City Leads
Open a chapter in a city you know.
150+ events across Istanbul, Tbilisi, Yerevan, Dubai, Belgrade, Bali, Valencia. We open new chapters with founders and operators who already have a network in their city.
Apply to leadWhat we are
An international community for founders already building across borders. 150+ events in 6 countries. Meetups, curated pitch sessions, small-room dinners — run by operators, not agencies. Not a school, not an accelerator, not a newsletter. A network of people in the same rooms, over years.
- 150+ events
- 6,000+ participants
- 5+ cities
- 100+ startups pitched
- 15+ pitch sessions
What you do
A City Lead is a co-founder of their chapter. You pick the format, the room, the people. Unicorn Embassy gives you the brand, the playbook, and the network. Execution is yours — and so is the reputation.
- 01
Run regular events in your city — meetups, pitch sessions, founder dinners. Format is yours to pick, 1–2 per month baseline.
- 02
Build a local Telegram chat of founders, operators, investors who are actually in town.
- 03
Bring speakers and investors into the room — warm intros from the global network help.
- 04
Connect founders across cities — when someone from Tbilisi lands in Barcelona, you make the match.
- 05
Capture the evidence — photos, quotes, moments — so the chapter compounds visibility over time.
- 06
Curate who's in the room — founders with traction, investors ready to deploy, operators who've built. The bar lives in the brand; you enforce it locally.
What you get
You're building your own thing inside a global brand. That means real leverage, not volunteer hours. Six concrete assets you don't have solo:
Global brand and trust
When you email a speaker or a venue, you're not a stranger. You're Unicorn Embassy — Barcelona. Door opens differently.
Global media and channels
Your events land in the UE Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, newsletter. Reach your local chat never had from scratch.
Cross-city audience
When a Tbilisi founder lands in Barcelona for a week, they see your event in the UE chat and show up.
Access to the global network
Need a fintech speaker in Bangkok? Ask the City Leads chat. Need an intro to a Series-A investor? Global helps on fit.
Formats and templates
Figma brand kit, event playbooks, speaker outreach templates, Luma templates. You don't rebuild the wheel — you ship.
Future sponsor layer
A shared sponsor stack is in development. When it lands, part flows to local chapters. Revenue share via PAD for chapters who bring clients.
Who we're looking for
Founders, ex-founders, or senior operators. You've already shipped something, hired someone, raised or missed a round, shut something down. You know what a deck is and what a bad one looks like. You have a micro-network in your city already — 20–30 people in tech and startups you can invite personally.
You read a room. You can tell a real founder from a LinkedIn one, a strong speaker from a weak one, a curated group from an open mic. Long horizon: the first three to six months cost energy and return status — money compounds later.
How this works
Apply
Short form: your name, city, background, what you've built, why UE. 6–8 questions. Ten minutes.
Call with Yan
Thirty minutes. Real conversation about fit, your city, what you want to build. No test assignments.
Onboarding
You get closed docs, access to tools and chats, a buddy City Lead, global-side support on your first event.
First event within 30 days
Small, honest, on-brand. Not perfect — real.
Chapters already running
Chapters in revive: Dubai, Belgrade, Bali.
Voices
Started Tbilisi chapter when UE was two cities. Now I run it plus help run Global — and I've met more of my professional circle through UE than through any company I've been at.
Aleksandr Kochnev
City Lead Tbilisi · Operating Partner UE
FAQ
Is this a paid position?
No base pay. Revenue share on local sponsorships and on PAD clients you bring. The compounding asset is reputation and network, not monthly salary.
How much time does it take?
Honestly: 10–15 hours a month minimum in the first three months. Drops to 5–10 after rhythm sets in.
What if I'm not a tech founder?
Welcome — if you have taste, a real network, and long-horizon patience. Ex-operators and senior non-tech builders run strong chapters.
What support do I get?
City Leads group chat, quarterly sync, ad-hoc founder support from Yan. You're not alone.
Can I monetise this?
Yes. Local sponsorships stay with the chapter. Revenue share on any paid distribution you bring. Details in the call.
Your city isn't on the list yet. It could be. Apply to lead it.
Apply to leadApply to lead a city
Fill out the form below. It takes about ten minutes. If it's a fit, Yan will be in touch within a week.