Growth Dinners Hosts 6 Richmond Founder Events, Eyes Expansion After $15,000 Bet

1 articles · Updated · RichmondBizSense · Jul 16

$55-a-seat Growth Dinners has now held six invite-only founder dinners in Richmond, including a June event at Uliveto co-hosted with Lighthouse Network to widen exposure for the concept.
Vernon Foster launched the business after moving to Richmond in 2022 and finding few peer spaces for startup leaders; he began by cold-calling founders and funding early dinners himself.
12 founders attend each monthly, roughly two-hour session, with applicants generally expected to have $1 million in annual revenue, a $2 million raise or a $5 million-$10 million prior exit.
15 to 25 applications now arrive per dinner, and Foster said more than 40 founders from sectors including AI, agriculture and food have participated so far.
About $15,000 has been invested to date, with Foster aiming to break even through ticket sales while exploring partnerships with other Virginia incubators, a roundtable program and a possible annual conference.

Sources

With AI threatening founders, can curated dinners offer more than moral support against a technological tidal wave?

Can an intentionally 'unscalable' dinner model truly combat the widespread loneliness plaguing today's startup founders?

Does an elite founder network risk creating an echo chamber, stifling Richmond's wider startup innovation?

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