MIT Founder
Circles.

• MIT Founder Circles aims to help us navigate our careers, professional growth, and personal lives by sharing and receiving advice and perspectives from our very own personal board of directors composed of trusted like-minded peer-friends-founders.
• MIT Founder Circles is based on concepts like True North Groups and YPO. Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic who grew the company from $1B to $60B and pioneered the concept of True North Groups, has said that his True North Group has helped him to “become more self-aware and open [and] take risks with significant challenges.”
• Many successful individuals have found participation in similar groups to be some of the most impactful and rewarding experiences of their lives.

MIT Founder Circles will provide you with the opportunity to:

• Reflect on questions and ideas with a smart and thoughtful group of fellow MIT alums - outside of existing MIT Founder Circles
• Get unbiased advice on difficult topics from a group focused on providing mutual support
• Form long-lasting connections with a trusted and respected group of peers with whom you have had meaningful discussions over the course of months

Each group will include 7-10 MIT Alums in similar career and life stages. We will try to diversify each group’s composition where it makes sense.

We intend to make MIT Founder Circles diverse to enable a more interesting experience for everyone. As a part of that, we encourage all kinds of professions and backgrounds to apply.

Leads will be selected first and foremost based on their willingness to accept the responsibilities and invest the additional time and effort that is needed to be an effective Lead. If you express interest in being a Lead, the program administrators will reach out with more information.

During group meetings, participants will take turns sharing a personal or professional experience or challenge, which the other members of the MIT Founder Circles will respond to with questions, advice, and their own reflections. The group may also choose a specific theme to focus on and have a participant present on a relevant situation to set up the discussion. We will provide reference content and suggestions to help the group shape the style that works best for its members.

Meeting structure and topics of discussion vary greatly from group to group, but they can include any issues facing us these days, such as:

• Communication (e.g. for different scenarios and audiences, speaking up, conflict resolution, negotiation)
• Organizational dynamics (e.g. cross-functional navigation, influence, managing up, unconscious bias)
• People management (e.g. coaching, motivation, hiring, performance management)
• Professional development (e.g. executive presence, personal brand, imposter syndrome, emotional intelligence)
• Business challenges (e.g. strategy, decision-making, business acumen)
• Personal challenges (e.g. work/family balance, burnout, self-care, relationships)
• Expand network (e.g. connect with other MIT alums)

Given the current situation, it is recommended that MIT Founder Circles conduct their meetings virtually (e.g., via Zoom or Google Meet). In the future, this may change, as in-person meetings confer significant advantages in terms of immediacy, focus, etc. amongst participants.

• Initial meeting: For the first 2-3 sessions, it is recommended that the group meet weekly for one hour each time (or have 1 extended session). This will enable the group members to get to know one another and build the trust foundations to get things going.
• Ongoing meetings: Thereafter, the group will determine specific meeting dates and times, with the recommendation being bi-weekly meetings of one hour each. Exact timing/dates will be based on the group members' availabilities, but consistent attendance is required. This will enable the group to build deep relationships and drive meaningful discussions.
• Timeline: MIT Founder Circles groups will run for about six-month, after which each group will decide whether it wants to continue meeting or reshuffle with other groups.
• Maintaining continuity: Canceling a meeting can and most probably will have a negative effect on the members’ ability to reconnect. In general, it is advised to go through with a planned meeting as long as at least 50% of the group is present.

• Initial meeting: For the first 2-3 sessions, it is recommended that the group meet weekly for one hour each time (or have 1 extended session). This will enable the group members to get to know one another and build the trust foundations to get things going.
• Ongoing meetings: Thereafter, the group will determine specific meeting dates and times, with the recommendation being bi-weekly meetings of one hour each. Exact timing/dates will be based on the group members' availabilities, but consistent attendance is required. This will enable the group to build deep relationships and drive meaningful discussions.
• Timeline: MIT Founder Circles groups will run for about six-month, after which each group will decide whether it wants to continue meeting or reshuffle with other groups.
• Maintaining continuity: Canceling a meeting can and most probably will have a negative effect on the members’ ability to reconnect. In general, it is advised to go through with a planned meeting as long as at least 50% of the group is present.

Consistent attendance is expected of all MIT Founder Circles participants in order to maximize the value for participants. If you need to miss a session, please inform your MIT Founder Circles as soon as possible. MIT Founder Circles Leads will be asked to reach out to participants that miss more than 1 session out of the first few (or tend to be late / leave early) and those participants may be removed from the MIT Founder Circles at the program administrators’ discretion.

Participants are expected to join for all sessions barring extenuating circumstances - this ensures a sense of mutual respect and support. After all, the value of MIT Founder Circles is driven by active engagement and participation, so showing up consistently is a key to success.

Yes, participants are expected to respect a set of norms that include the following:

• Confidentiality: Avoid sharing any information or observations shared during meetings with non-members, whether colleagues, partners, spouses or friends. This helps to ensure that participants can share openly and honestly and that information is not provided out of context or in a way that might make the sharer uncomfortable about sharing again in the future.
• Openness: Commit to being as open as possible about personal matters with members of the group, with the understanding that everything will be held in strictest confidence. However, please be respectful about not pushing other participants to share beyond their comfort zone on personally sensitive matters.
• Trust: Join your MIT Founder Circles with the assumption that its members are worthy of trust. Understand that trust is built through honest, open communications and caring for other members of the group.
• Full Attention: Commit to practicing active listening and to avoiding interrupting others while they are speaking.
• Withholding Judgement: Commit to withholding judgement of group members and avoid giving unsolicited advice. Try not to impose your values and beliefs on other members.
• Feedback: Seek to offer and receive constructive feedback from others in the group on ideas, behavior, leadership traits, and communications styles.
• Attendance: Make every effort to attend all meetings scheduled for the group, to be on time, and to not leave early unless there are extenuating circumstances.

All alumni of MIT, who are building or considering building a company.

There are no fees to apply so please submit an application to be considered for Founder Circles. If you receive an offer to join a cohort, the program costs $314 (100𝜋) paid upfront upon acceptance. The fees are discounted to $200 for MIT10 alums.

Yes. Our goal is to make Founder Circles accessible to the absolute best MIT founders, no matter what their situation. There are no fees to apply so please submit an application to be considered for Founder Circles — you’ll have the option to request financial assistance if you receive an offer to join.

Yes, once MIT Founder Circles are in motion, they will run together until the end of the cohort. Oftentimes, some of the most interesting conversations for MIT Founder Circles arise in the context of inflection points / transitions that participants are making.

We will admit applicants based on their expressed commitment to the program and our ability to match them with a MIT Founder Circles that matches their interests. We cannot guarantee everyone's participation.

Please let us know after your first MIT Founder Circles if you fear that background/prior history with someone from your MIT Founder Circles will make you feel uncomfortable sharing challenges openly and honestly. The program administrators will make best efforts to address these situations appropriately and on a case-by-case basis.

MIT Founder Circles Leads will receive:

• Special trainings and coaching from expert facilitators
• Support from other Leads via regular syncs (in addition to regular MIT Founder Circles meetings) and other channels
• Suggested session agenda, content templates, and other materials

MIT Founder Circles Leads will have opportunities to:

• Create a small community of meaningful personal and professional relationships, both with the group you lead and other MIT Founder Circles leaders
• Instill communication and facilitation habits that are useful in everyday life through moderation training and expert support from a professional facilitator
• Give back by cultivating a learning, inclusive, and connected MIT community

Leads are MIT Founder Circles members first and foremost - we expect the experience to be every bit as rewarding for a Lead as for a non-Lead participant (perhaps even more rewarding!). However, Leads do take on additional responsibilities to help ensure that their MIT Founder Circles run smoothly and effectively.

• Kick-off the group: Schedule the first few sessions.
• Facilitate the meetings: During meetings, Leads are expected to help the group bond, align on goals/regular schedule/norms, and stay on track. That being said, there are no strict requirements on curriculum to cover and over time we expect facilitation needs to become minimal. MIT Founder Circles operate on a voluntary, collaborative model where everyone is expected to pitch in to support the group’s activities. We will also provide the needed guidance and content to support the Leads.
• Be the liaison: Be the person in charge for communications with the broader program

• Training workshop: 2 hours
• Coordination prior to first few meetings: 30-60 minutes per week
• Additional intermediate Leads meetings: Optional check-ins with other MIT Founder Circles leads

Once we confirm your ability to lead a group, we will share with you the details of your group to ensure its composition makes sense to you.

The program administrators will make every effort to create MIT Founder Circles that will have the potential for positive group dynamics, so we will not reshuffle people unless there is a very good reason to do so. Please reach out to us if you think there is a very good reason to reshuffle the group and we can discuss.

To maintain fairness, please do not unilaterally add people to your MIT Founder Circles. If you have questions about this, please contact the program administrators.

Please reach out to the person and ask them to provide some context and request a firm commitment that they will attend future meetings. If they continue to fail in meeting the attendance expectations, please let the program administrators know and we will let them know that they will be removed from the group to preserve the group norms and improve group dynamics.