As a founder, you're no stranger to the whirlwind of challenges that come with building a startup. From securing funding to scaling your business, the road can often be an emotional rollercoaster. But amidst the chaos, one thing is clear: a strong network of supportive peers, advisors, and customers can make all the difference.

Enter Matcha's new feature, Pods—a simple yet powerful way to bring together a small group of your key connections on a recurring basis, all seamlessly integrated scheduling, async messaging, and video chats. Whether you're looking to gather strategic advice, get feedback from customers, or just find a space to share the ups and downs of the founder journey, Pods is a flexible and affordable tool to make it happen. 

Bonding with Fellow Founders

Founder life can be a lonely journey. The work is often isolating, without a large team around you and often absorbed in your work so deeply that you become withdrawn from non-business contacts as well. You don’t have the time in your schedule to maintain relationships as broadly as you did, say, before startup life took over.  

Additionally, you live a life in extremes. Early-stage highs are exhilarating, while the lows can be devastating. And as you experience the full spectrum of the emotional strain of the startup journey, it would truly help to have folks to vent to, share a laugh with, or get advice from.  

Most founders need the emotional support of other founders, who understand exactly what you're going through. And one of the earliest groups that used Matcha Pods were founders who spun up a group with fellow founders, to do just that. These recurring meetings can be a lifeline, offering support, camaraderie, and a space to navigate the emotional ups and downs of startup life together.

Bringing Together Key Advisors

Founders also rely heavily on a trusted circle of advisors—those seasoned pros who can offer guidance and insight when you're charting new territory. Sometimes these are investors or just startup founders at a later stage or experts in a given area. With such a diverse group of folks, who all have busy schedules, it can be extremely hard to coordinate meetings or communicate your needs in one focused way. Sometimes, the meetings you need to have with these key folks simply get forgotten or skipped; and that’s a huge miss for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs especially, who need the support. 

With Matcha Pods, you can easily set up regular, recurring meetings with these key advisors. Imagine a monthly video call where you can discuss your company's strategic growth, bounce around new ideas, and get invaluable feedback. It's like having your own personal board of directors, but without the formalities. Plus, integrated scheduling makes it a breeze to find a time that works for everyone, so you can focus on the important stuff.

Gathering Feedback from Customers

Similarly to advisors, early customers play a key role for founders. To succeed, a startup needs to be listening to their honest feedback on a regular basis. In many scenarios, companies create a customer advisory panel early on in the journey.  

But how do you get them to share their thoughts candidly? With Pods, you can create small, intimate groups of customers to discuss your product, share their experiences, and provide feedback. This not only helps you understand what they love and what needs improvement, but also fosters a sense of community and loyalty among your customers. It's a win-win: you get actionable insights, and your customers feel heard and valued.

Meaningful Connection for Founders

In the fast-paced world of startups, cultivating relationships with people who can help you move the needle is more important than ever. With Pods, you have a simple, effective tool to bring together the people who matter most, whether they're advisors, customers, or fellow founders. 

Most notably, for a startup founder, the pricing of Matcha Pro is affordable at a low monthly fee that unlocks the ability to create unlimited pods - and comes with additional features being rolled out regularly. So go ahead, start a Pod, and see how these small groups can lead to big breakthroughs for your fast-growing business.

Ready to make the most of your valuable network? Join Matcha and create your first Pod today.