In-Person Event

Building for Resilience: What Makes a Company Hard to Kill?

Technology stopped being a moat and nobody's written the replacement playbook

Date
Sep 25, 2026
Time
06:00 pm - 08:00 pm
Address
TBD
Event Banner Image
What makes a company hard to kill when the technology behind it keeps changing? And how do you know if what you're building will survive the next twelve months? 🔹The old playbook doesn't work anymore. The honest answer is that it depends on what you build. 🔹In every market: hardware, software or other, durability comes from something different. 🔹Most founders are taught a version of the game that was built for someone else. Without enough market cycles to draw from, it is hard to know which old rules still hold or where they break down.
On September 25, Founders Institute and Founders Guild are bringing together founders, investors and operators who have watched markets break, shift and rebuild to answer one question: what makes a company hard to kill?

Who Should Attend:
  • Pre-seed and early-stage founders in hardware, software, or biotech, far enough in to want the thing pressure-tested by people who've seen it before
  • ​You built something that works, and you can't yet say what stops someone rebuilding it in a weekend
  • ​The ground under your category is moving and you're trying to work out how much
  • ​Acquired in two years, or built to last; you haven't picked, and you're starting to see those are two different companies
Speakers:
Ryan Eppley: CEO of Root Access
Jeni Chang: Managing Director, Founder Institute; Investor, New Energy Financials
Linda Hong Cheng: Founder of Abstract Atomic
Daniel Theobald: Founder, Vecna Robotics; Co-founder, MassRobotics; Founder, Mekable
And more to be announced...

About us: Founder Institute San Francisco/Oakland
AI rewrote the rules of company building. The playbook has changed. Skills are no longer the barrier. Direction is.
At Founder Institute, we’ve merged our structured programs with AI agents that help founders do the work, not just learn how to do it.  Learn More: https://fi.co/aifounder
Interested in our program? Meet the Team: Jeni & Lucas - come say "hi" 🌞
➡️ Our upcoming Fall cohort starts soon! Apply by Oct 18th https://fi.co/san-francisco

Additional Resources:
Find more Startup Events, explore AI Tools for Startup Ideation and Validation to test what you hear tonight, or take the Entrepreneur DNA test.

Partner & Co-Host:  Founder's Guild
A global community of entrepreneurs building companies on their own terms and reshaping startup culture in the process. Rooted in Silicon Valley but open to everyone, we connect founders who recognize that entrepreneurship is both a craft and a responsibility. 
Improving financial outcomes and quality of life for founders worldwide.

Speakers

Jeni

Jeni Chang

Managing Director @ Founder Institute

Ryan

Ryan Eppley

CEO & cofounder @ Root Access

Daniel

Daniel Theobald

Linda

Linda Hong Cheng

Founder @ Abstract Atomic

Platinum Partners

Local Partners

Register

or Register with
Already Have an Account?

Related Events

Applications are now open

Build your startup with AI agents doing the work

Join the FI Agentic Program: an AI-powered curriculum, world-class mentors, and free AI agents to turn your idea into a fundable company.

9,000+ companies launched since 2009

Turn your idea into the next unicorn

Our programs helped launch Udemy, Esusu, and thousands more, with a portfolio worth an estimated $20B. Yours could be next.

200+ cities and 95 countries

Join the world's largest agentic company builder

A global network of founders, mentors, and investors building enduring companies, with free AI agents to help you do the work.

Apply Now