Geo Virgo
Photo courtesy of Founders Table
Inside a private Sydney dining room, eight entrepreneurs, collectively responsible for over $500 million in annual revenue, gather around a table. But this is no ordinary business meeting. The host, Frank Greeff, is not presenting investment decks or growth metrics. He is serving salmon that he prepared himself.
This scene from Founders Table, Australia’s most exclusive entrepreneurial gathering, represents more than just networking; it embodies an ambitious vision to reshape the nation’s business landscape by 2030.
In just five months since its January 2025 launch, the invitation-only community has accumulated a 750+-person waitlist and made several strategic investments. It has established itself as a rapidly growing force in Australian business circles.
The Why: Filling a Void No Money Can Buy
To understand the drive behind Founders Table, it is necessary to look beyond the $180 million exit that put the Greeffs on the map. Both brothers found themselves at a crossroads after selling their real estate marketing technology company, Realbase, to Domain Group in 2022.
For Jacques, who achieved financial freedom at just 34, the milestone was not an end but a beginning. “The exit was surreal. We spent what felt like every waking minute of our lives. It was the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice,” Jacques reflects. Yet, he soon realized that financial success did not fill the sense of isolation of building and selling a company from scratch.
Frank, too, faced what he calls a “purpose realignment.” “I knew I had a strong commercial driver, which had led to great business results, but I didn’t see myself going from business to business for the rest of my life,” he says. Instead, he sought ways to channel his entrepreneurial energy into something more enduring than another startup or investment.
The answer, for both, was community. Not the kind that comes with membership fees, glossy events, or LinkedIn endorsements, but a genuine fellowship of founders who have faced the same battles and bear the same scars.
“Australia is far too small not to know every entrepreneur! We want to celebrate success and people giving it a red hot crack while sharing knowledge, insights, and a few laughs,” Frank explains.
Investigating the Founders Table Model: Merit, Not Money
Founders Table is not a traditional club. There are no dues, sponsors, or sales pitches. Entry is by invitation only, and the sole criterion is running a business with at least $10 million in annual revenue.
This slant has created a waitlist of more than 750 founders, all eager to sit at the table. The appeal is obvious: in a country where “tall poppy syndrome” often cuts down those who achieve too much, Founders Table is a rare safe harbor for honest conversation about success and its costs.
The Greeffs personally vet every applicant, looking for more than just impressive numbers. They seek founders willing to be open about their struggles and victories. The result is an atmosphere where vulnerability is not a weakness but a prerequisite for entry.
“We create an environment for founders to get together without an agenda or sales pitch. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, unlike clubs which are paid memberships or sponsored by corporate entities,” Frank says. The dinners are intimate, the conversations candid, and the relationships forged are built on trust rather than transaction.
Photo courtesy of Founders Table
The Hidden Truth: Success Is Lonely
A recurring theme among those who have attended the Founders Table is loneliness. Despite the trappings of success, many founders describe the journey as isolating. The higher the stakes, the fewer people they can talk to honestly about their fears, doubts, and failures. This is the void that the Founders Table seeks to fill.
Photo courtesy of Founders Table
Jacques is open about the emotional toll of entrepreneurship. “Looking back, I realized how lonely the journey could sometimes be. That’s why, together with Frank, we wanted to create a community where founders could share their successes and struggles without any agenda or sales pitch,” he says.
The Greeffs’ outlook is informed by their own experiences. They remember the early days of Realbase, when they had no mentors and little guidance. They built their company through trial and error, learning hard lessons along the way. Now, they want to establish that the next generation of Australian founders does not have to go it alone.
Beyond the Table: A Platform for Influence
The Greeffs’ ambitions for Founders Table extend far beyond intimate dinners. They are building what they call a “meaning-rich portfolio,” a collection of activities designed to maximize purpose, impact, and fulfillment. This includes selective investments in promising startups, content creation through podcasts and books, and philanthropic projects like Frank’s cookbook “Eat with Purpose,” which aims to raise $1 million for the Children’s Cancer Institute.
However, the real power of the Founders Table lies in its potential to shape the conversation about what success means in Australia. The Greeffs actively challenge the prevailing narrative that equates achievement with greed or arrogance. Instead, they want to celebrate ambition, resilience, and generosity.
“We are very bullish on the entrepreneurial landscape of Australia, but it’s far too frequent that incredible founders reach their potential and move to the U.S. to keep growing. We want to change that,” Frank says. Their vision is to make Australia not just a place where great companies are built, but where great founders choose to stay and give back.
Planning for 2030: The Roadmap to Influence
So, how do the Greeffs plan to make Founders Table the most influential business voice in Australia by 2030? The Greeffs are considering new formats for gatherings, including retreats, workshops, and digital forums, to reach more founders while maintaining the intimacy that sets Founders Table apart. By backing startups within the network, they aim to create a virtuous cycle of mentorship, investment, and shared success.
The ultimate goal is to redefine how Australians view business success. Founders Table hopes to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs by celebrating those who dare to dream big and supporting them when they stumble.
A Table Set for the Future
The story of Founders Table is still being written. The Greeffs have already achieved what many would consider the pinnacle of business success, but they are not content to rest on their laurels. Instead, they are using their platform to build something larger than themselves, a community, a movement, and perhaps, by 2030, the most influential business voice in the country.
The salmon may be eaten, the wine glasses emptied, but the conversation at Founders Table is just getting started. And if the Greeffs have their way, it will echo far beyond the dining room for years.