Founding cohort · Austin-based, remote-friendly

You’re sitting with a decision you can’t talk about anywhere else.

Witan is a peer advisory group for founders. Eight people, twice a month, two hours. Facilitated. Confidential.

Apply for a seat

The hot seat

An illustrative composite. What a session is designed to produce.

The founder brings

My head of sales is underperforming. She was my third hire. We're friends. I've given her two quarters to turn it around. I know what I need to do. I don't know how.

The group asks

First fifteen minutes. No advice.

  • 01When did you know?
  • 02What have you told her, and what have you not told her?
  • 03What are you afraid will happen if you act?
  • 04Who else on your team has already noticed?

The group notices

You keep saying 'we.' You mean 'I.'

The founder leaves with

  • A written commitment.
  • A calendar hold for the conversation.
  • A text from two members at 9am the next morning: "Did you do it."

You belong if

  • 01You’ve shipped something real, and people are paying for it.
  • 02You’re carrying decisions only you can make, and the weight is getting heavier.
  • 03You can keep a room confidential and expect the same in return.

How it works

01

Apply

Fill out the form. Tell us what you're building and why this matters to you.

02

Conversation

A 20-minute call. Not a pitch. We're looking for fit, not credentials.

03

Get accepted

We'll let you know within 48 hours. If it's not right, we'll say so directly.

04

Pay

Payment link arrives with your acceptance. $200/month, permanently, for founding members.

05

Meet your Witan

Eight people. A group lead. A room. Twice a month.

06

Show up with your real problems

That's it. Bring what's actually keeping you up.

$200/month

Founding member rate. Locked permanently.

Standard rate from cohort two: $500/month

Apply for a seat

Why this is different

Peer advisory is a crowded category. Most options are a content factory with a group chat. Witan is a room.

Group size

Masterminds
10-30
1:1 Coaches
1
Online communities
500+
Witan
8

Format

Masterminds
Conferences + Slack
1:1 Coaches
1:1 calls
Online communities
Feed + threads
Witan
Facilitated room

Confidentiality

Masterminds
Variable
1:1 Coaches
High
Online communities
None
Witan
Absolute

Audience

Masterminds
Sometimes present
1:1 Coaches
N/A
Online communities
Always
Witan
Never

Facilitator

Masterminds
Rare
1:1 Coaches
N/A
Online communities
Moderators
Witan
Every session

Price

Masterminds
$6K-25K/yr
1:1 Coaches
$1K-5K/mo
Online communities
$0-500/yr
Witan
$200/mo founding

What a session looks like

0:00 – 0:15

Check-in

One word. One sentence. Temperature reading, not performance.

0:15 – 0:25

Commitments

Last session's commitments revisited. What happened.

0:25 – 1:30

Hot seat

One member's real problem. The group asks questions first. Advice comes second.

1:30 – 1:50

Open floor

Smaller items, quick asks, things on anyone's mind.

1:50 – 2:00

Close

Everyone names one commitment. Specific. Owned. Witnessed.

The name

Witan. Old English, circa 700 AD. The council of wise advisors to the Anglo-Saxon king. Not appointed. Chosen. Not servants. Peers who earned their seat by speaking plainly when it mattered most.

Every ambitious person deserves a Witan.

Who’s at the table

SB

Shane Brechmann

Operator. Spent years inside PE-backed companies leading teams through post-acquisition integration, system migrations, and org redesigns.

The best decisions always came from a small room of people who had been through it and would tell you what they actually thought. That’s what Witan is. A room like that, built for founders.

LinkedIn →

The founding cohort

Members are being selected now. The founding cohort forms when eight seats are filled. As members join, first names and industries appear here. Full names remain private.

Apply for a seat

Founding cohort · Austin-based, remote-friendly · Eight seats

We read every application. Expect to hear back within 48 hours.