The founding class is forming.

No. The Guild is for anyone actively building, operating, investing, or leading AI work — founders, operators, engineers, corporate leaders. Technical and non-technical builders both belong here. What matters is that you're serious about the work and already doing it.

Sessions run 90 minutes in cohorts of 15–20 at The Link. Structured hot seats — one member presents a stuck problem, 15 minutes of structured feedback from the room, 10 minutes of warm-intro facilitation. No panels. No keynotes. Just the room working on real things.

No — and we're direct about that. Every program listed is public; any qualifying founder could find and apply to these on their own. What the Guild provides is the inventory, the right application order, and the activation playbook. Group-buying partnerships activate as the founding class fills. We'll add them transparently as they close.

Your network is valuable. The Guild adds something specific: 100 people building AI-first, in your region, who you see regularly and build trust with over months. Proximity and repetition produce referrals, co-founders, and opportunities that broad networks don't. A broad network and a deep room are different products.

No. Networking groups optimize for meeting many people once. The Guild optimizes for the same 100 people compounding over a year — trust, context, and reciprocity that only come from repeated working contact. The value doesn't come from the first session; it comes from the twentieth.

Application takes about five minutes. Raghu reviews every one personally. Response within five business days — yes or no, with a reason. If accepted, you get an invitation with payment details and a calendar of upcoming sessions. Founding class rate locks for as long as you remain a member.

You'll get a short note explaining why, and guidance on what would change our answer. You can reapply later. The application is a filter, not a verdict — sometimes the timing is wrong, sometimes the room composition that week favors different archetypes.