Portland founders — it’s time to show up.

It all started with the worst night of my entire life.

I was about a year into my start-up, Sadie. There was no safety net; Plan A had run its course and we’d gone through Plans B-F. We were out of cash, and life had happened. Consequences were crashing down all around us. Actual real bad things were happening. I have never felt so scared, helpless and alone.

So much has changed since then. We did things the hard way, and came out on the other side as an actual real business. Today I work with a fabulous team of 8, and we appreciate everything we have because we worked so hard for it.

This is why I want to make personally sure that nobody else has to go through what I did in that way. Not if I can help it. At the time I thought I needed investment, but what I really needed was help from other founders.

We are the only people who truly can relate to what one another are going through.

As a group we’ve seen it all, because we’ve all been there. We know where the fire escapes are, the back doors, and the secret hatches. We know what is a waste of time and effort, and how to actually accomplish something with next to nothing. Because we’ve done it all, and have the scars to prove it.

Even more importantly, for others like us the doors are wide open and strings are nowhere to be found. We know that as a group we are more powerful. It’s not about competition, it’s about utilizing the skills, abilities, experience and knowledge of the group to harness our momentum as a whole. This is what will create astounding traction for everyone, not just individual start-ups.

For a long time, those who were in the fold benefited from this, but those outside of the group worked in silos. There is a rumbling movement that is ready to come to life. We believe that founders need to help each other.

We know best what we need. We know how to level with each other and help each other succeed.

Founders United Network is all about opening up the doors to founders helping one another - in ways that only we do.

If you are an entrepreneur in Portland, we want to know about you.

Who you are, what you are doing, what stage you’re at, and exactly what you need, right now.

What’s in it for you?

1. Valuable resources and help in ways that only founders offer each other.

This will be connections to other founders who know exactly how to do the things you need help with, who have been in your place before and can help you navigate through. We want to help you with everything you need to get your business going, start growing and gaining traction, and make sure you are really ready to raise, or not raise. Equity, debt…whatever is right for you.

But there’s more. We’re also going to include active investors.

2. Personal introductions to vetted investors we know you are a fit for (and vice versa).

These will be active investors in both the equity and debt scene, who have expressed interest in meeting you, who are actively making investments in your industry, and an appropriate check size for your stage.

If you’re not ready to be matched up for investment, we’ll let you know so you don’t waste any of your time. You’ll get the definitive, constructive feedback you need in a timely manner.

This is a steering committee for resources and deals- that is not personally tied up in the deals themselves.

We know this approach can work — because we have seen it in action. In Colorado approximately 3,000 start-ups at varying stages and levels of need are listed in their database, approximately 8% of them received financing for a total of $60M of invested capital. (There are no reporting requirements for funding). There is also organizations like Starve-Ups which are incredibly impactful.

Plans are in the works to organize this as a B-Corporation or a 501c3 Non-Profit that is owned, managed and run by founders.

This will really serve our community, because we already do this anyway. At our kitchen tables, over text, running in and out of meetings, or grinding away behind a laptop, many of us are in communication helping each other in silos. Let’s remove the silos. This will also help investors find the best deals for them, and hear from start-ups that are a fit for them and truly ready for investment.

This is a needed way to connect, help, and fund start-ups, and it starts today.

If you are interested in getting signed up, please indicate your interest below. We’ll do a brief check to ensure you are an active entrepreneur in Portland, and you’ll receive a link to register and create your profile in our database. This is not a public database. Only the FUN committee will be able to see your profile information. It is already live, and filling with the best and the brightest in Portland across multiple industries and business stages.

You must be an active entrepreneur with a current active company to sign and join the Founders United Network (FUN) Fill out this form to let us know you want in, and we will send you a link to create your profile.

If you are with us, post, share and tweet this article with the hashtag #YestoFUN, share with your friends and anyone who needs to get in on FUN.

Investors — If you would like to be added to the database to be matched with vetted start-ups who meet your desired stage, check size, interests and general criteria for investment. Here is a link to indicate your interest.

This is a call to the Portland entrepreneur community to stop working in silos — raise your hand and step up to the plate with us through Founders United. Let’s help each other get what we need — from help and resources, to funding and more. And let’s start right now.

Genevieve LeMarchal is Co-Founder of Sadie. She also teaches, speaks and mentors start-ups in the areas of gaining early traction through sales prospecting, building early pipeline and creating early revenue. Learn More.