Exclusive Founders Dinner - Vancouver BC
🍷 Founders 1st™ Dinner: Vancouver Edition
Hosted by Kathy Nguyen (Founders 1st & EPICTeamAI) & Laura Fortey (REITIUM)
Join a table of ambitious founders, innovators, and builders shaping the next wave of Vancouver’s startup, web 2, web3, SAAS and AI ecosystem.
These intimate invite only exclusive dinners are about real connection — not panels, not pitches, just great food, honest conversations, and meaningful connections with people who get what it’s like to build.
Here’s what to expect:
A curated, founder and investor-only table. Each dinner is intentionally small and invite-only, typically 25 to 30 hand-selected founders and innovators who are actively building, scaling, impacting, innovating and creating a stronger ecosystem in Vancouver.
Real conversations that move the needles. We’ll talk building and scaling in Vancouver, in Canada. The current market, AI, founder journey, what’s working, what’s breaking, and what’s next — from raising capital to building teams to integrating AI into our products. Bring your wins, your lessons, and your stories — both personal and professional.
Community over competition. This isn’t networking — it’s about connection. Expect a table full of founders and investors who genuinely want to support each other, share insights, and grow together.
The bigger picture. Vancouver’s startup ecosystem is full of potential. These dinners are one small way to make it stronger — founder by founder, conversation by conversation.
If you’ve been craving a space to connect with like-minded founders, builders and investors — this is it.
ABOUT THE HOST:
Kathy Nguyen, as the Founder & CEO of Epic Team AI & Founders 1st™ she is deeply committed to fostering innovation and collaboration within Vancouver’s startup ecosystem and beyond. With a background in Business, technology, venture building, and scaling global teams, she has been building products, teams and companies for over 2 decades. In the last 5 years she's been building platforms and the last 20 years building communities that connect founders, funders, and innovators around the world. Beyond her entrepreneurial work, Kathy is passionate about supporting fellow founders and helping them navigate the highs and lows of building and female founders fundraise and accessing capital. She believes in the power of shared experiences and honest conversations to drive collective growth — one founder dinner at a time.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamkathyng/
https://www.epicteam.ai/
https://founders1st.co/
Laura Fortey is a three-time founder, mentor, podcast host and community builder with over two decades of experience in the Canadian entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through her company REITIUM, she’s lived every side of the growth journey - from pitching investors and scaling teams to leading with purpose in fast-moving environments. Her background blends strategy and soul: she’s led experiential learning programs, developed leadership frameworks, and built thriving communities that empower founders to grow with clarity and confidence. Known for creating honest, energizing spaces, including sold-out events that bring hundreds of founders together, Laura’s work is rooted in connection, creativity, and impact. She believes the future of entrepreneurship is collaborative, intuitive, and authentic, and she’s passionate about helping others build businesses that reflect their fullest potential.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauramariefortey/
Http://www.reitium.com
EVEBT DETAILS:
📅 Sunday Oct 26th 2025
🕖 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
📍 Down Town Vancouver - Private Venue (shared upon registration confirmation)
Please arrive on time as door close at 6:30pm sharp!
SCHEDULE:
6:00pm - 6:30pm: Arrival, Check-in, Grab a drink & Mingle
6:30pm - 7:30pm: Greeting Intro & Round Table Introduction 7:30pm - 8:30pm: Dinner & Connection
8:30pm - 9:30pm: Switch Seat & Networking
9:30pm: Closing
Note! Seats are limited — once the table’s full, it’s full. Please RSVP now to confirm your spot and join the dinner and conversation. We only have a handful of seats left.
Looking forward to seeing you at dinner!
Kathy & Laura
Some Memories from Previous Dinners: