Mentorship is at the heart of Startup House, and it’s much more than the occasional video call check-in. They’ll be in the room with you, shoulder-to-shoulder, as you build. Whether you’re refining a prototype, rethinking user flows, or running your pitch one more time before demo day, they’re right there beside you.
This proximity is what makes Startup House different. It’s not just the access — it’s the alignment. All mentors are seasoned Web3 operators who’ve shipped products, closed funding rounds, and scaled real usage. They know what it takes to go from concept to tangible product and company.
And in Cannes, they’re here to help you do the same.
Why mentors matter at Startup House
Building in Web3 comes with its own set of unknowns — evolving standards, fragmented tooling, regulatory ambiguity, and communities that move fast. That’s why Startup House mentors are essential to help you navigate common challenges in Web3.
Our mentors have shipped through bear markets, launched in beta environments, and raised from crypto-native investors. They’ve brought users into on-chain ecosystems, and can help your protocol get the same traction.
Whether you're iterating toward PMF, designing a token model, or deciding how to launch, mentors are here to challenge your thinking and sharpen your decisions. You’ll be able to lean on them, quite literally, every step of the way.
Meet the Startup House mentors
Here are just a few of the seasoned Web3 operators joining us in Cannes to guide founders through the trenches of early-stage building:
Gnana Lakshmi (Starknet Foundation)
A longtime builder and educator in Web3, Gnana contributes to the ecosystem team at Starknet Foundation while working with early stage Starknet products. She’s also the co-founder of The Phoenix Guild and a technical advisor to several blockchain education initiatives. With deep experience in community building, smart contract education, and ecosystem growth, she will be a powerful resource at Startup House for founders looking to scale both product and reach.
Robert Kodra (Starknet Foundation)
Robert is a Developer Advocate at Starknet Foundation and blockchain developer with extensive knowledge in Cairo programming. He’s also passionate about developing games on-chain and contributing to open-source projects. Founders at the Startup House can count on him for hands-on help with technical debugging, ecosystem fit, and protocol design thinking.
Dylan Kugler (Starknet Foundation)
As Ecosystem Lead at Starknet Foundation, Dylan supports builders across the stack, from early-stage to growth-stage teams. With prior experience in venture capital and private equity, he brings a strategic lens to everything from token incentives to pitch prep. Startup House founders will find his feedback valuable for GTM strategy, fundraising strategy, and product growth.
Llewellyn Morkel (Nethermind)
Llewellyn is a serial entrepreneur, systems architect, and the founder of Fraxeum, a digital asset management platform running on its own blockchain. Now at Nethermind, he supports teams with protocol design, architecture review, and scaling strategy. As a Startup House mentor, Llewellyn will challenge your assumptions and sharpen your roadmaps.
Ren (ex-Upbit)
Ren has operated at the intersection of product, exchange infrastructure, and user growth, most recently with Upbit, one of Asia’s largest crypto exchanges. With a sharp eye for market dynamics and regulatory nuance, he will help Startup House founders think through launch strategy, liquidity, and the nuances of exchange integrations.Thomas Crow (Fabric Ventures)
Thomas is a venture capitalist at London-based Fabric Ventures, where he focuses on Seed and Series A investments in the Web3 and crypto space. He brings a strong background in financial analysis and early-stage tech to Startup House, with prior experience at firms such as MOV37, Protege Partners, and Aeris Capital AG.
Ready to build with us?
Startup House is a unique, holistic residency and launchpad powered by mentorship, momentum, and a serious builder community. If you’re a Web3 founder ready to move fast, get sharp feedback, and scale something real, there’s still time to apply for the Cannes cohort.
Not quite there yet? No problem. Check out other Starknet programs designed to support builders at every stage:
- Developer Basecamp 13 – Level up your Starknet skills.
- Founder Basecamp – Early-stage startup validation, on-chain.
- Hackathon – Ship your next idea with the ecosystem behind you.
Wherever you are in the journey, we’re here to back you.
Apply to Startup House.
See you in Cannes!
