The Yellow Door
Labs · 02 Learn, prepareAttend →
The world → Russia · the founder community, hosted here

Startup Grind

We run Startup Grind across Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Kazan so far, with more to come. It is a global community - founded in Silicon Valley in 2010 by Derek Andersen, now 600 cities across 125 countries reaching 3.5M+ people - bringing its fireside format behind the yellow door. Its values are house rules here too: help others before you help yourself, give first, make friends - not contacts.

Reserve a seat → Startup Grind Moscow ↗
Startup Grind
467members · Moscow
600cities
125countries
Moscow · St. Petersburg · Novosibirsk · Kazan · directed by Val Jerdes
● Next upFounders Coffee at FINEThursdays 9:00-11:00 · walk in
Sep · themed monthStartup OlympicsDifferent rules, different prizes
Oct · themed monthAI MonthThe most engaging month of the year
Nov · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Dec · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jan · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Feb · themed monthGlobal Pitch BattleOur global competition, SGC prizes
Mar · themed monthSG Women’s MonthThe women who are building
Apr · monthlySpring AwakeningMeetup in Moscow
May · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jun · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jul · monthlyMidsummer CoffeeMorning at FINE
Aug · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Sep · themed monthStartup OlympicsDifferent rules, different prizes
Oct · themed monthAI MonthThe most engaging month of the year
Nov · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Dec · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jan · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Feb · themed monthGlobal Pitch BattleOur global competition, SGC prizes
Mar · themed monthSG Women’s MonthThe women who are building
Apr · monthlySpring AwakeningMeetup in Moscow
May · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jun · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jul · monthlyMidsummer CoffeeMorning at FINE
Aug · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Chapter directors on stage at the Global Conference
SG Global ConferenceThe directors, on stage in Silicon Valley.Every spring we take a delegation: tickets, the exhibition tent, a one-minute quickfire pitch.
At a glance

A season, not a single fireside.

● Community3.5M+600 cities, 125 countries.
● Pitch Battle60sLocal → semis → SV final.
● Conference×4Startup tickets at SG Global.
● MembersFreeGive first.
The format

How an evening runs.

01  The firesideUnguarded.A founder who actually did the thing - failures first.
02  Themed monthsOlympics, AI, Women.Sept, Oct, Feb, Mar. The rest: the classic fireside.
03  The Pitch BattleOne minute, one slide.Chapter winner → semis → the global final.
04  The hallwayThe actual point.The introductions afterward.
A speaker at The Yellow Door
The fireside · behind the yellow door
The Pitch Battle

Don’t overthink it. Come pitch.

An MVP or live product, and a one-minute pitch with one slide. Dates for the next battle soon.

Round oneLocal battleThe chapter picks one winner. One minute, one slide.
↓
Round twoSemi-finalsBy industry: Software & AI · Consumer Tech & Media · Deep Tech, Climate & Frontier.
↓
The finalGlobal finalTop three pitch live to Silicon Valley VCs. Chapter winners earn Startup of the Year.
Apply to pitch →
Why it matters

Belong before you break through.

Building is lonely on the frontier. Startup Grind is where founders find their people.

The community behind the yellow door
The chapter, behind the yellow door
“

It is the one evening a month where I remember I am not doing this alone.

- A chapter regular
The chapter director community on stage
Silicon Valley delegation · every springWe fly the chapter to the Valley.Investors, funds, potential clients. The founders who go come back different.
Founders, operators & the curious

Find your people behind the door.

Members attend free - give first. Reserve a seat for the next fireside, or apply to pitch in the next battle.

Reserve a seat →All programsMembers attend free · give first
← Previous programBig Ideas Contest Next program →Startup World Cup
The dispatchA letter, occasionally.Cohort openings, party invitations, the odd confession. Once a fortnight at most.
The channelsHear it first.
Telegram ↗LinkedIn ↗Facebook ↗Instagram ↗
The Yellow DoorWe help build, support & invest in startups going global.One family · The Yellow Door · Labs · Advisory · Venture · F&JS · Stories
© The Yellow Door - ProgramsInnov8 Global Labs
We stand in Russia - and the CIS - and we’re sticking around.
The Yellow Door
← Programs / Startup Grind02  LEARN, PREPARE · THE PROGRAMS
Attend →
The world → Russia · the global founder community, hosted here
Startup
Grind

We run Startup Grind across Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Kazan so far, with more to come. It is a global community - founded in Silicon Valley in 2010 by Derek Andersen, now 600 cities across 125 countries reaching 3.5M+ people - bringing its fireside format behind the yellow door. Its values are house rules here too: help others before you help yourself, give first, make friends - not contacts.

Startup GrindRussia · Moscow · St. Petersburg · Novosibirsk · Kazan
467members · Moscow
600cities worldwide
125countries
Directed by Val Jerdes · Innov8 Global Ventures & The Yellow Door · member count as of 18 Sep 2026
● Next upFounders Coffee at FINEThursdays 9:00-11:00 · Moscow city centre · walk in
Thu
Sep · themed monthStartup OlympicsDifferent rules, different prizes
Oct · themed monthAI MonthThe most engaging month of the year
Nov · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Dec · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jan · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Feb · themed monthGlobal Pitch BattleOur global competition, SGC prizes
Mar · themed monthSG Women’s MonthThe women who are building
Apr · monthlySpring AwakeningMeetup in Moscow
May · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jun · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jul · monthlyMidsummer CoffeeMorning at FINE
Aug · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Sep · themed monthStartup OlympicsDifferent rules, different prizes
Oct · themed monthAI MonthThe most engaging month of the year
Nov · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Dec · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jan · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Feb · themed monthGlobal Pitch BattleOur global competition, SGC prizes
Mar · themed monthSG Women’s MonthThe women who are building
Apr · monthlySpring AwakeningMeetup in Moscow
May · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jun · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Jul · monthlyMidsummer CoffeeMorning at FINE
Aug · monthlyFiresideGuest TK
Startup Grind Global ConferenceThe directors, on stage in Silicon Valley.Every spring we take a delegation to the Global Conference: investors, fellow directors, thought leaders. Startups get conference tickets, a place in the exhibition tent, a one-minute quickfire pitch and their own signage.
Join the delegation →
Startup Grind chapter directors on stage at the Global Conference, arms raised
At a glance

A season, not a single fireside.

Monthly, in themed seasons. The fireside is the format; the hallway afterwards is the point.

● Community3.5M+Reached worldwide - 600 cities, 125 countries; the Moscow chapter is ours.
● Pitch Battle60sOne minute, one slide. Local battle, industry semis, then the top three pitch live to SV VCs.
● Conference×4Startup tickets, a dedicated exhibition tent, quickfire pitches & custom signage at SG Global.
● For membersFreeGive first. Founders, operators, and the startup-curious.
The format

How an evening runs.

01  The firesideUnguarded.A founder or investor who actually did the thing, interviewed unguarded - failures first.
02  Themed monthsStartup Olympics, AI, Women.September, October, February, March. The rest of the year: the classic fireside.
03  The Pitch BattleOne minute, one slide.Chapter winner → semis by industry → the global final in front of SV VCs.
04  The hallwayThe actual point.The introductions afterward - and the door to the rest of our ecosystem.
A speaker with a microphone in front of a seated audience at The Yellow Door
The fireside · behind the yellow door
An audience laughing in the chairs at The Yellow Door
The audience · investors in the room
Founders sitting in a circle for Founders Coffee at The Yellow Door
Founders Coffee · Thursdays since 2016
The Pitch Battle

Don’t overthink it. Come pitch.

This isn’t about perfect decks or polished revenue numbers. All you need are two things: an MVP or live product, and a one-minute pitch with one slide.

Next battle - dates soon
Round oneLocal battleThe chapter picks one winner. One minute, one slide.
→
Round twoSemi-finalsBy industry: Software & AI · Consumer Tech & Media · Deep Tech, Climate & Frontier.
→
The finalGlobal finalTop three pitch live to Silicon Valley VCs. Chapter winners earn Startup of the Year.
Chapter winners earn the title Startup of the Year on the chapter page and automatic entry into next year’s Global Pitch Battle.Apply to pitch →
The Yellow Door community holding a hashtag YellowDoor sign in the brick vault
The chapter, behind the yellow door
Why it matters

Belong before you break through.

Building is lonely on the frontier. Startup Grind is where founders find their people - the community & candour that make the long road survivable. The chapter opens with Founders Coffee at FINE and the VLAB series at Noodome.

“

It is the one evening a month where I remember I am not doing this alone.

- A chapter regular
FoundedSilicon Valley, 2010
ValuesGive first. Help others. Make friends.
Startup Grind Global Conference, the whole chapter director community on stage
Silicon Valley delegation · every springWe fly the chapter to the Valley.Trips to the annual SG Global Conference to meet investors, fellow founders and thought leaders. In-person meetings with funds and potential clients to close deals and raise rounds. The founders who go come back different.
The delegation, in detail →
Founders, operators & the startup-curious

Find your people behind the door.

Members attend free - give first. Reserve a seat for the next fireside, or apply to pitch in the next battle.

Reserve a seat →All programsMembers attend free · give first
← Previous programBig Ideas Contest Next program →Startup World Cup
The dispatchA letter, occasionally.Cohort openings, party invitations, the odd confession. Once a fortnight at most, and never boring - we’d be too embarrassed.
The channelsHear it first.The Telegram channel gets everything first - dates, photos, the odd rumour. Everyone else is fashionably late.
The envelopeShow us what you’ve got.