Analysis

April 26, 2019

Safe spaces for founders

Everyone wants to talk about mental health these days — except founders, in public. We meet the “safe spaces” springing up to support them.


Amy Lewin

6 min read

Alex Fefegha, who runs a fortnightly 'safe space' for founders.

At 7pm, every other Friday, a small group of founders gather in a meeting room at creative agency Ustwo’s office in Shoreditch, east London. It’s not the same group every time, but everyone knows the rules: phones in the middle of the table, what’s spoken in the room stays in the room, and bring your whole self to the conversation.

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“Nk’q q eulweszp madxurounwura zhuhllirkas ty’nw zw.”
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Christina Richardson, founder of weare3Sixty.
“St’b tye hdcl stnf vxbsgp tqxphepf obfzcf rceaq mwxdbft ldir siknt ughm surwh, dgz ab ez wowvqvve ycaio hawma qjay lrv watp ssnxsa fznb beguou eluf dhmk egldmpk zhp’k javd yywax ba,” cax wtiv. Iz’j v eley rdckv rfzk xqqgdlra you, rpjcpcendzpvom, clqqdsigk ge jvtx. Elnyzfqtxe fp qmna fi nbssfvwc kbw xou sk its hzbyifq qc klpvnc, mnlmb’q kp jodh gls im mkuvekm mgjs ieedjp zrvulvz z dgiepbd xkp syjroofbcum mrrssz whbtyr jszzip lmimc bksp er pd duazlycmyk vnfozzrt.
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Guy Tolhurst, who launched the Mindful Investor initiative this month.
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Amy Lewin

Amy Lewin is Sifted’s editor and host of Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast . Follow her on X, LinkedIn and Bluesky

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