Public resources, private founder support
The guides and templates on this site are public. The community side of Science Founders is a private Slack of founders, scientists, and operators — a place to ask the questions that don't fit in a written guide.
What the Slack Community is for
The Science Founders Slack is a peer-mentor space — almost exclusively startup founders. It exists for the kind of conversations that don't belong in a public forum: the actual numbers in a term sheet, the specific reviewer comment that killed your last proposal, whether to take a particular grant, which counsel or insurance broker handled your weird edge case, what to do when a co-founder disengages.
It runs under the Chatham House Rule — participants are free to use the information shared, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker may be revealed. That trust is what makes it useful.
What it's not
- A sales pipeline. Founders may find collaborative opportunities or other founders' services valuable — disclose conflicts and don't hawk products.
- A way to access free legal, tax, or financial advice. Members are founders sharing experience, not licensed professionals.
- A general business networking platform. The focus is science-based ventures — biotech, climate tech, hard tech, deep tech.
The full rules and policies are on the Principles page.
Who joins
- Founders — active operators of science-based companies, in any stage.
- Mentors / advisors — experienced operators or investors who actively support science-based founders.
- Others — researchers, scientists, or entrepreneur-support organizations whose work intersects with the community's needs.
How to join
The Slack is invite-based to keep the signal high. Request an invite with a short note about what you're working on and why you'd like to join. We respond within a few days.