Founders Mesh: Curated Salon for Startup Founders & Investors

The US Dream or the European Opportunity? 🌍

Late summer in Amsterdam, we’re back with our second invitation-only salon for startup and scaleup founders, alongside a carefully selected circle of active investors and operators.

Intimate by design. Curated with care. Built for conversations that move beyond small talk in a private setting.

We’ll kick off with a value-added exchange around a pressing question for many European growth plans:

The US dream or the European opportunity?

For many startups in the Netherlands, expansion often heads west. The US is frequently seen as the obvious next step, while a market of over 450 million people remains much closer to home and often less explored.

Join us for a grounded conversation with founders, operators, and investors on:

• Why the US becomes the default ambition so early
• What European startups may be leaving on the table
• How to choose the right next market within Europe
• What changes across go-to-market, pricing, localization, hiring, and operations
• When the US is actually the right next move

This is not a geopolitical debate or a popularity contest between Europe and the US. It’s a practical discussion about opportunity, timing, and what international expansion truly requires once the map becomes the plan.

Panelists will be announced shortly.

🍷 Drinks & snacks included
👥 Invite-only / approval-based

Powered by bunq
bunq is a fully licensed European bank designed for founders, growing teams, and businesses operating across borders. With bunq Business, startups can manage local European IBANs, hold and pay in up to 20 currencies, issue company cards, control team expenses, automate payments, and connect their bookkeeping, all from one app. It simplifies banking as companies grow, making it easier to operate across markets without a financial patchwork in every new country.

To kick off the partnership, Founders Mesh members receive three months of bunq Elite for free, with access to premium multi-currency features, cashback, and tools for scaling across Europe.

Amsterdam first. Paris and Berlin next.

Why This Format Works

• We cap the room to protect quality.
• We review attendance to shape balance.
• We keep it paid to ensure intentionality.

When the room is right, everything else becomes easier.

Why This Is Paid

Intentional rooms don’t build themselves. We cap capacity, vet attendance, protect founder–investor balance, and design the format. The ticket isn’t just about entry; it’s about commitment and quality. Free events optimize for volume, while we optimize for alignment.