Ugly Talk: Ft. Lauderdale Founders Open Mic and Mixer

You've never been to a mixer like this one.

Forget the highlight reel. Forget the rehearsed pitch and the superhero LinkedIn post. For one night, Fort Lauderdale founders are trading all of that for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Founders get on stage and share the pivotal moment — the deal that fell through, the product that missed the mark, the investor call that went sideways, the quiet decision to start over, or the messy lesson that changed everything.

7 minutes each. Vulnerable. A little embarrassing. Funnier than you'd expect. Every story is a lesson somebody paid full price for.

You sit back. You laugh. Maybe wince. Then catch yourself nodding. By the time the mixer kicks in, the networking dance is dead. You're just catching up with people you actually want to know.

Why you should attend

Hear the version founders do not post, polish, or save for the panel circuit.Get the lesson without paying full tuition for the mistake.Feel the room loosen up in real time. Once one person tells the truth, everybody else can stop auditioning.Stay for a mixer that actually works, because the small talk is already dead by then.