Letter from the Hustle Fund GPs
Dear hustler,
Ever since we started Hustle Fund back in 2017, we carved out time twice a year to get together in person to take stock of the business.
These sessions were remarkably powerful. They allowed us to bond emotionally, align our priorities, problem-solve big challenges, and plan for the next few months.
Sure, we talked ALL the time. But those retreats were pivotal to the success of our fund. And they’ve proven even more valuable as our team has grown.
After investing in 400+ companies and working with 1000s of founders, we see startups fall into a common trap: not carving out time to slow down and think strategically.
Founders are often doing things that seem important but don’t actually move the needle. This is why we created Hustlers’ Retreat.
It's a 4-day facilitated offsite designed for startups who are looking to scale their biz, align their team’s priorities, and connect deeply with other founders.
By the end of it, you and your team will walk away feeling recharged, aligned, and energized to tackle the next chapter of your business.
We hope to see you there.
-Eric, Elizabeth, Shiyan (Hustle Fund GPs)
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Testimonials
From the team who created The Founder Playbook.
"I work with founders on thought leadership and brand building, so I read a whole lot of newsletters from across the VC world. Yours is consistently one of my favorites."
"I appreciate all the content you put out and the grace, humbleness that you put into the videos.It is incredibly helpful to see this through the eyes of VCs (and former founders) who are kind enough to share insights this way."
“Among the dozens of newsletters that I receive, the Hustle Fund newsletters are the only ones where I read 100% of them, 50% are starred in Gmail, and 25% are saved as a PDF. Keep up the great work!”
"I work with founders on thought leadership and brand building, so I read a whole lot of newsletters from across the VC world. Yours is consistently one of my favorites."
"I appreciate all the content you put out and the grace, humbleness that you put into the videos.It is incredibly helpful to see this through the eyes of VCs (and former founders) who are kind enough to share insights this way."
“Among the dozens of newsletters that I receive, the Hustle Fund newsletters are the only ones where I read 100% of them, 50% are starred in Gmail, and 25% are saved as a PDF. Keep up the great work!”
The best part?
We did all the hard work for you! Enjoy
- A private property than spans hundreds of acres in beautiful Sonoma County.
- Cooks on-site to provide nutritious food + lodging for you and your team.
- Our team facilitating all workshops and sessions— from fundraising to content marketing.
- Fun activities like hiking, volleyball, ghost stories, a pool party + more
- A community of hustlers to connect together and learn from each other.
So if you were already planning a team offsite for sometime this year, attending Hustlers’ Retreat is a no-brainer.
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AGENDA
Speakers
Eric Bahn is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund VC, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Eric was a partner at 500 Startups and a Product Manager at Instagram. In a prior life, Eric founded an education company called Beat the GMAT (acq 2012).
Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Entrepreneur in Residence at Hustle Fund where he worked with the GPs to build the team’s entire company operating system on Notion. Outside of Hustle Fund, Thenuka is the founder and CEO at Daydream. Previously Chief of Staff @ Pango (acquired by Aura). UBC Alum.
More speakers coming soon!
Entrepreneur in Residence at Hustle Fund where he worked with the GPs to build the team’s entire company operating system on Notion. Outside of Hustle Fund, Thenuka is the founder and CEO at Daydream. Previously Chief of Staff @ Pango (acquired by Aura). UBC Alum.
Head of Marketing at Hustle Fund. Formerly Employee #1 at The Hustle. Event Producer for Camp Hustle. Startup junkie with a passion for event planning, content creation, program development, and helping startups thrive.
Eric Bahn is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund VC, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Eric was a partner at 500 Startups and a Product Manager at Instagram. In a prior life, Eric founded an education company called Beat the GMAT (acq 2012).
Elizabeth Yin is a co-founder and General Partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed fund for software entrepreneurs. Previously, Elizabeth was a partner at 500 Startups where she invested in seed stage companies and ran the Mountain View accelerator. In a prior life, Elizabeth co-founded and ran an adtech company called LaunchBit (acq 2014). Elizabeth has a BSEE from Stanford and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Spend time in nature, learn
from experts, and get your
team flying in formation.
THE VENUE
Exact location will be sent privately.
You can reach the venue by driving yourself or taking an Uber/Lyft.
There is plenty of parking onsite.
Alternatively, you can book your own lodging nearby in Healdsburg, and the average cost for a room in a 3-star hotel is ~$187/night.
FAQ
We designed this event for executive teams and co-founders who need to make big, critical decisions about their startup’s future. This would be the ideal opportunity to take a breath, reset, and think strategically about what’s next.
Anyone can join, but the sweet spot is for pre-series-A cos. You have a live product and a team. You’re making at least 6 figures/yr w a path to 7 figures/yr next yr.
You totally can. There are lots of great information out there online. But come on, who wants to be on Zoom all day after 2.5 years of the pandemic?
Research shows that changing your environment changes the way you think and feel. Being surrounded by nature, connecting IRL, and creating small + big memories together is an experience that can’t be replaced with a grinding work session in your garage.
Plus, our team is world-class at producing excellent events. We’re confident you’re going to love your experience.
You totally can! This means booking the venue, providing food, planning the agenda + 100s of other logistical items. Hustlers’ Retreat takes care of all the organization AND provides programming, community, + an arguably more beautiful venue at a similar (or less) cost than if you were to do it on your own.
Plus the Hustle Fund GPs and team members will be there to facilitate sessions and directly help the teams all week. 🙂
We want to keep the group large enough for diversity of thought and small enough to feel safe and intimate. That’s why we capped this event at 100 people max.
If you're unable to make it to Hustlers' Retreat, you can use your ticket as credit for next year's event. Or you can transfer your ticket to someone else. Please let Tam know as soon as possible if you'd like to make changes to your tickets at tam@hustlefundvc.com.
Yes! We’ve allotted time every day for your team to gather to discuss ideas and co-work together.
Yes, the food is 💣. The cooks make high-quality meals with the freshest ingredients available. When possible, they use local organic produce, some of which is grown on-site. All desserts and salad dressings are made fresh or from scratch. Vegetarian and necessary dietary restrictions are all welcome!
We strongly recommend booking your lodging onsite where we are holding the retreat to maximize your experience. However, you can also just buy a day pass and book accommodations elsewhere.
The only thing you need to worry about is paying for transportation from the airport. Everything else is taken care of once you're at Hustlers' Retreat. 😊
*If you have the day pass, you'll be responsible for your own lodging.
Here's another way to think about this: What's the downside?
You probably need to recharge and regroup with your team anyways. If you were already planning on doing a team retreat, Hustlers’ Retreat will lead you through the entire experience.
Our venue is in beautiful Sonoma County. You’ll be with your team and other amazing founders. There will be also be wine tastings in the evenings. 🍷
So in the worst case scenario, you’re in a beautiful place spending quality time with your team. But our hope is that you come out with a much clearer list of priorities and great mental models to scale your business.
