PEF "Second Summit" Builders Breakfast
You know how to hire. You know what a real customer looks like. You've seen the whole life cycle, beginning to exit. And yet here you are, staring at a new cap table and a market you've never worked in — and the people who used to tell you the truth now tell you your idea sounds great.
That's the room this breakfast is for.
On Tuesday, September 15, we're bringing together 20 - 30 Colorado post-exit founders who are building again. Bootstrapped and venture-backed. Some three months in, some three years. All of them past the part where anyone claps for the idea and into the part where you have to make it work.Two hours. No panel. No pitch.
What happens
A fireside, not a keynote. Twenty-five minutes with Alan Curtis, PEF Colorado Member, CEO at Invent Data on how he is building differently the sixth time, what he kept from the early companies, and what he threw out. Live interview, real questions, no slides.
A few rounds of small-group conversation. You pick two of four tables, each hosted by someone who has actually lived it:
Doing it differently this time — pace, people, capital structure, and the life you're building around the company
Finding a co-founder — how you find a partner when you're no longer 25 and broke, and what you learned about partnership the first time
Testing ideas in the market — entering a market you've never worked in, finding the problem worth solving, and getting honest signal when your track record makes everyone agreeable
Fundraising, round two — raising with a name, what actually changes, and when not to raise at all
One Ask / One Offer. Before we close, everyone names one thing they need and one thing they can give. We write it all down, compile it, and send the full list to the room within 48 hours. You'll leave with the other people's asks in your inbox and a bunch of people who know yours.
Who this is for
PEF members in Colorado who have exited and are actively building something new — whether that's an idea you're circling, a product in market, or a raise you're weighing.
If you're in the earlier chapter, still sitting with "was it worth it?" and "what now?" — this isn't the wrong community, just the wrong room. Come to a chapter dinner instead and let's talk. We're building something for you too.
The morning
7:45 — Doors, coffee
8:05 — Welcome, and a quick look at who's actually in the room
8:10 — Fireside
8:35 — Table conversation, round one
9:00 — Switch and mix
9:10 — Table conversation, round two
9:35 — One Ask / One Offer
10:00 — Out the door, on time
Full breakfast provided. Limited to thirty seats. Venue announced shortly — Denver, easy parking, private room.
Hosted by Ben Wright, PEF Colorado co-lead.