SH Founders Dinner + Poker 2.0 — Guest Speaker: Eric Salwan of Firefly Aerospace & Farewell to Isabella Reed
This night of dinner and networking with founders and investors is special as it's our last event with Chapter Director to Isabella Reed! Come wish her luck as she moves to Dallas!
Note that this event is exclusively for startup founders and investors. Please do not bring uninvited guests, make an intro (membership@startuphaven.com) and we'll get them set up.
What You Need to Know
For everyone:
This is not an event just for poker players, but for players and non-players of poker alike.
Please come just to enjoy the food and drinks.
For our poker players:
MAKE SURE TO BRING CASH, buy-in starts at $10.
Beginner poker players are encouraged to attend:
This is a friendly, inclusive game of low-stakes poker.Random and Guaranteed Poker Seats: In the event that more than 40 attendees want to play poker, Level 2 members will be settled first and then we will cut cards for the remaining seats.
Details on the poker game can be found here: Poker Basics Webpage
If you're new to Startup Haven events, familiarize yourself with the details by reviewing the Startup Haven Event Basics
We strongly encourage women, people of color, and individuals from all under-recognized groups to join us. We acknowledge that poker, as well as the tech and startup community, has historically been male-dominated. However, we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members and players. See more in our statement of inclusivity below.
What to Expect
Special Guest Speaker: Eric Salwan -- Co-founder of Firefly Aerospace
Eric Salwan is the Co-founder of Firefly Aerospace. He is a NewSpace advocate and entrepreneur, and has helped build Firefly into a $2B space transportation company. Firefly is on a mission to enable our world to launch, land, and operate in space – anywhere, anytime. Firefly has successfully launched its metric ton Alpha rocket to orbit and recently landed its robotic Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon, becaming the first commercial company to successfully complete a Moon landing mission.
Dinner and Networking
Dinner is casual and catered, available at 5:30 or whenever you arrive. Serve yourself when you arrive and enjoy a drink while mingling or sitting. We strive to provide delicious food with a vegetarian option. "No pizza" rule.
Ask and Offer
This is a quick and optional activity that gives people the opportunity to introduce themselves, and share their "ask" and their "offer" to the community. We can all offer expertise, introductions, or experience.
Host: Startup Haven
Startup Haven Ventures is a pre-seed venture fund backed by its 19-year-strong, members-only national network exclusively for full-time, venture-scale founders and active investors.
Our gatherings provide a private space—no service providers allowed—where founders and investors can exchange ideas and build meaningful relationships.
In our Seattle chapter, we host a monthly dinner and an inclusive poker night, plus virtual programs like Office Hours and Pitch Coaching to connect founders nationwide. Learn more at startuphaven.com.
Startup Haven Premium Events: Founders Dinner and Startup Poker 2.0
This event is free for Startup Haven Level 1 & Level 2 members, but Level 0 members have a cost of $10.00. If you would like to attend this (and future) premium events for free, upgrade to Level 1 ($10/month) or Level 2 ($30/month) here: UPGRADE
Startup Haven events are (usually) exclusively for our founder and investor members.
If you are interested in joining Startup Haven as a free member, you can indicate that in your registration questions!
Safety Concerns
If you have safety concerns and would like someone to accompany you to your vehicle, we would be happy to accommodate you, just let one of our team members know or email us in advance at membership@startuphaven.com. Thank you!
If you are sick, or have loved ones that are vulnerable, please consider coming to future events instead.
Sponsors Make it Happen
Thank you Antler!
Startup Haven and these events would not be possible without the support of our awesome sponsors. They buy all the food, drinks, poker chips, cards, trophies, etc. so please thank them when you see them.
Inclusivity
We acknowledge that poker, as well as the tech and startup community, has historically been male-dominated. However, we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members and players.
We strongly encourage women, people of color, and individuals from all under-recognized groups to join us at our events.
Your presence enriches the experience for everyone, and we are dedicated to ensuring that our poker community is diverse, respectful, and inclusive.
Read here, here and here for more about why we play poker at Startup Haven, and believe that poker is for everyone.