Small groups.
Serious pursuits.
Podkin puts you in a small, committed group of people exploring the same thing as you — investing together, learning a new field, transitioning careers, building something, doing serious work you can't do alone. Five people. Six weeks. Real commitment.
Pick the pods that interest you.
Each pod is a small group — 4 to 6 people — meeting for six weeks around a shared pursuit. Click the ones that speak to you. We'll prioritise opening the pods with the most real interest.
Be in the first pods.
The first pods will run in the next few months. Hand-matched by me personally, limited to people who clearly want to be there. No spam — one short email when your pod opens.
You're on the list.
I'll be in touch within 24 hours — probably with a question or two. Podkin is being built by one person (hi, me), so every reply is real.
Somewhere between a book club and a startup.
Most of us want to explore something seriously — a field, a skill, an investment thesis, a life change — and most of us try to do it alone. Reading, scrolling, half-finishing courses. It doesn't stick because you're on your own.
"I've wanted to learn about climate tech for two years. I've started and abandoned three courses. I just need to do it with five other people who'll actually show up."
The small, committed group has been the best way to learn and explore for centuries — from reading circles and investment clubs to research seminars and mastermind groups. Podkin is a modern version: curated matching, fixed duration, a clean vote at the end. No feeds, no followers, no performing.
Small. Committed. Time-boxed.
Not a network. Not a course.
Not a community.
Small groups have been
the engine of serious pursuit
for a long time.
Podkin isn't a new idea — it's an old one, done properly. The small, committed peer group has been at the heart of learning, investing, and collaboration for over a century.
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1925Napoleon Hill formalises the Mastermind principle — small groups of peers helping each other succeed — after studying Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford.
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1950sThe investment club movement in the US and UK — small groups pooling diligence and capital — quietly outperforms most individual investors.
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1998Etienne Wenger publishes Communities of Practice — the foundational academic work showing that deep learning happens through small groups engaged in shared pursuit.
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2018Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering argues that fixed-duration, purpose-driven small gatherings are the antidote to modern shallow networking.
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TodayVistage, YPO, On Deck, Reforge run small-group models for executives and founders. Podkin brings the same model to everyone else — the curious, the restless, the ready.
Everything you build,
on a profile that's actually true.
Sessions are recorded with consent and AI-summarised. Your pod reviews and approves what gets published — two-sided consent, edit anything, nothing goes live unless everyone says yes. Approved summaries and uploaded artefacts become your Podkin profile, so other people exploring the same things can find you.
Effortless to participate. Impossible to fake. Verified by the four other people in the room — and how your tribe finds you for the next thing.
The things people ask.
Is this built yet?
No. I'm testing the idea first. If enough people sign up for specific pod types, I'll run the first pods manually — hand-matching people, facilitating the conversations myself — before building any product. That's the whole point of this page.
Who's behind this?
One person right now. If you sign up and reply to the email, you're literally talking to the founder. I'm building in public and I genuinely want to understand what pods people actually want.
How does the angel investing pod work legally?
Good question. The first version is diligence and discussion — no pooled capital, no syndicate. People make their own investment decisions using the group's collective input. If and when we move to pooled investing, it'll be through existing legal structures (SEIS/EIS syndicates, SPVs) with proper regulatory guidance. Only sophisticated or high-net-worth investors will be eligible.
What if I want a topic that isn't listed?
Select "Something else" and tell me what you'd join in the message field. The most-requested themes become real pods. Half the point of this page is to learn what people are actually hungry for.
What goes on my Podkin profile?
Only what you and your pod approve. Approved session summaries, uploaded artefacts (essays, projects, films, deal memos), and which pods you've been in. You control what's public, what's private, and what's deleted.
Why is everything recorded?
So nobody has to take notes, nothing gets lost, and everyone gets a verified record of what they actually did. Recordings stay private to the pod. Only AI summaries — which the whole group has reviewed and approved — get published. You always have veto power.
What's the commitment like?
One structured session per week, usually 60–90 minutes, plus some light async between. Most pods are online (London in-person pods may follow). Six weeks total. The fixed length is designed to fit around a real life.
Is this just another mastermind or networking thing?
Mechanically it shares DNA with masterminds, communities of practice, and book clubs — all of which work. What's different is the mix: curated matching, a specific pursuit, a hard end date, and a vote to continue or not. No 200-person "community." No feeds. No upsells.
Think this is for you?
One email. No commitment. If you're just curious, say so — that's useful too.