Founders Circle
Being a founder can be a lonely journey, even more so in climate tech.
That’s why we’re creating the Founders Circle — a dedicated community for clean and climate tech entrepreneurs in North Carolina to come together, learn from one another, and share valuable resources.
Be part of the founding group shaping North Carolina’s climate tech startup community.
The Founders Circle is an invitation to help build something: a community of climate tech founders, researchers, and leaders working together to accelerate solutions to our most urgent climate challenges.
If you’re a founder or key leader working on climate, sustainability, or environmental technology solutions and you want to help build a local community here in North Carolina—you belong in the Founders Circle.
How it works
The Founders Circle meet monthly, rotating between three different formats — each designed for a different kind of connection and experience.
Format 1: Founder Circle Dinners
Small, high-trust, high-bandwidth gatherings for founders. These dinners bring together curated groups — often organized by sector — alongside experienced advisors, mentors, and operators. The focus is on real challenges, shared experience, and practical insight.
Less presentation. More conversation.
Format 2: “How to be a CEO” Sessions
Leadership and executive development for founders navigating the realities of building a company. These sessions focus on topics like hiring, management, decision-making, and leadership under pressure — combining light structure with deep peer discussion.
Typically structured as:
~30 minutes of content or coaching
~60 minutes of discussion, breakouts, and workshopping
Human-centered. High-trust. Immediately applicable. Hosted at Cary Founded.
Format 3: Community Happy Hours
Informal, social gatherings open to the broader ecosystem of founders and climate tech professionals.
These events are designed to lower the barrier to entry, expand the network, and give founders an easy way to bring peers into the community. Whether you’re new to the space or deeply embedded, it’s a place to plug in.
Hosted in different locations around the Triangle including First Flight Venture Center, Frontier RTP, and others.
Join the Founder’s Circle
Interested in joining a first-of-its-kind climate tech community in North Carolina? Fill out the following interest form, and we will be in touch to discuss participation with you further.