Founder Fundamentals Series - Hiring and HR master class for early-stage founders
- Date
- 2025-09-17
- Location
- There is paid parking available under Pier 70. Entrance to AI House is up the staircase closest to the water, furthest from the street., Seattle, WA, USA
- Host
- JP Morgan Events
About this event
Early hiring decisions shape everything that comes next: team velocity, culture, legal risk, and whether you spend your time building the company or cleaning up avoidable people problems. This master class is built for early-stage founders who want a clearer, more practical approach to hiring and HR before those decisions get expensive. About the Event Founder Fundamentals Series - Hiring and HR master class for early-stage founders is an in-person session designed for builders who are actively figuring out how to grow a team well. If you're moving from founder-led execution to your first hires, or trying to put better people practices in place before scaling, this event gives you a focused space to learn with peers facing similar decisions. The emphasis here is on fundamentals, not theory for theory's sake. Expect a practical conversation around the core hiring and HR questions that show up early in a company's life: who to hire first, how to structure a process, what can go wrong when expectations are unclear, and how to create a healthier operating foundation from the start. Because this is part of a broader founder-focused series, the session is also a chance to connect with others building in tech and the startup community. The setting supports both learning and conversation, so you can leave with useful frameworks and a stronger network of people working through similar challenges. What to Expect This is a midday, in-person master class with a format that is likely to be direct, discussion-oriented, and useful for immediate application. Rather than broad startup inspiration, the focus is on the nuts and bolts of hiring and HR for early-stage teams. You can expect the session to center on topics such as: Early hiring priorities: how founders think about the first key roles and what good early hiring discipline looks like Hiring process basics: defining the role, evaluating candidates, and avoiding rushed decisions People operations foundations: the HR practices that matter earlier than many founders expect Common mistakes: where early-stage companies often create friction, confusion, or unnecessary risk Peer connection: opportunities to meet other founders, operators, and startup community members in the room The tone should feel practical and founder-relevant. Come ready to listen, take notes, and think critically about what your company actually needs next, not just what fast-moving startup culture tells you to do. There is also real value in the side conversations. Events like this often help founders compare approaches, pressure-test assumptions, and hear how others are handling recruiting, onboarding, team expectations, and growth-stage people issues. Why Attend Hiring is one of the highest-leverage decisions a founder makes, and HR is often the category people postpone until it becomes urgent. Attending this master class helps you get ahead of that curve. You will be in a room focused on how to make better people decisions earlier, when changes are still relatively easy and the impact is outsized. If you have ever felt uncertain about when to make a hire, how formal your process should be, or what systems need to exist before the team grows, this event is for that moment. It is especially useful if you want more structure without becoming bureaucratic, and more confidence without pretending to have it all figured out. You may leave with: Clearer judgment on what hiring and HR problems deserve your attention now Better questions to ask before opening a role or extending an offer A stronger understanding of foundational people practices for an early-stage company More confidence in building a team intentionally rather than reactively Connections with other founders and startup people navigating the same stage of growth For founders, this subject matters beyond compliance or process. Good hiring and people management affect speed, trust, retention, and execution quality. Getting the fundamentals right early can save months of distraction later. Practical Details This event takes place in person in Seattle, USA on Wednesday, September 17 at 12:00 PM PDT. The in-person format makes it easier to ask nuanced questions, meet other attendees, and have the kinds of conversations that usually do not happen as well online. If you're driving, paid parking is available under Pier 70. To find the venue, the entrance to AI House is up the staircase closest to the water, furthest from the street. Give yourself a few extra minutes to park and locate the entrance so you can arrive settled and ready to participate. Because this is scheduled at midday, it fits well for founders, operators, and startup professionals who want a high-value working session without committing a full evening. Bring your current hiring questions, the people challenges you are already seeing, and a willingness to compare notes with others building in public and in real time.
Who should attend
This is for people building early and trying to get the people side of the company right before it becomes messy, expensive, or distracting. - **You're an early-stage founder** making your first hires, planning them now, or rethinking whether your current hiring approach is actually working. - **You're building a startup team in tech** and want a more grounded understanding of hiring and HR fundamentals without wading through enterprise-focused advice. - **You lead people decisions by default** because there is no dedicated HR function yet, and you want practical guidance on what needs structure now versus later. - **You've felt uncertainty around hiring process, role definition, onboarding, or expectations** and want clearer frameworks you can apply immediately. - **You value learning in community** and want to meet other founders, operators, and startup peers who are navigating similar growth-stage decisions. - **You're trying to scale responsibly** and know that culture, team quality, and people operations are too important to leave to improvisation.