Etiquette School Was A Smashing Success!
Team Slow
Will, Jack, and Sam celebrating with vodka shots and caviar bumps to toast the first graduates of Slow’s Etiquette Finishing School.
Context:
On Wednesday, 50 guests joined us for our first-ever Etiquette Finishing School at the Four Seasons in Downtown San Francisco. We had panelists and attendees fly in from Washington DC, Toronto, and Hong Kong—not just to taste $10K European caviar, but to learn the soft skills required to stand out in today’s hyper-competitive fundraising and tech landscape.
Market Signal:
Tech isn’t a cute “geeky” side hobby anymore. It’s coming for everyone’s jobs—and founders need to start behaving more appropriately. The era of strolling into every room in a hoodie just because you’re the only technical person there is over. Today, you need real customer empathy, you need to show up properly in front of investors, and you need to rally your team around a shared vision. AI is leveling the technical playing field, and the only durable moat left might be the most old-school one of all: culture, etiquette, and actual manners.
Takeaways:
Introductions: Don’t get buried in details. Lead with something that shocks the listener into wanting more of your time.
Physical Grooming: It’s always better to overdress than underdress. If an invitation says “black tie optional,” assume it means black tie. Monochromatic color palettes are the safest way to look polished—save the creativity for textures, not chaotic color combos.
Making Good Impressions: Every founder needs three: one for investors, one for employees, and one for customers. Yes, they are all different.
Projecting Confidence: Keep your heart rate low. Let opportunity come to you instead of chasing it like a dog; have an abundance mindset. Investors are human, vibes matter as much (if not more) than your model, especially early on.
Office Decorum: Don’t preach 996 culture and then fail to model it yourself. As the founder, you are the culture.
Fine Dining: Vodka brings out a different profile in caviar, but champagne is the more classic pairing. When ordering drinks for the table, never default to rosé. And when opening a bottle of fine wine, always offer the sommelier a taste.
In the coming newsletters, we’ll have a designated 5-part series that dive deeper into each panel from our Etiquette Finishing School.
Founders were quick to add Slow Etiquette Finishing School to their LinkedIn profiles.
