Our community includes builders from
Why we exist
The room where things actually happen wasn't accessible to most people.
In the last few years, startup culture went mainstream. Every city has a coworking space. Every industry has a Slack group. But the rooms where real things happen — where you meet your co-founder, where someone makes an introduction that changes everything, where you finally admit what's actually broken with your product — those rooms were still only for the well-connected few.
Most networking events felt like LinkedIn in real life: polished, performative, and completely forgettable. There were plenty of places to broadcast your startup. Very few places to just be honest about building one.
0+
Builders
0+
Cities
0+
Events hosted
So we built the room we always needed.
Sip & Scale isn't a conference or a pitch competition. It's a dinner — intentionally small, carefully curated, and built to feel like the one you'd throw yourself if you had the guest list figured out. No panels, no sponsored talks, no name-tag energy. Just people who are actually building things, in the same room, with enough time to have a real conversation.
We run dinners for 20–25 people and mixers for larger crowds — always with the same goal: fewer surfaces, more depth. Because the best connections rarely happen on a stage.
Built for real connection
We create genuine spaces where real relationships can form — from co-founders to lifelong friends. From dinners to mixers, it's all about authentic connection.
Come as you are
Our events are built for founders at every stage, so you'll always feel included. No cliques, no pressure to have it figured out — just honest conversations and great people.
A group chat come to life
We're building the community we always needed — real, local, and full of people who get what you're building. Think of us as your IRL group chat.
Our story
Through
the years
From a single dinner table to a community across 35+ cities — here's how Sip & Scale grew.
2024
A humble beginning
It started with one dinner.
No sponsors, no agenda — just a table of founders who were tired of polished networking and wanted to actually talk. Sip & Scale was born that night.
2025
The first big steps
We went global.
What began in one city spilled across borders — Singapore, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi. Same idea, new rooms: founders meeting the people who actually get what they're building.
2026
A community at scale
35+ cities, one group chat IRL.
From Toronto to Manila to NYC, Sip & Scale became the room founders show up to — built for real connection, come as you are, no founder building alone.
Our story
Two college students in Manila couldn't find the room they were looking for — so they built it.
In June 2024, Leonard and Sharan were showing up to the same polished networking events in BGC and leaving with nothing but a handful of business cards they'd never look at again. So they stopped going and started hosting. The first Sip & Scale was eight people around a table — no agenda, no speakers, no name tags. Just builders who wanted to be around other builders. It clicked immediately.
Within weeks, people were asking when the next one was. Within months, other cities were asking when they were getting one. The format traveled because it was human — small enough that everyone in the room actually talked to each other, curated enough that everyone in the room was worth talking to.
Two years and 35+ cities later, we're still running the same format we started with. The dinner is still small. The conversations are still off the record. The only thing that's changed is the zip code.
Get involved
There's a seat at the table for you.
Whether you want to attend, lead a chapter in your city, or partner with us — here's how to find your place in the Sip & Scale community.
Attend
Whether you've been with us from day one or you just heard about us yesterday, you're welcome. Apply through our Instagram or your city's Luma page — spots fill fast.
See upcoming eventsLead a chapter
Most new cities get started because one person raised their hand. If your city doesn't have a chapter yet — or you want to help run one that does — we want to hear from you.
Apply to leadPartner with us
As a sponsor or strategic partner, you put your brand in front of hundreds of founders and builders — at dinners, mixers, and across our channels. Reach out and we'll find something that works.
Get in touch