In this brief you’ll find:
NYC Dinner for Y Combinator Alumni | June 2, NYC
A small, off-the-record dinner for YC founders in the X26 network. Expect candid conversation, no agenda, and good company.
Status: Registration open
YC Application Support Workshop | June 5, Online
Join Reece Griffiths and the X26 team for a live support session designed for founders working on their YC application. As YC alumni and ex-McKinsey operators, they've been through the process, and know what it actually takes to stand out.
Status: Registration open
London Founder Dinner with Reece Griffiths | June 10, London
We’re hosting a small X26 dinner for a handful of established xMcKinsey founders in London.
The format is intentionally small: a relaxed dinner with founders actively building, designed for thoughtful conversation and meaningful connections.
Status: Registration open
AI Mini-Con and Hackathon by Rishni Ratnam | June 10, Sydney
Three hours, three things happening at once: an AI tools walkthrough, a talks and discussion session covering where the technology is actually heading, and a hackathon with a surprise theme. Move between streams or plant yourself in one — up to you. Light catering, and all profits go to Sophie's Legacy, an Australian charity supporting mental health in the veterinary profession.
Status: Registration open
Montreal Founder Dinner with Ghislain | June 11, Montreal
X26 is hosting a small, invitation-only dinner for a select group of founders in Montreal hosted by Ghislain Gagné, CEO & Co-Founder of StratosX and former Canada lead for McKinsey's QuantumBlack.
Status: Registration open
Madrid Founder Dinner with Alberto | June 11, Madrid
X26 is hosting a small, invitation-only dinner for a select group of founders in Madrid by Alberto Gascón, co-founder and CTO of Friday Systems, an AI and robotics company automating logistics at the edge of what's technically possible.
Status: Registration open
London VC Dinner with Ed Bramwell & Andrea Guariglia | June 16, London
A private dinner for a curated group of venture investors. Hosted by Ed Bramwell, co-founder of X26 and founder of Quetzal Finance, ex-McKinsey and Andrea Guariglia, investor at Dawn Capital, 2x founder, and ex-McKinsey.
Status: Registration open
Founder Retreat | August 9-13, Schliersee, Germany
Our four-day retreat is designed for a carefully selected group of founders. It works beneath the surface – a profound update of the inner operating system that drives everything else. Led by Alexander Volz (xMcKinsey, founder coach) and Dr. Jens Riese (former Senior Partner McKinsey, therapist).
Status: Learn More
Introducing X26 Office Hours !
One of the most requested things in X26 is time with founders who've been there.
A handful of experienced founders are opening up 30-minute slots for one-on-one conversations with aspiring xMcKinsey founders. Submit a request to speak with any experienced founder below.
Thomas Essl · xMcKinsey (QuantumBlack) · Founder, Mustard Navy ·
Product design and innovation studio founder with a track record of taking founders and product teams from problem framing to shipped MVP. Built Mustard Navy in 2024 after heading design at QuantumBlack/McKinsey, working across HealthTech, sustainability, and B2B SaaS on discovery sprints, vision prototypes, and zero-to-MVP builds.
Talk to Thomas about: shaping a product story before there's a product, turning research into something investable, designing AI features that work beyond the demo, building and operationalising effective product teams in the AI era
Nic Rawhani · xMcKinsey · Co-founder & CEO, Vula ·
Building an AI-powered investment banker for African companies. South African software engineer and McKinsey alum (Business Analyst → Senior Associate) tackling Africa's $330B+ SME funding gap. Entrepreneur First alumni. Vula automates the fundraising process across grants, debt, and equity — now serving 10,000+ unique monthly visitors. BSc in Electrical & Information Engineering from Wits, Imperial College London. Previously a TV presenter on South Africa's YoTV and co-produced the science show Blast.
Talk to Nic about: fintech for emerging markets, AI-powered fundraising tools, building for Africa, frontier market dynamics, Entrepreneur First experience
Alberto Gascon · xMcKinsey · Co-founder & CTO, Friday Systems ·
AI and robotics founder working on automation in logistics — applying industrial robots to tasks that weren't automatable before deep learning. Technical leader with hands-on expertise in ML research and applied robotics.
Talk to Alberto about: ML approaches and techniques, deep learning and transformers, robotics and the intersection with AI
If you're a founder willing to share what you've learned with xMcKinsey entrepreneurs earlier in their journey, we'd love to have you. Any commitment is welcome.
Ex-McKinsey Founder’s Database
Ex-McKinsey Investor’s Database
Thanks for being a part of this amazing community. We’re excited for everything that’s to come.
Love,
The X26 team.