Know Your Phase: The Startup Lifecycle Masterclass with Gregory Shepard
About this Event
EVERY STARTUP HAS A SEQUENCE
A startup is not one long stage called "early."
The work changes as the company changes. The language changes. The people, capital, KPIs, relationships, and risks change with it.
When founders do the right work in the wrong phase, they create problems that compound. They take an unproven product to market. They optimize processes that have never been standardized. They pursue growth that increases revenue but decreases value.
The Startup Lifecycle was created to prevent that.
In this live masterclass, Gregory Shepard will walk through the seven phases every startup must navigate:
1. Vision and North Star
2. Prototype and Product
3. Go-to-Market
4. Standardizing for Growth
5. Optimization
6. Growth
7. Exit
The framework is based on Gregory’s experience building and selling 12 companies and five years of research that included interviews with more than 2,200 founders.
KNOW YOUR PHASE
During the masterclass, Gregory will help you answer the questions that determine what your company should do next:
• Is your North Star clearly defined?
• Have you validated the problem before building the solution?
• Is your product ready for go-to-market?
• Are product, sales, marketing, and customer success aligned?
• Have you created repeatable processes before trying to scale them?
• Is your growth increasing enterprise value or simply increasing complexity?
• Are today’s decisions building the company toward a successful exit?
You will use the framework to identify your current phase, find the unfinished work holding your company back, and define a focused priority for the next 90 days.
BRING THE REAL PROBLEM
This is a working session, not a general talk about entrepreneurship.
Bring the decision you are struggling with right now. It might involve your product, customers, team, capital, operations, growth, or exit strategy.
Gregory will close the evening with an open Q&A so you can apply the model to the company you are actually building.
ABOUT GREGORY SHEPARD
Gregory Shepard has built and sold 12 companies across biotech, transit technology, advertising technology, and marketing technology. He is the author of The Startup Lifecycle and the founder of StartupScience.io.
EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, August 30, 2026
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM PDT
Farmer & The Seahorse
10996 Torreyana Rd, Suite 240
San Diego, CA 92121
Choose Free Interest Registration to receive event updates, or purchase General Admission for $49.95. Both options remain open through August 30 at 8:00 PM PDT.
Space is limited. Come prepared to identify your phase, complete the work in front of you, and build toward the end game.
Agenda
🕑: 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Arrival & Founder Connections
Info: Check in, meet founders and operators, and get settled for the masterclass.
🕑: 06:30 PM - 07:30 PM
Know Your Phase Masterclass
Info: Gregory Shepard maps the 7-phase Startup Lifecycle and shows what to do, and what to skip, in each phase.
🕑: 07:30 PM - 08:00 PM
Live Q&A & Next Steps
Info: Bring your hardest startup question, work through it directly with Greg, and leave with a clear next move.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 49.95
