London has a paradox: it is one of the densest startup ecosystems in Europe, yet founders here often describe their network as hard to build. Everyone knows everyone, but only on the surface.
Where Founders Currently Meet in London
- Second Home, WeWork, Fora. Great co-working, thin on curated founder-to-founder connection.
- London Tech Week, TechCrunch meetups, industry conferences. High signal for investors, low signal for genuine peer relationships.
- Slack and WhatsApp founder groups. Useful for questions, rarely translate into activated, offline ties.
What London Founders Actually Want
When we ask founders in London what is missing, the answer is almost always the same: a smaller, more relevant circle. Six to eight founders they see regularly, doing something real, without the extractive undertone of a standard networking event.
How Apex Circle Fits in London
London is Apex Circle's home base. Every month, local founders are matched into new squads and sent to an experience across the city, from indoor skydiving to karting to rock climbing. The city is large enough to offer real variety, and small enough that squads keep crossing paths, with the monthly rematching keeping the network from ever going stale.
If you are building in London and want a real, relevant founder network rather than another mailing list, this is who we are built for.