The short version, so nothing surprises you later.
Foundry builds the founder before the company. It’s demanding by design — the pressure is where the building happens. Here’s exactly how the arc runs.
Three stages — Seeker, Builder, Sovereign — over about 45 weeks, 15 weeks each. You enter at the stage where your proven capability actually ends, not where your ambition starts. Placement comes from your application, and it’s final once set.
A new week opens every Monday. Read the week’s material, do the deliverable, and bring it to your coaching session. Finish a week — view the material and submit the deliverable — to unlock the next one.
The schedule is fixed and doesn’t pause. Missed weeks don’t roll over, and fees aren’t refundable. This isn’t strictness for its own sake — a real founder operates under a real clock, and the program mirrors that on purpose. If you want a course to dabble in, this isn’t it.
You’re matched with a vetted coach and meet one hour every week. That hour is for pressure-testing real work, not catching up on the reading — come prepared. Sessions are recorded and transcribed so you and your coach can focus on the conversation, not note-taking.
Physical books ship to you by stage as part of the work. A few titles that aren’t published yet are provided as read-only readings inside the portal.
You advance by clearing the bar, not by time served. Each stage ends with a Velocity Test measured against a clear rubric; Ethan reviews the evidence and signs off on every gate personally.
Finish the arc and meet the standard, and you earn an evidence-based certificate signed by Ethan Starke and a place on the public registry of certified founders (you can opt out).
Message us any time in the portal — we reply within a business day. Treat coaches and fellow founders with respect, and keep what others share in confidence. That’s the whole code.