First Access: NYC’s Founder House in Manhattan

Why We’re Creating This

This concept was born out of our own struggles as founders. When I first moved to New York City three years ago, I felt isolated. I went to tech mixers, tried co-working, shook hands with strangers wearing name tags. Just to leave feeling even more disconnected than before. So we started building our own communities. Louisa, through Shanti House, started hosting yoga events. I started running through the city with founders.

Both of us knew health, community, and entrepreneurship weren’t separate, they built on each other. The best lessons we ever learned as founders didn't come from courses. They came from being in a room with people further along than us, willing to share what they knew.

Over time, our communities grew and together have hosted 9,000+ founders through sold-out workshops, events with leaders like Dan Martell, activations with Superpower, panels at Shopify and Tech Week, and brand partners including Framer, Rho, Bandit Running, and Othership.

What started as events became something deeper: an informal education system. Founders teaching founders. Not theory from a textbook, but real lessons from people in the trenches. How to hire your first salesperson. How to survive a bad month. How to raise without losing control of your company. That kind of knowledge only moves through trust, and trust only builds through consistent, real-world connection.

But we lacked a permanent home. Founders House is the answer, born from this proven movement. We’ve been in your shoes, we’ve built alongside you, and now we’re building a permanent home for all of us.

What is Founders House

WeWork and similar co-working spaces lump everyone together: freelancers, corporate remote workers, founders. They offer desks, but no mission. Networking mixers were transactional: business cards, small talk, and no real connection.

Founders House fixes that. It’s founder-only, wellness-focused, and intentionally programmed for builders in the trenches.

Membership isn’t about a desk. It’s about accelerating your founder journey. Every part of the space is designed to compress the learning curve of building a company and avoid the isolation and inefficiency of going it alone.

Here you’ll trade ideas with people who’ve been in your shoes, learn shortcuts that save years, and stay on track with peers who push and support you. Workshops, demo days, panelists, and curated community events ensure you’re not just renting space. You’re plugging into energy.

How do I join?

Applications are open for just 50 founding memberships. We're looking for builders who value growth, not just the personal kind, but the kind that comes from learning alongside others.

Three spaces to build, connect, and recover under one roof:

1. recovery with yoga, sauna, and cold plunge

2. community with peer learning, curated events, demos, and mentorship

3. deep focus with private desks, fast WiFi, and soundproof phone booths

Founding members will receive:

• Discounted membership rate

• Extra guest passes

• Exclusive founding member pre-opening events

• Recognition as part of the House’s DNA

In New York, separate co-working, yoga, and community memberships easily add up to $500+/month. Founders House bundles it all into one experience (with a co-working-only option available) at a founding rate reserved for the first 50 members.

Your deposit is fully refundable if the House doesn’t open by Spring 2026, and your first month comes with a satisfaction guarantee. Founding member benefits will activate once the House opens in 2026.

The programming is already proven by years of sold-out events, and the community is already 9,000 founders strong. Founders House is our answer to isolation, burnout, and transactional networks.

About Founders Common x Shanti House
Founders Common is a social community for builders in NYC and SF, created by Damian Tenuta and Brian Heiligenthal. Shanti House, founded by Louisa Li, is a conscious-living & wellness community for innovators in NYC.

To bring this vision to life, we’ve also brought on Paola Hernandez, who previously worked on Peloton’s programming team, to lead operations and ensure the House runs with the same excellence founders have come to expect

Together, our teams have hosted 100+ sold-out events and built trusted partnerships with leading brands like Shopify, Rho, Bandit Running, and Othership. We’ve been in your shoes, we’ve built alongside you, and now we’re building a permanent home for all of us.