The program

Peer groups for founders.

Small, confidential peer groups of Bay Area founders building AI-SaaS — all pushing toward the traction milestone that unlocks the next raise, or a business built to last.

Mash leading a founder peer group

Is this you?

Built for a specific founder.

Peer groups work because everyone in the room is at the same stage, wrestling with the same kind of decision. Here's the fit.

This is for you

  • You're building a SaaS product with an AI angle, driving it solo or nearly so.
  • You're in the Bay Area and can meet in person, monthly, in San Jose.
  • You're pre-seed: past the idea phase, actively building — prototype, early users, or first revenue.
  • You're lightly funded, bootstrapped, or between rounds — chasing a real traction milestone.
  • You're weighing what's next — raising on favorable terms, or growing to durable independence.
  • You value peer founders over expert-only advice.

Not the right fit yet

  • You're still at the idea stage — nothing built, no users.
  • You're outside the Bay Area or can't commit to monthly in-person meetings.
  • You're already funded and scaling with a team.
  • You'd rather consume a playbook passively than show up to a monthly group.

Right timing? You've got two or three key decisions ahead that shape whether you hit your milestone — and no founders at your stage to strategize with.

What members receive

Tools, dialogue, accountability.

01

Playbooks & tools

Practical, early-stage playbooks and tools you can put to work between meetings — not theory, the stuff that moves the milestone.

02

A confidential room

A space to say the real thing out loud with founders who get it. What's shared in the group stays in the group. Full stop.

03

Steady accountability

Scorecards and light check-ins that keep you moving — so the decisions you make in the room actually get executed.

Mash working through a decision with a founder

Not a lecture

Real decisions, worked in real time.

Every session is about the calls actually in front of you — pricing, your next hire, whether to raise, how to reach the milestone. You bring the decision; the group helps you pressure-test it and commit.

Then you go do it, and report back. That loop is where the progress happens.

What a session looks like

Group size
8–10 founders at a comparable stage, together for the long haul.
Cadence
Monthly · 3 hours · in person in San Jose.
The format
Two or three founders bring a real decision they're facing; the group digs in, pressure-tests it, and helps them commit to a next step.
Between sessions
Direct access to Mash, plus light accountability check-ins to keep the momentum going.

What we work through

The knots every founder hits at this stage.

The same questions surface again and again — on the podcast, and in the room. These are the ones your peer group helps you untangle.

Getting to default alive
Traction before capital
When — and whether — to raise
Customer discovery & finding PMF
Pricing, and your first real hires
Bootstrapping vs. venture
Resilience through the hard middle
AI as an edge, not a crutch

How you join

From application to your first session.

Apply

Start with a short application. It helps us understand your stage, your product, and the decisions ahead of you.

Interview

A conversation to explore fit — both ways. We make sure a peer group is the right move for where you are right now.

Placement

We match you into a peer group of founders at a comparable stage, so the room is genuinely useful from day one.

Kickoff

Your group sets shared expectations — how you'll show up, what confidentiality means, and what you're each driving toward.

Monthly engagement

You meet monthly in person, with light check-ins in between to keep momentum and accountability alive.

The commitment

Membership, in plain terms.

Follow through
Make decisions, take action, report back to the group.
Confidentiality
What's shared in the group stays in the group. Full stop.
Attendance
90% across the year — the room only works if you're in it.

Investment

$6,000/ year

One annual membership covers your seat in a peer group, the playbooks and tools, and the accountability that keeps it all moving.

Apply here

Application first — we place by fit, not first-come.

You're not talking to any customers, you're not showing me revenue — then why do you need money right now?
Sameer Saran, ParkStash · Inspiring Founders Podcast, Ep. 03

Before you apply

Peer Group questions, answered.

How much does membership cost?

$6,000 per year. That covers the monthly in-person sessions, the playbooks and tools you can put to work between meetings, and steady accountability along the way.

How often do the groups meet, and where?

Once a month, for three hours, in person in San Jose. Members hold to about 90% attendance — showing up is how the group stays valuable for everyone in the room.

How many founders are in a group?

Each group is small on purpose: 8–10 founders, matched by stage so everyone is wrestling with the same kind of decision.

Is what I share confidential?

Yes. What's shared in the group stays in the group. It's a space to say the real thing out loud with founders who get it.

Do I have to be raising a round to be a fit?

No. The groups welcome founders raising on favorable terms and founders building toward durable independence. What matters is that you're driving toward a real traction milestone.

What stage should I be at?

Pre-seed is the sweet spot: past the idea phase and actively building — a prototype, early users, or first revenue. If you haven't started building yet, it's likely too early.

How do I apply, and what happens next?

Apply through the application form. Mash reviews every application personally and, if it's a fit, matches you into a group by stage and focus.

Find your peer group.

At this stage, the decisions ahead shape whether you hit your milestone. Don't make them in isolation — apply, and get a room of founders at your side.

Apply to a peer group