Event Series
From 100 people at the first event in 2022 to 1,200+ at the Founders League Conference in 2024. Community as the primary demand engine — no cold outbound.
Context
Founders League started in 2022 as a bet that community could replace cold outreach as the primary growth channel. No venue relationships, no speaker network, no existing audience. The first event was 100 people in a borrowed space in Munich. From there, the goal was to build something that scaled without an agency or a big marketing budget.
Challenge
Growing an event series with no brand recognition, no budget, and no proof that founders would pay to attend. Every event was a zero-base acquisition problem — and the format had to evolve as the audience grew.
What I built
- → Built brand and positioning from zero — no existing audience
- → Scaled event format from workshop (100 pax) to conference (1,200+ pax)
- → Multi-channel acquisition: Meta Ads, email, content, influencer, PR, OOH
- → Structured ticketing funnel and automated email sequences
- → Built speaker program with well-known founders and investors
- → Ran 13 events in 2024 across multiple cities
13
events in 2024
1,200+
peak attendees
100%
marketing-led
Growth
Outcome
100 to 1,200+ attendees in under 3 years. 13 events in 2024, two of them at conference scale. The model proved: community-led demand works without cold outbound.
Proof
