Founder Summit CDMX 2021
Plus-one Friendly
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Opening Night Party
50 Mils Bar [at the Four Seasons] Av. Paseo de la Reforma 500, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Gather in the gorgeous patio of 50 Mils—one of Mexico City's premier bars— as we kick-off Founder Summit 2021 with craft cocktails, mocktails, and canapés.
Relax + connect with other founders, and get a proper welcome from our major sponsors: Calm Company Fund, SureSwift Capital, and MicroAcquire.
There will be veg + gluten free options.
Monday, October 25, 2021
[Required] Registration + Covid Testing + Coffee
ALL ATTENDEES ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND COVID TESTING DURING THIS SESSION.
We're testing all participants onsite before a day of mostly-indoor programming.
Please arrive early enough to register, grab some curated swag, and receive a rapid test.
There's coffee, beverages, snacks, and pan dulce (sweet pastries) on a patio overlooking the courtyard to help jumpstart your morning.
Taco Crawl 🌮
Meet in the courtyard before you take off
Mexico City is absolutely full of mouthwatering tacos, but how do you know where to start exploring?
Well now you don't have to guess.
We've teamed up with Anais Martinez AKA The Curious Mexican, Mexico City's premier food tour guide, to bring a curated taco-crawl to you...and we're picking up the tab for 60 attendees.
It'll be a go-at-your-own-pace, self-guided adventure—with hosts waiting to welcome you at every taqueria. What better way to cement a new connection than a taco-filled stroll?
** This event has a limited capacity. Your RSVP helps confirm taco counts! **
*Veg/Vegan/Gluten Free options will be available
Speakeasy Tour
Meet at 50 Mils bar!
Get whisked away by a local founder on a tour of the best speakeasy's in Mexico City. Unmarked bars, fake storefronts, and artisanal adventures await.
Cost of drinks + transportation is not covered by Founder Summit.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Artisanal Mezcal Tasting—mezcal para todos [1]
The world of mezcal is rich and exciting. It is also biodiverse and fragile. If we want Mezcal for the long run it is important that we know what we are drinking.
Taste three different varietals from the Mezcal Carreño team, as they introduce the overall panorama of agave plants, the process of mezcal making, and tend to key questions such as:
- How is it different from tequila?
- Can you age it?
- What is the difference between artisanal, ancestral, and commercial?
**We'll be hosting multiple tastings of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Mezcal Carreño—They began production in 1904 with Don Apolonio Carreño who made Mezcal from the wild agaves that grew on his property. As a highly praised spirit drink in Oaxaca, Apolonio with his family and friends drank his mezcales on three special occasions each year: his birthday, the beginning of the planting season, and the end of the harvest. Today we want to share with you our mezcal, made from our terroir in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca with traditional and ancestral techniques that are transmitted from generation to generation.
Magical Creatures: Alebrijes Painting Workshop [1]
In this workshop you will create your own Alebrije directly from the Oaxacan workshop of the best Alebrije makers in the country: Jacobo y Maria Angeles.
Alebrijes are magical Mexican creatures made popular in the 1930s by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. They are whimsical animals painted in bright colors that represent dreams and imagination. Some are made of wood and others of paper mache and cardboard. Every year huge versions of these creatures parade down the streets of Mexico City in the annual Alebrije Parade during the Day of The Dead festivities.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Jacobo and María Angeles— In 1994, they opened a workshop in the small town of San Martin Tilcajete, in Oaxaca, with the desire to undertake and rescue the ancestral practice of wood carving.
The workshop is know for it's one-log wood carving technique and working under community values like teaching, sharing and contributing. Since the beginning, the workshop has been committed to its natural and social environment and can proudly say that they have generated more than three hundred jobs and have planted more than nineteen thousand copal trees in their region to date.
Oxacan Chocolate Tasting [1]
Cacao is a sacred plant, commonly found in the southern states of Mexico, in La Rifa it is turned into chocolate with respect and passion.
The tasting, imparted by a master chocolatier, will walk you through the origins of cacao, the process of chocolate making, the different varietals used and their flavor profiles, and the overall magic behind chocolate. Tasting includes 4 different varietals.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your host for the evening is La Rifa—a 100% Mexican project focused on the transformation of cacao. Founded in 2012, they built strong relationships with cacao producer families that harvest in agroforestry systems to preserve Mexico's biodiversity and traditional agricultural practices.
They won Silver and Bronze in the Bean to Bar Plain Chocolate Bars division at the International Chocolate Awards in 2017.
Artisanal Mezcal Tasting—mezcal para todos [2]
The world of mezcal is rich and exciting. It is also biodiverse and fragile. If we want Mezcal for the long run it is important that we know what we are drinking.
Taste three different varietals from the Mezcal Carreño team, as they introduce the overall panorama of agave plants, the process of mezcal making, and tend to key questions such as:
- How is it different from tequila?
- Can you age it?
- What is the difference between artisanal, ancestral, and commercial?
**We'll be hosting multiple tastings of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Mezcal Carreño—They began production in 1904 with Don Apolonio Carreño who made Mezcal from the wild agaves that grew on his property. As a highly praised spirit drink in Oaxaca, Apolonio with his family and friends drank his mezcales on three special occasions each year: his birthday, the beginning of the planting season, and the end of the harvest. Today we want to share with you our mezcal, made from our terroir in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca with traditional and ancestral techniques that are transmitted from generation to generation.
Día de los Muertos Mask Workshop [1]
Día de los Muertos is all about celebrating life by honoring those who are gone.
Create of a traditional Catrina mask that embodies the aesthetics of the Día de los Muertos tradition in Mexico, while getting an introduction to the history of the holiday from facilitators Meri and Jaqui. Wear it at the party, celebrate, take it home, gift it to a loved one.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Meri and Jaqui— a dynamic duo of textile designers behind La Loba, an antique goods and vintage clothes store where second hand clothes and left over fabric find a new beginning.
Magical Creatures: Alebrijes Painting Workshop [2]
In this workshop you will create your own Alebrije directly from the Oaxacan workshop of the best Alebrije makers in the country: Jacobo y Maria Angeles.
Alebrijes are magical Mexican creatures made popular in the 1930s by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. They are whimsical animals painted in bright colors that represent dreams and imagination. Some are made of wood and others of paper mache and cardboard. Every year huge versions of these creatures parade down the streets of Mexico City in the annual Alebrije Parade during the Day of The Dead festivities.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Jacobo and María Angeles— In 1994, they opened a workshop in the small town of San Martin Tilcajete, in Oaxaca, with the desire to undertake and rescue the ancestral practice of wood carving.
The workshop is know for it's one-log wood carving technique and working under community values like teaching, sharing and contributing. Since the beginning, the workshop has been committed to its natural and social environment and can proudly say that they have generated more than three hundred jobs and have planted more than nineteen thousand copal trees in their region to date.
Mexican Salsa 101—Make Your Own Salsa [1]
Want to be able to quickly whip up a fantastic salsa? This one is for you!
The workshop will teach you how to make 2 different salsa recipes from four possible options: salsa verde, salsa roja, salsa macha, and pico de gallo.
**We'll be hosting multiple cooking classes of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening is Natalia—a Mexican chef with a life time passion for food, specially hot & spicy.
She has lived all over Mexico, north to south, coast to coast, always cooking with & for local & foreign palates. Each region she has had the chance to explore has its own traditions and recipes and, of course, their own salsas. She quickly fell in love with the diversity and has made salsas her specialty.
Oxacan Chocolate Tasting [2]
Cacao is a sacred plant, commonly found in the southern states of Mexico, in La Rifa it is turned into chocolate with respect and passion.
The tasting, imparted by a master chocolatier, will walk you through the origins of cacao, the process of chocolate making, the different varietals used and their flavor profiles, and the overall magic behind chocolate. Tasting includes 4 different varietals.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your host for the evening is La Rifa—a 100% Mexican project focused on the transformation of cacao. Founded in 2012, they built strong relationships with cacao producer families that harvest in agroforestry systems to preserve Mexico's biodiversity and traditional agricultural practices.
They won Silver and Bronze in the Bean to Bar Plain Chocolate Bars division at the International Chocolate Awards in 2017.
Artisanal Mezcal Tasting—mezcal para todos [3]
The world of mezcal is rich and exciting. It is also biodiverse and fragile. If we want Mezcal for the long run it is important that we know what we are drinking.
Taste three different varietals from the Mezcal Carreño team, as they introduce the overall panorama of agave plants, the process of mezcal making, and tend to key questions such as:
- How is it different from tequila?
- Can you age it?
- What is the difference between artisanal, ancestral, and commercial?
**We'll be hosting multiple tastings of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Mezcal Carreño—They began production in 1904 with Don Apolonio Carreño who made Mezcal from the wild agaves that grew on his property. As a highly praised spirit drink in Oaxaca, Apolonio with his family and friends drank his mezcales on three special occasions each year: his birthday, the beginning of the planting season, and the end of the harvest. Today we want to share with you our mezcal, made from our terroir in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca with traditional and ancestral techniques that are transmitted from generation to generation.
Día de los Muertos Mask Workshop [2]
Día de los Muertos is all about celebrating life by honoring those who are gone.
Create of a traditional Catrina mask that embodies the aesthetics of the Día de los Muertos tradition in Mexico, while getting an introduction to the history of the holiday from facilitators Meri and Jaqui. Wear it at the party, celebrate, take it home, gift it to a loved one.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Meri and Jaqui— a dynamic duo of textile designers behind La Loba, an antique goods and vintage clothes store where second hand clothes and left over fabric find a new beginning.
Magical Creatures: Alebrijes Painting Workshop [3]
In this workshop you will create your own Alebrije directly from the Oaxacan workshop of the best Alebrije makers in the country: Jacobo y Maria Angeles.
Alebrijes are magical Mexican creatures made popular in the 1930s by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. They are whimsical animals painted in bright colors that represent dreams and imagination. Some are made of wood and others of paper mache and cardboard. Every year huge versions of these creatures parade down the streets of Mexico City in the annual Alebrije Parade during the Day of The Dead festivities.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Jacobo and María Angeles— In 1994, they opened a workshop in the small town of San Martin Tilcajete, in Oaxaca, with the desire to undertake and rescue the ancestral practice of wood carving.
The workshop is know for it's one-log wood carving technique and working under community values like teaching, sharing and contributing. Since the beginning, the workshop has been committed to its natural and social environment and can proudly say that they have generated more than three hundred jobs and have planted more than nineteen thousand copal trees in their region to date.
Mexican Salsa 101—Make Your Own Salsa [2]
Want to be able to quickly whip up a fantastic salsa? This one is for you!
The workshop will teach you how to make 2 different salsa recipes from four possible options: salsa verde, salsa roja, salsa macha, and pico de gallo.
**We'll be hosting multiple cooking classes of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening is Natalia—a Mexican chef with a life time passion for food, specially hot & spicy.
She has lived all over Mexico, north to south, coast to coast, always cooking with & for local & foreign palates. Each region she has had the chance to explore has its own traditions and recipes and, of course, their own salsas. She quickly fell in love with the diversity and has made salsas her specialty.
Oxacan Chocolate Tasting [3]
Cacao is a sacred plant, commonly found in the southern states of Mexico, in La Rifa it is turned into chocolate with respect and passion.
The tasting, imparted by a master chocolatier, will walk you through the origins of cacao, the process of chocolate making, the different varietals used and their flavor profiles, and the overall magic behind chocolate. Tasting includes 4 different varietals.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your host for the evening is La Rifa—a 100% Mexican project focused on the transformation of cacao. Founded in 2012, they built strong relationships with cacao producer families that harvest in agroforestry systems to preserve Mexico's biodiversity and traditional agricultural practices.
They won Silver and Bronze in the Bean to Bar Plain Chocolate Bars division at the International Chocolate Awards in 2017.
Artisanal Mezcal Tasting—mezcal para todos [4]
The world of mezcal is rich and exciting. It is also biodiverse and fragile. If we want Mezcal for the long run it is important that we know what we are drinking.
Taste three different varietals from the Mezcal Carreño team, as they introduce the overall panorama of agave plants, the process of mezcal making, and tend to key questions such as:
- How is it different from tequila?
- Can you age it?
- What is the difference between artisanal, ancestral, and commercial?
**We'll be hosting multiple tastings of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Mezcal Carreño—They began production in 1904 with Don Apolonio Carreño who made Mezcal from the wild agaves that grew on his property. As a highly praised spirit drink in Oaxaca, Apolonio with his family and friends drank his mezcales on three special occasions each year: his birthday, the beginning of the planting season, and the end of the harvest. Today we want to share with you our mezcal, made from our terroir in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca with traditional and ancestral techniques that are transmitted from generation to generation.
Día de los Muertos Mask Workshop [3]
Día de los Muertos is all about celebrating life by honoring those who are gone.
Create of a traditional Catrina mask that embodies the aesthetics of the Día de los Muertos tradition in Mexico, while getting an introduction to the history of the holiday from facilitators Meri and Jaqui. Wear it at the party, celebrate, take it home, gift it to a loved one.
**We'll be hosting multiple sessions of 30 minutes each. Space is limited. **
Your hosts for the evening are Meri and Jaqui— a dynamic duo of textile designers behind La Loba, an antique goods and vintage clothes store where second hand clothes and left over fabric find a new beginning.
Closing Night Soiree
As a closing celebration for Founder Summit Mexico City we're gathering founders + entrepreneurs from around the world (and Mexico City!) for an evening of inspiring conversation, lively music, craft cocktails, and delicious bites—all inside an unforgettable historical mansion.
- Bites by Chef Ana Dolores [ex-Expendio de Maiz + voted "Best New Chef" in 2020 by Food + Wine]
- Cocktails by MØBAR
- Music by Revancha DF
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Xochimilco: [Early Bird] Boat Ride ONLY
What: A gondola ride through a vast water transport system built by the Aztecs.
Where: Meet @ Four Seasons
Departs: bus leaves at 8:45 am
Return: drop off at 1:30 pm (latest)
This shorter tour is for people who can't make the full boat + lunch experience, we're setting up a group to go to the boats in the morning for a simpler visit.*
Enjoy a the fun morning on the water against the backdrop of the famed floating gardens. Get to know the founders on your gondola while grab a beverage or bites from a passing snack boat.
*You will have the boat experience, but this will not include a meal or the visit to the Chinampas.*
------
About Xochimilco:
For most people it's easier to say "the boats" but Xochimilco is so much more than that.
Xochimilco is one of Mexico City's boroughs and within it lies a system of canals within man-made islands called Chinampas that form a complex and unique agricultural landscape. The area was developed since the foundation of Mexico City back in the 1300s and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
So why call it the boats? The boats have always been there, they are called trajineras and were originally used to transport food from Xochimilco to the city. In the early 1900s Xochimilco slowly started attracting tourists and by the 1960s when Mexico hosted its first World Cup the idea of flower decorated trajineras was in full swing.
Xochimilco : Boat Ride + Farm-to-table Lunch
What: A gondola ride through a vast water transport system built by the Aztecs, followed by a riverside farm-to-table meal.
Where: Meet @ Four Seasons
Departs: bus leaves at 9:45 am
Return: drop off at 4 pm (latest)
*FLIGHT INFO: if your flight leaves at 6 pm you can grab a cab directly from Xochimilco to the airport and should be there 2 hrs prior to your departure. Anything prior to 6 pm is very tight. Otherwise you can attend ***
**EARLY BIRDS: If you can't make it to the Arca Tierra Experience, we're setting up a group to go to the boats in the morning for a simpler visit. Departure will be at 9 am, back by 1:30 pm. You will have the boat experience, but this will not include a meal or the visit to the Chinampas. Sign up for that here.**
------
About Xochimilco:
For most people it's easier to say "the boats" but Xochimilco, our last stop for the Summit on Wednesday October the 27th, is so much more than that.
Xochimilco is one of Mexico City's boroughs and within it lies a system of canals within man-made islands called Chinampas that form a complex and unique agricultural landscape. The area was developed since the foundation of Mexico City back in the 1300s and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
So why call it the boats? The boats have always been there, they are called trajineras and were originally used to transport food from Xochimilco to the city. In the early 1900s Xochimilco slowly started attracting tourists and by the 1960s when Mexico hosted its first World Cup the idea of flower decorated trajineras was in full swing.
We want you to explore Xochimilco beyond the boat ride. So we've put together an amazing experience with the Team at Arca Tierra that includes the traditional boat ride through the canals (drink in hand) plus a visit to their GORGEOUS chinampa where they will host us for a local meal cooked by the family that runs the place.
