for
The Pathway is built for early-stage founders working to find and prove product-market fit, as well as founders repeatedly hitting walls with customers, investors, or accelerators.
Event details- Orientation for enrolled cohort members: Monday, September 14, 2026
- Kickoff + Session 1: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
- 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM Mountain Time
- 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Pacific Time
- Online, 90 minutes
- Full Fall Cohort: September 16 through December 10, 2026
Enrollment and access
A Meetup RSVP records interest only. It does not enroll you, collect payment, or provide access to the cohort or its private Google Meet sessions. Paid enrollment and program access are completed only through Startup Science.
Review the full Founders Pathway schedule, pricing, and enrollment details3 attendees
San Diego Startup Masterclass: Know Your Phase and What to Do Next
Farmer & The Seahorse, 10996 Torreyana Rd, Suite 240, 92121, San Diego, CA, USWhich Phase Is Your Startup Really In, and What Should You Do Next?
Most founders do not need more advice. They need to know which advice matters now.
Join Gregory Shepard for a two-hour, in-person masterclass built around The Startup Lifecycle, his seven-phase framework for moving from vision to exit. You will learn how to identify your current phase, focus on the priorities that belong there, and avoid applying later-stage tactics too early.
The framework draws on Gregory's experience building and selling 12 businesses and a five-year Startup Science research project that included interviews with more than 2,200 founders.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN
- A practical way to map your startup to one of seven phases: Vision, Product, Go-to-Market, Standardize, Optimize, Growth, and Exit.
- A clearer view of the priorities that matter in your phase, and what can wait.
- A better understanding of the most common risk at each phase.
- A focused action for the next 90 days.
- Time to ask Gregory your toughest startup question during the live Q&A.
HOW THE AFTERNOON RUNS
1:00 PM | Arrival and founder connections
Check in, get settled, and meet founders, operators, and investors in the room.1:30 PM | Why startups fail
See the patterns Gregory's research uncovered and why sequence matters.1:50 PM | The seven phases
Learn what each phase requires, how to recognize it, and which mistakes to avoid.2:15 PM | Live phase diagnostic
Work through the framework and turn your current phase into a practical next step.2:30 PM | Open Q&A with Gregory
Bring your hardest question about product, fundraising, hiring, scaling, or exits.3:00 PM | Close
ABOUT GREGORY SHEPARD
Gregory Shepard is The Startup Architect. He has built and exited 12 companies and is the author of The Startup Lifecycle. His Startup Lifecycle, Startup Architecture, and Startup Operating System methods help founders understand where they are, focus on what matters now, and move from idea to exit. Gregory is also a Fulbright Scholar, Fulbright Specialist, and co-founder of the Fulbright Entrepreneurship Initiative, founder and CEO of StartupScience.io, and a TEDxSanDiego speaker.WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Founders at any stage, startup operators and executives, angel and early-stage investors, and accelerator or incubator leaders. If you help decide what a startup should do next, this masterclass is for you.EVENT DETAILS
Friday, October 16, 2026
1:00-3:00 PM PDT
Farmer & The Seahorse
10996 Torreyana Road, Suite 240
San Diego, CA 92121
General admission: $49.95Space is limited. Reserve your seat in advance.
Want to go deeper? The From Vision to Exit 2-Day Intensive ($595) takes a small group through the complete lifecycle playbook with Gregory. Masterclass attendees receive first priority for available seats.
Bring your hardest question and leave with a clearer view of where your startup is, what matters now, and what to do next.
TICKETS & REGISTRATION
Purchase through Eventbrite to reserve your seat:
https://know-your-phase.eventbrite.com/?aff=meetupSpace is limited.
3 attendees
Past events
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