Founder Field Trips are small, all-inclusive expeditions for founders who know that the next breakthrough rarely happens at the desk. Up to sixteen people, one place, one to seven days of leadership, strategy, and culture — studied in the field.
We sit with others who are going through or have gone through what you have. A small group of founders, one practitioner, a focused time of introspection. You ask the questions an email message can't.
In the chaos of leading, the long term strategy can often be lost. We will see how others view their long term strategy sometimes stretching out into centuries.
If you organization's culture is misaligned, no amount of incentives will get you back aligned. Sit with other founders who have grappled with this issue and see how they have molded their organizations to thrive because of, and not in spite of, their culture.
A five-day field trip through the working city. Time on the factory floors of Oklahoma City makers — real things, made by hand and by machine. Days with founders who've built companies here, on the record. Working dinners to close each evening.
Our second trip, in 2027. Destination, dates, and theme to be announced. Multi-day. Join the waitlist to hear first.
We gather at a quiet neighborhood café in downtown Oklahoma City. Brief introductions — one sentence on what you're building, one question you're sitting with. Devices go into a shared pouch; a no-device window begins here and runs through lunch. Photos are fine.
A private tour of a small-batch Oklahoma City manufacturer — a maker of real things still operating inside the city limits. You see the floor, meet the line, and sit with the operator for a conversation about what it actually takes to make physical things in a place that rewards practicality over polish.
A slow, guided walk through one specific neighborhood with someone who knows its economic history cold — what used to be here, what's here now, what's changing, and why. The point isn't tourism; it's learning how to read a place the way a local operator does.
A long, seated lunch with three to four Oklahoma City founders whose companies you've heard of — and who built them, mostly, by walking around this city. On-the-record, off-the-slide. The question on the table: what does Oklahoma City teach you about building that nowhere else does?
Second visit — something smaller, more intimate than the morning factory. A designer, a specialty-food maker, or a one-person shop doing exceptional work in a corner of the city most people never see. Different scale, different lesson.
A defined window to handle anything urgent. Twenty minutes, on a rooftop with a view of the rest of the city. Not a break from the day — a scheduled, finite return to the world, so the rest of the day doesn't compete with it.
The one facilitated session of the day. Each founder names one decision they're circling — something real, something they haven't resolved — and the group spends six minutes on it. One decision per founder, six minutes each, however long the group runs. Surprisingly useful.
Walk together to a restaurant a short distance away. Private room, one long table, a meal that takes its time. No more sessions, no closing remarks — the day has earned its quiet end. Stay as long as you want; the city is outside if you don't.
Startup tech founder who has been starting companies since 1999. Thirteen U.S. patents in his name powering technology that has changed (for better or worse) the way the Internet works.
Each trip is priced to enable sustainable programming. No sponsors so you're trapped listening to a pitch you don't care about.
Founders who are running a real company (usually 10–300 people), typically past product-market fit, who feel the next move is more about judgement than tactics. We're deliberately small and mixed-stage — seed founders and Series C founders sit at the same table.
No. This isn't a retreat for raising money. There are no investors on the trips and no demo nights. Occasionally a faculty member makes an introduction after the fact. That's it.
Not on the trip itself — up to sixteen seats, founders only, by design. Ask us if you're curious about future formats.
Low. The Oklahoma City trip is walking-heavy but gentle — expect 3–5 miles on foot most days. Tell us on the form if anything would make that hard.
Full refund until 90 days out. 50% until 30 days out. After that, we try to transfer your seat to another trip. We've never not worked something out.
We read every application personally. Expect a reply within a few days, and a short call if it feels like a match.