Fresh ideas and new connections at the AWS Founders Retreat

For founders, access to the right networks is an invaluable resource. Busy startups rarely have the time and space to pause, build their community, and test their thinking with investors and peers.

For underrepresented founders, this challenge is only amplified. Startup communities can be less accessible, peers harder to locate, and engagement with investors limited. With this in mind, we brought together a group of visionary founders from underrepresented backgrounds for the AWS Founder Retreat at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.

The two-day event, held in collaboration with Techstars, gave 12 founders a chance to step away from day-to-day startup life to focus on their story, refine their go-to-market strategy, and connect with investors face-to-face.

The cohort of startups was made up of 12 selected finalists from the NYC, Atlanta, London, and Mexico City stops of the AWS Impact Bootcamps, a series of two-day startup workshops for underrepresented founders. The finalists, hand-picked from hundreds of global participants, represent the next generation of founders tackling real-world problems with fresh ideas.

During the retreat, founders participated in hands-on storytelling sessions, hot seats, and honest group discussions to stress test their pitches and overall value propositions. As a network of peers, the founders were able to ask each other the right questions, provide valuable feedback, and help carry each other’s visions forward.

As well as building a brand-new network of trusted founders, the retreat gave participants direct access to AWS leaders and investors. During these one-to-one mentoring and coaching sessions, the founders were offered actionable advice on fundraising, pitching, and long-term business growth.

The retreat culminated in a pitch competition for US$100,000 in grants, helping the winning startups fuel their next stage of growth. The three grant recipients were Patricia Florencia, Founder of Pilou, Johanna Salazar, Co-Founder of FoodStream Network, and Douglas Wilson, Founder of SyncPop.

The AWS Founders Retreat marks the next step in AWS’s commitment to expanding access and opportunity for exceptional founders everywhere. By recognizing the talent, resilience, and progress of founders from underrepresented backgrounds, AWS aims to back not just the startups of today, but the founders they’ll inspire tomorrow.