📍 1 Triton Square, London NW1 3BF
In an ecosystem that rewards speed, intensity, and constant forward motion, the pressure for founders to push harder, move faster, and put the business first rarely lets up. Even when it erodes the very capacity that performance relies on. So how do we tackle this tension and create a system that actually fuels founder performance?
This event brings together founders, investors, and ecosystem builders to talk honestly about what we’ve normalised as an ecosystem, explore the data behind performing as a founder, and how we can collectively shape a system that works with founder drive - not against it.
Founders can expect founder-only conversations with those who get the pressure first-hand, and practical insights that boost decision-making clarity, leadership capabilities, and sustained performance under pressure.
Investors and ecosystem builders can expect private roundtable discussions to surface the challenges and unpack small changes that could make a big difference to the founders and builders they support.
Plus, there’ll be free pizza and beers for everyone, in true Venture Café style!
The event will start with a short provocation panel to surface unspoken assumptions about pressure and performance, then move into roundtables and practical breakouts for each part of the ecosystem to start creating the change they want to see - together.
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
In partnership with
Supported by
Our Thursday Gatherings are for you to make serendipitous connections and make things happen!
There will be meaningful networking opportunities throughout the night, accompanied by a selection of refreshments and activities:
Fun Zone
Get to know your fellow change-makers in a fun, interactive, and exciting way!
Take a quick break from changing the world and recharge by pinning your hometown on our giant map.
Conversation Corner
Looking to connect beyond the name tags?
Drop into our relaxed Conversation Corner, a cosy space where founders, ecosystem builders, and global thinkers come together to share stories, swap lessons, and innovate. Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and jump into the discussion.
Arrive early to experiment with tech and techniques that can fuel founders to tackle the usual pace of startup life with calm and clarity.
Performance pop-up with Sanja: How you react under pressure & what to do about it
Pressure can burst pipes…. or it can make diamonds: All founders, all leaders, all team members experience it (it’s often a good sign) but it’s what you do with it that counts.
The most effective people (and the least stressed) have learnt how to manage the way pressure takes over your body in a deliberate and structured way. So in this session, Sanja—co-founder coach and conflict mediator—will talk you through a 4-part practice to do that, so YOU can manage pressure better every day.
Performance pop-up with Kasia: Finding calm & clarity in the pace of founder life
Founder life demands clear thinking under constant pressure—but most people are never taught how to manage their internal state.
So in this session, Kasia—who is trained in the breathwork used by snipers and Premier League footballers—shares the science behind why breathwork is such a powerful tool for focus, resilience, and decision-making, and will walk you through practical techniques to use anytime, anywhere to regulate your nervous system—before a pitch, in a high-stakes meeting, or whenever the pressure builds. The session includes a short guided breathwork flow so you can experience the shift in real time.
Introduction from Venture Café London.
What are we normalising as a startup ecosystem and does it actually deliver enhanced performance?
By bringing together founders, investors and ecosystem builders on this panel we will surface some of the tensions that exist in our startup ecosystem between pressure and performance, and kick start ideas for how we can collectively shape a system that works with founder drive - not against it.
A dedicated panel session for all those that support and help educate founders, to explore where existing narratives might be shaping founders in ways we don’t intend, and where small changes could help.
An interactive session, with discussion and debate, for founders and future founders to identify their mindset around performance, and hear from experienced founders on how they fuel themselves to perform and stay resilient for the long-run.
An intimate, invite-only roundtable for VCs to explore how existing systems might be intensifying pressure without improving long-term outcomes, and where small changes could help.
📍 1 Triton Square, London NW1 3BF
In an ecosystem that rewards speed, intensity, and constant forward motion, the pressure for founders to push harder, move faster, and put the business first rarely lets up. Even when it erodes the very capacity that performance relies on. So how do we tackle this tension and create a system that actually fuels founder performance?
This event brings together founders, investors, and ecosystem builders to talk honestly about what we’ve normalised as an ecosystem, explore the data behind performing as a founder, and how we can collectively shape a system that works with founder drive - not against it.
Founders can expect founder-only conversations with those who get the pressure first-hand, and practical insights that boost decision-making clarity, leadership capabilities, and sustained performance under pressure.
Investors and ecosystem builders can expect private roundtable discussions to surface the challenges and unpack small changes that could make a big difference to the founders and builders they support.
Plus, there’ll be free pizza and beers for everyone, in true Venture Café style!
The event will start with a short provocation panel to surface unspoken assumptions about pressure and performance, then move into roundtables and practical breakouts for each part of the ecosystem to start creating the change they want to see - together.
Powered by Advanced Research + Invention Agency
In partnership with
Supported by
Our Thursday Gatherings are for you to make serendipitous connections and make things happen!
There will be meaningful networking opportunities throughout the night, accompanied by a selection of refreshments and activities:
Fun Zone
Get to know your fellow change-makers in a fun, interactive, and exciting way!
Take a quick break from changing the world and recharge by pinning your hometown on our giant map.
Conversation Corner
Looking to connect beyond the name tags?
Drop into our relaxed Conversation Corner, a cosy space where founders, ecosystem builders, and global thinkers come together to share stories, swap lessons, and innovate. Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and jump into the discussion.
Arrive early to experiment with tech and techniques that can fuel founders to tackle the usual pace of startup life with calm and clarity.
Performance pop-up with Sanja: How you react under pressure & what to do about it
Pressure can burst pipes…. or it can make diamonds: All founders, all leaders, all team members experience it (it’s often a good sign) but it’s what you do with it that counts.
The most effective people (and the least stressed) have learnt how to manage the way pressure takes over your body in a deliberate and structured way. So in this session, Sanja—co-founder coach and conflict mediator—will talk you through a 4-part practice to do that, so YOU can manage pressure better every day.
Performance pop-up with Kasia: Finding calm & clarity in the pace of founder life
Founder life demands clear thinking under constant pressure—but most people are never taught how to manage their internal state.
So in this session, Kasia—who is trained in the breathwork used by snipers and Premier League footballers—shares the science behind why breathwork is such a powerful tool for focus, resilience, and decision-making, and will walk you through practical techniques to use anytime, anywhere to regulate your nervous system—before a pitch, in a high-stakes meeting, or whenever the pressure builds. The session includes a short guided breathwork flow so you can experience the shift in real time.
Introduction from Venture Café London.
What are we normalising as a startup ecosystem and does it actually deliver enhanced performance?
By bringing together founders, investors and ecosystem builders on this panel we will surface some of the tensions that exist in our startup ecosystem between pressure and performance, and kick start ideas for how we can collectively shape a system that works with founder drive - not against it.
A dedicated panel session for all those that support and help educate founders, to explore where existing narratives might be shaping founders in ways we don’t intend, and where small changes could help.
An interactive session, with discussion and debate, for founders and future founders to identify their mindset around performance, and hear from experienced founders on how they fuel themselves to perform and stay resilient for the long-run.
An intimate, invite-only roundtable for VCs to explore how existing systems might be intensifying pressure without improving long-term outcomes, and where small changes could help.