Dogpatch Founders Café

​Why Join

​Dogpatch Founders Café is a monthly event series for early-stage founders and aspiring founders, designed to give structure, focus, and access to experienced operators and founders.

​The day is split into two parts: a curated afternoon café session focused on hands-on building and problem-solving, followed by an evening activity that changes each month - from fireside chats to hackathons and other founder-led sessions.

​Attendees can choose to join the café or both.

​The café is for you if you're sitting with a real question: do I have the right idea, the right market, or am I ready to go all in - and is it worth it?

​What to expect

Part 1
Café | 13:00 - 16:30

​Drop in anytime (once selected), work on your own ideas, test them with the people around you, or book a 25-minute office hours slot with the Dogpatch Labs team of experts.

​Come with a specific question, a half-formed idea, or a problem you're trying to think through. We'll help you get clearer. Limited spots available. Apply to join.

​Part 2
Fireside with Open Forest | 16:30 – 18:45
Building Without VC: How Open Forest Reached €1M in Annual Revenue

​Join us for a fireside chat with Stuart Connolly, CEO & Co-founder of Open Forest, exploring how the company scaled from zero to €1M annual revenue without raising venture capital.

​Moderated by Malaika Judd (NDRC), the session will explore how Open Forest approached go-to-market without VC pressure, and the key decisions that enabled sustainable, profitable growth while scaling.

​Agenda

​17:00 | Doors open

​17:30 | Fireside chat

​18:15 | Drinks & networking

​Apply to join us for the full day.