Q. How is the club structured?

A: We do quarterly workshops, each of which includes the following: a discussion based on a topic chosen by you and your peers led by expert guest speakers, plenty of time for networking, and a deep dive into your quarterly finances with guidance from our financial experts.

We also have quarterly breakfast sessions with the previous workshop’s guest speaker. This gives the barracudas the opportunity to ask follow-up questions and discuss the topic in more depth with their fellow founders. We usually invite any of our barracudas’ staff members whose roles are related to the topic to come along as well.

Our quarterly dinners are our way of getting to know each other in a more casual environment with no speakers or guided discussion, just genuine connections with others facing similar challenges as a founder.

In addition to those meetups, we keep in touch though our online community. We’ll also put our founders in touch with the appropriate expert from our panel if they’d like some one-to-one mentoring in a particular subject area.

Q: How does the selection process work?

A: After you apply, we’ll review your application and contact you to let you know whether or not we would like to move forward with an interview. There are several variables that determine whether or not you are accepted into the club, sometimes it’s simply the matter of having enough spaces available for your particular stage of growth, other times it may be because you are too early in your startup journey and need a little more traction before you can fully benefit from everything the club has to offer.

Q: Are there different groups or are all the founders in the same group for the sessions?

A: We have three different groups of barracudas depending on the stage of business growth: early-stage founders are Yellowtails, mid-stage founders are Blackfins, and founders of larger businesses are called Sawtooths. For all of the breakfast sessions, dinners and during the first half of the workshops the groups stay together. We have found it to be very helpful, especially during discussions, for earlier-stage founders to learn from later-stage founders. When we do the financial analysis section at the end of every workshop, we split the founders up into their separate groups.

Q: How often are the sessions?

A: We meet up every month. Every quarter there is one workshop, one breakfast session, and one dinner event.

Q: Where do the sessions take place?

A: The workshops and breakfast sessions for our London chapter take place at IDEALondon and for the dinners, we like to try out a variety of fun restaurants, usually based in east London.

The workshops and breakfast sessions for our Barcelona chapter are held at CoBuilder Hub and for the dinners, we also like to change it up and try different restaurants around the city.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: Membership is £49 or 49€ (for London and Barcelona respectively) OR £490 or 490€ if you pay upfront for a full year’s membership (12 months for the price of 10).

Q: Do I have to pay monthly or annually?

A: You can choose. Either you pay £49 or 49€ every month OR £490 or 490€ if you pay upfront for a full year’s membership (12 months for the price of 10).

Q: Which payment methods are available?

A: You can pay by debit/credit card directly on our website.

Q: When do I make the payment?

A: After you are accepted into the club, we’ll send you a link to register and sign up for your subscription. Unless you opt to pay for the full year upfront, your payment will be automatically deducted every month.

Q: What if I decide to leave the club? Do I have to give notice in advance?

A: You may leave the club at any time. Please let us know before your next payment is due so that your card will not be charged. If you paid upfront for a one-year membership, please contact us about a pro-rated refund.

Q: Do I have to attend to all of the events?

A: While we encourage you to attend all of the events, it’s not a requirement. We understand that as a founder of a startup company, things can sometimes get hectic, sometimes you have to travel, or you just can’t get away from the office in time to make it. There are still many benefits of being part of the network even if you can’t attend every event.

Q: I had an interview, but I haven’t received an answer, what should I do?

A: How long ago was your interview? We make it a priority to get back to everyone we interview within one week. If it has been more than one week please contact us at [email protected] to let us know.

Q: Can I recommend the club to my network?

A: Yes, please do! If you are already part of Smiling Barracuda, we’ll offer you one month free for every referral that is accepted into the club (plus one month free for the founder you refer).

Q: If I don’t pass the selection process, can I apply again in the future?

A: Absolutely, please feel free to apply again. Also keep in mind that we keep everyone’s application on file, so we’ll get in touch about any new opportunities to join us.