A Support System is a CEO’s Superpower.

Trusted circles of leaders working, huddling,
and supporting one another

Growth Starts From Within

What is Circles?

"It's lonely at the top" is not just an adage. Business leaders often face new and complex challenges in this rapidly changing world but there aren’t many places to have safe, confidential discussions about these challenges.

Circles was born to help CEOs and senior leaders get the confidential advice, support and connections they need to keep their companies alive and thriving. Part trusted advice and part work therapy, Circles is a curated network of high achieving individuals designed to connect CEOs and business leaders with similar goals and challenges.

Peer-based mentorship groups led by experienced entrepreneurs.
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A safe place for startups leaders to have real conversations.
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6-week program focused on dealing with COVID-related issues.

A Note From Our CEO

70%

of startups fail because building a company and keeping it running is hard.

Founders usually struggle when they fail to get the support that they need. At Betaworks we’ve spent much of the last for 13 years helping entrepreneurs learn and connect to succeed.

Circles harness the power of human connections and peer support to help you overcome hurdles and through hard times.

A Note From Our CEO

68%

of CEOs acknowledge that, in hindsight, they weren’t fully prepared to take on the CEO role.

Founders often find themselves struggling with team issues, co-founder issues, runway issues, growth issues and can’t get the right advice.

Circles is the sounding board in a private environment to help CEOs learn on the job.

A Note From Our CEO

62%

of CEOs are not comfortable asking their board chairman for honest feedback.

Sometimes boards help, but too often they are too formal. Advisors can help, but too often they aren't objective.
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Circles is a safe place to have tough conversations to solve the real, pressing human and business challenges you are facing right now.

A Note From Our CEO

70%

of startups fail because building a company and keeping it running is hard.
‍
The power of human connections and peer support are key to overcome hurdles and through hard times.

A Note From Our CEO

68%

of CEOs acknowledge that, in hindsight, they weren’t fully prepared to take on the CEO role.
‍
Circles is the sounding board and safety net to help CEOs learn on the job.

62%

of CEOs are not comfortable asking their board chairman for honest feedback.

We built a safe place to have tough conversations to solve the real human and business challenges you are facing.

Our North Star is To keep your company alive

Peer Support

we’re deeply invested in founder success and startup survival. Circles are designed to provide CEOs with a support system through the most challenging times of running a business and increase the odds of a company's survival, matching you with a group of peers whose experiences will compliment your own, providing both advice and connections.

Confidentiality

Circles participants are held to a code of honor and everything shared in the group remains private. Additionally, your group will be filled with peers, but not competitors.

Experiences

We develop additional tailored content and events to help leaders address challenges they face in building, pivoting and growing their business.

Peer Support

We’re deeply invested in founder success and startup survival. We are founders (we have co-built companies like GIPHY, Bitly, Tumblr), we get founders. That's why we designed Circles to provide CEOs with peer support in a trusted environment: a support system is the CEO's superpower to navigate through the most challenging times of running a business. Circles increase the odds of your company's survival, by matching you with a group of peers whose experiences will compliment your own, providing both advice and connections.

Confidentiality

Circles participants are held to a code of honor and everything shared in the group remains private. Additionally, your group will be filled with peers, but not competitors.

Experiences

We develop additional tailored content and events to help leaders address challenges they face in building, pivoting and growing their business.

How It Works

All curated cohorts are led by seasoned entrepreneurs who have personal experience leading and developing businesses. They facilitate monthly group discussions, and ensure trust and privacy.

See Our Past Facilitators

Groups are curated based on experience, stage, company size, and location and meet once per month virtually for 2 hours, with participants from all across the country.

Eventually some groups will be curated by location to allow them to meet face-to-face if desired, when ready at our New York City club location.

Why Join

Think about these stats: 70% of startups fail before the 5th year and 70% of mentored businesses survive more past the 5th year according to Harvard Business Review and other sources.
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We’ve seen it over and over and stats only prove it: the number one reason that startups fail is because their leaders can’t get the right advice when they most need it.
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At Betaworks we're all founders ourselves and we know what you're going through. We’ve been building, leading and mentoring startups for 15 years. We have a track record of building good stuff (hello Dots, GIPHY, Tumblr) though we’ve also made wrong turns along the way. Luckily for us, we had great people and good advice to steer us back onto the right track. If you know anything about Betaworks you know that we’re a family, and that both our founders and investors have always had the door open to the family when they mostly needed it or asked for it.
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Circles is our way of opening our board rooms and making all we've learned founding and leading hundreds of companies available to founders who are going through the same struggles.

Our Circles are tailored to you, your needs, expertise and skills. Get in touch with our team to learn more about the programs and how you can be matched with other accomplished peers.

Schedule a call

What You Gain from
Joining Circles

Monthly meetings plus digital group channel for ongoing interaction.
Mentorship and support with the challenges of leading a company.
Connection with other exceptional business leaders who are experiencing similar successes and challenges.
A safe place to have real conversations, for brainstorming and problem solving.
Quarterly “dinner” series with VIP special guests.
Studios virtual membership included ($350 value) with access to annual invite-only Circles conference and Studio's premium events, community, and experts network.

Why Your Company
Should Pay for Circles

Cost is significantly lower than 1:1 coaching services.
Invaluable investment in the advancement of leadership skills of the top management suite.
Access to network of resources.
Continuous CEOs and C-Level suite support.
Improvement of management wellbeing.
Investment in career advancement of leadership team.
A learning and development expense from budget, which may already be allocated.

What our members say

“It was an invaluable experience that came at such a pivotal point in time, and if it weren't for some of the connections and advice I gained through Madelin and my fellow founders, I most certainly wouldn't have made the progress on Bewilder that I've made today.”
– Yvonne Leow, Bewilder

"It was so important to me during this time to connect with other founders going through similar management trials. Helped get me out of my own way and stay positive."
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– Chloe Marie Songer, Founder at Thousand Fell

“I liked having a group of people I could safely vent to about the challenges I was having with my staff, business partner, and industry."

– Kate Downey, Co-founder, Caveat NYC

Quarterly “dinner” series for with VIP special guestsFree entrance to annual invite only Circles conference for members** (other costs TBD)Studios virtual membership included ($350 value) with access to general Studios premium events, community and expert network

Each curated group of seven participants is led by an experienced entrepreneur. Many of them are founders of our portfolio companies.