Why 750+ Australian Business Leaders Are Waitlisted For The Invitation-Only Founders Table Experience

Scoop

21 hours ago

The lamb is perfectly cooked, pink in the center with a hint of rosemary. Frank Greeff moves around the long table with the confidence of someone who once earned his living in the kitchen of Sydney's prestigious Bathers' Pavilion restaurant. But tonight, he is not cooking for paying customers. He is serving twelve of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs, the collective net worth at this table easily exceeds a billion dollars, but not one of them had to pay a cent to be here.
As Greeff sets down the final plate, the conversation never breaks. A fintech founder is conversing with a healthcare CEO about the challenges of managing a rapidly growing team. Across the table, two e-commerce veterans compare notes on expansion strategies into Southeast Asia. No one exchanges business cards, makes pitches, or hangs sponsors' banners on the wall; instead, the group enjoys genuine camaraderie among people who understand exactly what it means to build something substantial from nothing.
This is the Founders Table, perhaps Australia's most exclusive dinner club. And outside this room, 240 other successful entrepreneurs await their invitation.
The Non-Club Club
The idea is simple: bring together Australia's top entrepreneurs – those with $10 million+ in annual revenue – for small, informal gatherings. These meetings focus on building real connections, free from typical business pressures.
"We're creating a network and connecting with founders in Australia. The Founders Table is not a paid membership, so founders are invited on merit of business revenue and size rather than paying to be part of the group," explains Jacques Greeff. He co-founded Founders Table with his brother Frank in early 2025 following their $180 million exit from real estate marketing technology company Realbase.
There is a philosophical clarity to the operation that makes more established networking organizations seem almost comically overcomplicated by comparison. There are no membership fees, sponsors, speakers selling books, or corporate partners selling services. It is just founders talking to founders.
The Antidote to Tall Poppy Syndrome
At its core, Founders Table is attempting to solve a distinctly Australian cultural problem. The country is often characterized by "tall poppy syndrome,' or the tendency to criticize successful or prominent people. Building an ecosystem that celebrates entrepreneurial achievement requires creating safe spaces where people can share their success stories.
"In five years from today, we want Founders Table to be the loudest and most influential voice in business within Australia," the Greeff brothers mention.
"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," says Jacques."We want to change the landscape in Australia, drown out the tall poppy syndrome and make Australia one of the best places to start, grow and flourish as a founder."
What Happens at the Table
The gatherings themselves follow a carefully orchestrated rhythm. Each begins with welcome drinks, where founders who may have known each other only by reputation finally meet face-to-face. Drawing on his culinary background, Frank often prepares the meals himself, a personal touch that sets a different tone than typical networking events.
Between courses, founders rotate seats, guaranteeing everyone connects with multiple peers throughout the evening. Conversations are guided by thoughtful prompts about business challenges, but frequently veer into personal territory. The organizers deliberately construct the environment to foster vulnerability, a rare commodity among high achievers who are used to projecting strength.
"We create an environment for founders to get together without an agenda or sales pitch," explains Frank."The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, unlike clubs which are paid memberships or sponsored by corporate entities."
It is in these moments of unguarded conversation that the actual value emerges. CEOs who usually carefully guard their business challenges suddenly find themselves admitting struggles with scaling operations or managing investor expectations. The collective wisdom of peers who have faced similar obstacles helps founders navigate problems that once seemed insurmountable in isolation.
Beyond Dinners
While the gatherings form the core of Founders Table's offering, the organization rapidly evolves into something more substantial. The Greeff brothers have begun making strategic investments in promising companies within their network, including Relume, a startup that powers its site builder with AI and that some observers believe could become "Australia's next Canva."
During in-person gatherings, members connect through a private digital platform to exchange advice, resources, and opportunities. The community has begun to function as an informal talent network where founders can find experienced executives who understand the unique challenges of high-growth companies.
The Waiting List
The explosive growth of Founders Table's waiting list, now at 750+ entrepreneurs and growing, speaks to its appeal and the gap it's filling in Australia's business ecosystem. What is striking is how many waitlisted founders already belong to other established business organizations, yet still desire access to Australia's most exclusive dinner club.
The selection process remains opaque, though revenue is the primary criterion. The Greeffs personally vet each potential member, looking beyond financial metrics to assess cultural fit. They are building not just an impressive roster of members but a carefully balanced ecosystem where each participant adds unique value to the table.
A Future of Possibilities
For the Greeff brothers, Founders Table represents the first phase of a more ambitious vision for transforming Australia's entrepreneurial terrain. Though they remain tight-lipped about specifics, they have hinted at plans to develop services and resources specifically for founders.
It is clear that the brothers are playing a longer game than simply hosting dinners. They are methodically constructing an ecosystem to keep Australia's best entrepreneurial talent building businesses at home rather than decamping to Silicon Valley or New York.
Back at the dinner table, as the evening winds down, founders exchange phone numbers and plan to meet again outside the formal gatherings. This organic network-building, occurring without prompting or facilitation, is precisely what the Greeffs hoped to catalyze.
Frank collects empty dessert plates while Jacques refills wine glasses. The Greeff brothers are not just hosting a dinner; they are quietly engineering a shift in Australia's business culture, one carefully curated gathering at a time.