Meaningful community for all.
Gildre was created to provide a community for people of all professional backgrounds to come together and build amazing things. Our founders, Brian Lee, Taiga Gamell, and Michael Frank come from startup backgrounds with decades of experience in fundraising, mentoring, and accelerating.
We realized that mentorship is just as crucial for scaling a vision as having the right co-founder or team. So why not create a platform that tackles the ongoing issues founders face and facilitate meaningful connections at the same time?
Gildre is for entrepreneurs, founders, innovators, executives, anyone looking to make an impact and drive change. Whether that’s changing the way a single customer does business or tackling a groundbreaking social issue, our community is here to support and lift one another.
Who are our Mentors?
Our mentors are industry experts, many of whom are/were founders themselves. These individuals have gone through every imaginable experience from scaling and selling their company, raising multiple rounds towards an IPO, bootstrapping to profitability, investing in startups, and just about every pain point an entrepreneur goes through.
They’re here because they’re passionate about the entrepreneurial ecosystem and looking to support the next generation of innovators. As a Gildre member, you don’t need to be building a unicorn or trying to change the world, you just need to be looking to make a difference. Whether you’re looking to bring on an advisor, co-founder, or just seeking advice from professionals who have done it before, we’ve got you covered.
Mission & Principles
At Gildre our core thesis revolves around the concept of “Community for all”. You don’t need a specific background to become a member, just the motivation to build something great. Our principles revolve around our 6 central benefits, geared towards inclusion and crafting meaningful connections. You can read more about our principles here. If you feel like you agree - we welcome you to apply and join the Gildre community today!
Managing Partners
Brian Lee
Brian is a serial entrepreneur and currently the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Roamli, a bootstrapped software company in Chicago. His most recent role as Head of Product at a global Accelerator allowed him to work with hundreds of Series A-Pre Seed founders across the globe. When he’s out of office you can find him on the tennis courts or snowboarding (although unfortunately there aren’t mountains in Chicago).
Michael J. Frank
Michael is the current Principal at Neuvation Ventures and a successful startup founder who sold his company to a publicly-traded firm. An accomplished business leader with 30+ years in the industry, he currently sits on multiple boards and has a wide range of experience dealing with startups, business strategies, venture capital, operations, and technology.
Taiga Gamell
Taiga was born in Japan and grew up in an entrepreneurial family. He helped run his family company, an online platform providing educational services to Japanese students. He raised funds for his second company, which tracked and quantified individuals’ sustainable actions, rewarding them for their eco-conscious behavior. Beyond his professional pursuits you can find him hiking, water skiing, or practicing taekwondo.