We're Evolving: Poolside Expands Beyond Web3 to Serve All AI-Era Builders

Today marks a major evolution in Poolside's journey. After years of building an exclusive community for Web3 founders, we're officially expanding to serve builders across tech, entertainment, and AI. We're evolving to answer the demand from exceptional founders who need the same infrastructure that made our Web3 community successful.

For those who've been with us from the beginning, you know we've always believed that working alone doesn't have to mean building alone. What started as a tight-knit Web3 founder community has delivered real results: we've supported more than 110 projects that have collectively raised over $100M in funding. Our portfolio includes companies like Cookie3, Blockless, and Portals, and we've built physical infrastructure too—launching our flagship hub in Lisbon complete with restaurant, events room, and offices.

The AI revolution has changed everything. The same builders who navigated the Web3 cycle are now leading in other areas, utilizing AI to scale faster, and a new generation of founders across industries is seeking access to what we've built.

Introducing Poolside—The Club For Founders in Tech, Entertainment, & AI

Poolside is designed around a core principle: great talent should work from wherever they're most effective, but shouldn't build in isolation. Our membership combines the best of both worlds—the focus of remote work with the energy and perspective that comes from connection.

Here's what that looks like in practice:

A Private Slack Community with 500+ carefully curated AI builders, founders, and creators. No noise, just signal. When you post a question or share an insight, you're talking to people who understand the game you're playing.

Global Coworking Network Access at partner spaces worldwide. Sometimes you need to escape home distractions. Sometimes you need focused work sessions. Sometimes you need a pulse check with other builders. Our spaces are designed for all of that.

Exclusive Events and Workshops, both online and in-person. Founder sessions, technical deep-dives, and those serendipitous meetups where the best ideas happen.

Collaboration Opportunities and project partnerships. When you're ready to scale beyond what you can build solo, we connect you with the right people.

Three Pillars of Poolside

As we expand, we're organizing around three core pillars that work together to serve builders at every stage:

Online Community: Our private Slack with 500+ curated builders, exclusive events, and collaboration opportunities. This is where relationships form and ideas spark.

Physical Spaces: Global coworking network with 20 days per month access. When you need focused work sessions, in-person collaboration, or just a change of scenery—we've got you covered.

Investment Arm: Strategic capital and hands-on support for exceptional founders we back. From zero to one, with follow-on support as you scale.

Each pillar strengthens the others. The community surfaces the best founders for investment. The physical spaces create deeper relationships within the community. The investment arm provides resources that benefit the entire ecosystem.

Why Now

The AI-native era demands different infrastructure. Not just technical infrastructure—social and spatial infrastructure. When your competitive advantage comes from how quickly you can iterate and integrate new AI capabilities, you need rapid feedback loops from people solving similar challenges. You need cross-pollination between different domains. You need physical spaces designed for deep work when you need them, and global optionality to work from multiple cities without starting over socially.

The old model was geography-dependent: move to San Francisco, pay ridiculous rent, hope you meet the right people. The new model is membership-dependent: join the right community, get global access, work where you're most effective.

What's Next

This is just the beginning. We're starting with a carefully curated group of builders, but we have plans to expand both our community and our global workspace network. We're exploring partnerships that will give our members even more optionality and access.

Most importantly, we're listening to our community and iterating based on what builders actually need. This is a product built by founders, for founders.

Join Us

If you're building in the AI-native era and looking for a community that understands the unique challenges and opportunities of this moment, we'd love to hear from you. Membership is selective, but we're always looking for exceptional builders who share our philosophy.

Ready to stop building alone? Apply for membership and become part of the community that's defining what it means to build in the age of AI.

Welcome to Poolside. Let's build the future together.

The Poolside Team