Founders Cookbook · AUTUMN 2026
MASTERMINDS.
For founders already in the game.
A small-group program for founders in the earliest stage of the journey — before scale, sometimes before your first customer. 10 startups. Senior operators. Real work — on your customer, your outreach, your price.
For details scroll down↓
10
Startups max
6
Sessions
EN
Language
PRG
Location
Most early-stage founders don’t need more content.
They need clarity, feedback, and someone who tells
them the truth.
About
Founders Cookbook Masterminds: Early Traction Edition is a focused, small-format program designed for founders in the earliest stage
of the journey — before fundraising, before scale, sometimes before their first customer.
This is not a curriculum. There are no basics, no step-by-step guides. Instead, each session brings together 10 founders and one senior operator around a single topic — and the work happens in the room, on real customers, real outreach, and real decisions.
If you’re looking for your first customers, testing whether your product is worth paying for, or trying to figure out your first distribution channel — this is where that conversation happens.
MAX. 10 STARTUPS
Real attention, not passive listening
SENIOR OPERATORS & INVESTORS
Not lectures, but real conversations
REAL STARTUP WORK
Your customer, your outreach, your price
CONCRETE OUTPUTS
Every session ends with something you can act on this week
Founders Academy — 2027
→ Structured curriculum from the ground up
→ Czech language, local mentors
→ For founders validating an idea
→ 4 990 CZK / startup
FOUNDERS ACADEMY MASTERMINDS: EARLY TRACTION — AUTUMN 2026 ← you are here
→ No curriculum — casework on your situation
→ English, senior investors & operators
→ For founders pre-traction, finding first customers
→ Selective — application required
TIMELINE
DATE
SESSION
Sept 22, 16:00-18:00
Sep 29,
16:00-18:00
ICP, Buyer Persona & Elevator Pitch
Fares Měchura – PARTNER at Saleshero
Oct 6, 16:00-18:00
Founder-led Sales System
Alexander Raiman – PARTNER Saleshero ·
Oct 6,
18:00–21:00
TRUESDAYS: Speed Mentoring – TBD, may not run
4 investors
Oct 13, 16:00- 18:00
Fundraising Readiness: Investor Logic + Deck
tba
Oct 20
13:00–21:00
The Happy Hours – conference ; 1:1 networking
startup conference
Nov 3, 15:30-17:30
Metrics & Business Model
Douglas Wong – Founder & CEO at EcoBoost SDG. Ex-CFO of Apple CEE.
Nov 3,
18:00–21:00
TRUESDAYS: Networking event
networking
Nov 10, 16:00-18:00
Founder Reality Check & Next 90 Days
tba
Location: Prague · Language: English · Format: In-person
What you actually get
Each session moves you a step closer to real traction. By the end, you’ll have talked to real customers, tested your outreach, and know exactly what to do next.
Roundtable 1
CLARITY
Who exactly you serve — and how to say it in seconds.
Roundtable 2
TRACTION
A real target list and a founder-led way to close first customers.
Roundtable 3
REACH
One distribution channel that actually works — not a marketing wishlist.
Roundtable 4
PERSPECTIVE
Whether VC fits you — and a deck that gets a reply.
Roundtable 5
CONTROL
The numbers that run your business — pricing, KPIs, runway.
Roundtable 6 + speed-mentoring
A REALITY CHECK
An honest read on where you stand, and what to do next.
Roundtable 1
REACH
One distribution channel that actually works — not a marketing wishlist.
Roundtable 2
CLARITY
Who exactly you serve — and how to say it in seconds.
Roundtable 3
TRACTION
A real target list and a founder-led way to close first customers.
Roundtable 4
PERSPECTIVE
Whether VC fits you — and a deck that gets a reply.
Roundtable 5
CONTROL
The numbers that run your business — pricing, KPIs, runway.
Roundtable 6 + speed-mentoring
A REALITY CHECK
An honest read on where you stand, and what to do next.
Founders Cookbook · AUTUMN 2026
Included in the program
TRUESDAYS MEETUPS & TECH HAPPY HOUR CONFERENCE.
Two extra events beyond the six roundtables. Truesdays puts you face to face with investors and mentors in fast, back-to-back sessions. The Happy Hours is a larger partner conference — founders in the program get tickets for 1:1 networking with a wider ecosystem crowd.
→ TRUESDAYS: back-to-back 10-minute sessions with investors and mentors
→ TRUESDAYS: feedback on positioning, sales, fundraising readiness
→ HAPPY HOURS: partner conference — 1:1 networking with a wider investor & founder crowd
→ HAPPY HOURS: tickets provided to program founders
→ Oct 6 + Nov 3 Truesdays · Oct 20 · Happy Hours ·
Who is it for
✓
Founders with an idea or early prototype — from first positioning to first real traction
✓
Founders working on their sales, distribution, pricing, or fundraising readiness
✓
Founders who want to work, not just listen bring your real numbers and outreach
✓
Founders comfortable in English — all sessions are in English
Founders Cookbook · AUTUMN 2026
This is probably not for you if…
× You only have a vague idea and are not ready to talk to customers yet
× You are looking for a co-founder or still deciding what to build
× You want a step-by-step school-style curriculum
× You need Czech-language sessions
Price & Registration
Participation fee
3990 CZK
per startup · VAT not included
— All 6 in-person roundtables
— Truesdays & TECH HAPPY HOURS entrance
— Direct access to mentors
— Prague · English
This is a selective program. Applications reviewed manually by Startup Kitchen. Once approved, you will receive an invoice.
Program of the Masterminds
Each session is built as a roundtable workshop combining short expert input, open discussion, and real startup casework. Click a session to see the full agenda.
Sep 22, 16:00-18:00, PRAGUE
mentor: Simon McDermott
DISTRIBUTION & GO-TO-MARKET EXPERIMENTS
Finding the one channel that actually reaches your customers – and adapting your GTM to your specific market.
Interactive
Channel selection · 14-day experiment design · Real founder cases & fails
SEP 29 · 16:00-18:00, PRAGUE
mentor: Fares Měchura
ICP, BUYER PERSONA & ELEVATOR PITCH
The practical foundation for selling – a defined target segment, a buyer persona, and an elevator pitch that lands in seconds.
Interactive
ICP definition · Buyer persona build · Elevator pitch drafting & testing
W2
Oct 6, 16:00-18:00, PRAGUE
mentor: Alexander Raiman
FOUNDER-LED SALES SYSTEM
The core steps of a systematic, founder-led sales process – build a target list and practice your first sales conversation.
Interactive
The core steps of a systematic, founder-led sales process – build a target list and practice your first sales conversation.
OCT 13 · 16:00–18:00 · Prague
mentor:tba
FUNDRAISING READINESS: INVESTOR LOGIC + DECK
Whether VC fits you yet, what makes a startup investable, and the deck that proves it.
Interactive
Investor lens demo · Live deck reviews · Slide rewrite · Gap list
Nov 3 · 15:30–17:00 · Prague
mentor: Douglas Wong
METRICS & BUSINESS MODEL
The numbers that run your business – KPIs, pricing, and simple financial planning.
Interactive
KPI defense · Live re-pricing · Runway & unit-economics check
Nov 10 · 16:00–18:00 · Prague
tba
FOUNDER REALITY CHECK & NEXT 90 DAYS
Identifying your most critical blocker and leaving with an honest, concrete plan for what’s next.
Interactive
Blocker mapping · Assumption testing · AI stress-test · 90-day plan
READY TO BUILD REAL TRACTION?
10 spots. Senior operators. Real work on your positioning, your sales, your distribution, and your numbers. If you’re early-stage and want a room that tells you the truth — this is it.
Questions? domi@startupkitchen.community
Organizers
