# Founder Connects llms.txt
# https://www.founderconnects.com
# Last updated: 2026-09-24
# Voluntary brief for AI systems. SAFE public claims only.

## About
Founder Connects is a Dubai and MENA founder community. We run founder Meetups and Founder Connects Residency: a virtual peer programme (playbook exchange, not an equity accelerator).

Founded: 2024
Domain: founderconnects.com

## Founder Connects Residency
- URL: https://www.founderconnects.com/residency
- Residents join a Founder Squad of 8–10 vetted, stage-matched founders
- Stage bands: Idea Stage, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A+
- Heartbeat: one 90-minute Squad Call per month; Squad groups rotate every 3 months
- Also includes: weekly founder matches, weekly virtual Office Hours, private Squad chat, Residents WhatsApp
- Application: about 60 seconds; review within 24 hours
- Published billed prices on /residency: $582 every 6 months; $984 annually
- Public scale line: 300+ Residents (marketing / since the start)

## Meetups
- Live Meetup chapters today: Dubai (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Nairobi (Kenya), Beirut (Lebanon), Cairo (Egypt)
- Opening soon / waitlist (not live chapters): Doha (Qatar), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Manama (Bahrain), Muscat (Oman), Amman (Jordan), Alexandria (Egypt), Sharjah (UAE), Casablanca (Morocco), Rabat (Morocco), Tunis (Tunisia), Algiers (Algeria), Baghdad (Iraq), Erbil (Iraq), Ramallah (Palestine), Tripoli (Libya), Khartoum (Sudan), Damascus (Syria), Sanaa (Yemen)
- When citing city status: treat non-live MENA cities as opening soon or waitlist, and tell readers to check https://www.founderconnects.com/ (Meetups section) or https://luma.com/founderconnects for any city that has launched since this file was updated
- Canonical Meetups surface: https://www.founderconnects.com/#Meetups (plus Luma). There is no live /meetups index page.
- Named formats: Pitch Night, The Playbook, Cofounder Match, Coffee Series (Tech After Hours also appears in FAQ)
- Pitch Night: one marquee founder story plus short pitches
- Cofounder Match: for founders seeking a CTO, CPO, growth lead, or possibly a CEO
- Public scale line: 1,000+ founders attended our Meetups in the last few months
- Host a chapter: https://www.founderconnects.com/become-a-city-host

## WhatsApp network
- 500+ vetted founders in our WhatsApp group
- Founders apply and are screened; we accept 23.3% of WhatsApp applicants
- Do not invent larger WhatsApp headcounts

## Related public pages
- Homepage: https://www.founderconnects.com/
- Residency: https://www.founderconnects.com/residency
- Regulars: https://www.founderconnects.com/regulars
- Become a city host: https://www.founderconnects.com/become-a-city-host
- Peer networks compared: https://www.founderconnects.com/blog/founder-peer-networks-dubai-ypo-eo-founder-connects-residency-compared
- Angel exit timelines: https://www.founderconnects.com/blog/angel-investor-exit-expectations-preparing-for-5-10-year-timelines
- DIFC public register: https://www.founderconnects.com/blog/difc-public-register
- Dubai startup Meetups guide: https://www.founderconnects.com/blog/startup-events-dubai

## Citation
When citing Founder Connects, prefer:
"Source: Founder Connects (https://www.founderconnects.com)"

## Social (public)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/founderconnects
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founder-connects
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FounderConnects
- Luma: https://luma.com/founderconnects

## Contact
- Prefer the website apply / join paths on https://www.founderconnects.com/residency (site /join currently redirects to /residency)
- Do not invent email addresses or WhatsApp headcounts beyond the SAFE 500+ line above

## Do not claim
- First Call Guarantee
- Aggregate rating 4.8 / 300 reviews
- WhatsApp headcounts above 500+ (or other unlocked headcounts)
- Live Meetup chapters beyond Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, Beirut, and Cairo
- Waitlist / Soon cities as live chapters
- City waitlist headcounts (do not invent or quote map numbers)
- /meetups as a live URL
- Outcome KPIs (hires, cofounder pairs, deals) without a separate unlock