A Founder Community That Wanted to
Grow

A Founder Community That Wanted to Grow

A Founder Community That Wanted to
Grow

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Case Study · 01

CEO

MAR 2024 - JAN 2026

NATIONAL EXPANSION

How I took a single Austin founder community and built it into a national organization spanning 17 markets in under 12 months.

How I took a single Austin founder community and built it into a national organization spanning 17 markets in under 12 months.

1→17

MARKETS IN 12 MONTHS

1→17

MARKETS IN 12 MONTHS

1,500 +

QUALIFIED FOUNDERS &

INVESTORS

1,500 +

QUALIFIED FOUNDERS &

INVESTORS

400%

REVENUE GROWTH

400%

REVENUE GROWTH

25+

NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS

25+

NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS

Overview

A founder community with potential and no infrastructure.

When I stepped in as CEO in March 2024, the concept was proven in Austin. Founders, CEOs, and investors were showing up. The energy was real. But everything that would allow it to scale — systems, team, tech stack, sponsorship model, expansion playbook — didn't exist yet.


My job was to build the machine that could take something working in one room in Austin and make it work in 17 cities across the country, simultaneously, with decentralized leadership, without losing what made it special.

A founder community with potential and little infrastructure.

When I stepped in as CEO in March 2024, the concept was proven in Austin. Founders, CEOs, and investors were showing up. The energy was real. But everything that would allow it to scale — systems, team, tech stack, sponsorship model, expansion playbook — didn't exist yet.


My job was to build the machine that could take something working in one room in Austin and make it work in 17 cities across the country, simultaneously, with decentralized leadership, without losing what made it special.

A founder community with potential and no infrastructure.

When I stepped in as CEO in March 2024, the concept was proven in Austin. Founders, CEOs, and investors were showing up. The energy was real. But everything that would allow it to scale — systems, team, tech stack, sponsorship model, expansion playbook — didn't exist yet.


My job was to build the machine that could take something working in one room in Austin and make it work in 17 cities across the country, simultaneously, with decentralized leadership, without losing what made it special.

THE CHALLENGE

Community organizations are notoriously hard to scale. What works in one room doesn't automatically work in 17. The challenge wasn't just logistics — it was preserving quality, selectivity, and member experience while growing fast enough to matter.

Build without losing soul.

THE APPROACH

I built the operational infrastructure before expanding — membership criteria, regional leader selection, onboarding SOPs, CRM, event frameworks, and financial modeling — so that each new market launched with the same standard as Austin, not a degraded version of it.

Build the playbook first. Then execute.

THE OUTCOME

In under 12 months, it became a genuine national organization. Multiple national and local sponsorships secured. Financial modeling built to support 22 leagues. A team of 17 regional leaders running decentralized operations across the country.

17 Markets. 1,500+ Members. Still running.

WHAT I ACTUALLY BUILT

The machine behind the community.

End to End Tech Stack

01


01


01

Built the website, registration flows, CRM architecture, and sales automation from zero. Every touchpoint a founder had with the company ran through systems I designed and implemented.

02

02

Regional Leader Playbook

Created the hiring criteria, onboarding system, and operational SOPs that allowed 17 regional leaders to run their markets independently without constant oversight — or quality loss.

03

03

Sponsorship & Revenue Model

Secured multiple national and local sponsorships by building a pitch-ready sponsorship framework and financial model that showed exactly what sponsors were buying into and why it was worth it.

04

04

Built detailed financial modeling to support expansion from 4 to 22 leagues across 12 months, including unit economics per market, breakeven analysis, and investor-ready projections.

Financial Model for Scale

"The hardest part of scaling a community isn't the logistics. It's making sure the 17th city feels exactly like the first one."

"The hardest part of scaling a community isn't the logistics. It's making sure the 17th city feels exactly like the first one."

Andrew Kaluza · CEO 2024–2026

Andrew Kaluza · CEO 2024–2026

ANDREW KALUZA COPYRIGHT 2026

ANDREW KALUZA COPYRIGHT 2026

ANDREW KALUZA COPYRIGHT 2026