RICHMOND, VA, June 03, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Growth Dinners, the invitation-only dinner series designed to bring high-growth founders and operators together to break bread, today announced Lighthouse Network as its first official Community Partner — the launch of a program that will expand access to curated founder dinners across Richmond and into new markets. Lighthouse Network is a founder-first organization that has supported more than 78 founders and helped facilitate over $111 million in capital raised across the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Community Partner program is designed to grow over time, with each partner organization bringing its own network and credibility to help Growth Dinners reach founders who need peer support. Lighthouse Network is the first. The two organizations will co-present an upcoming dinner in Richmond, bringing together pre-vetted founders in a small-table format built for depth.

"The conversations that actually move the needle today don't happen at conferences or networking happy hours. They happen at small tables, with people who've been there or growing through it. Partnering with Lighthouse Network lets us put those tables in front of the founders who need them most." — Vernon T. Foster II, CEO & Founder, Growth Dinners

Growth Dinners limits each dinner to twelve carefully vetted founders and operators. Eligibility criteria include $1M in annual revenue, a $2M+ raise, or a $5M–$10M prior exit. Founders arrive with a real problem on their mind and leave with peer wisdom, warm introductions, and in many cases, the breakthrough that couldn't be solved alone.

Every guest is reviewed for fit before an invitation is extended. The result is a room where every attendee brings something to the table and leaves with something they couldn't have found anywhere else. The Growth Dinners model is best described as a peer-to-peer membership community. Founders interested in requesting a seat at an upcoming dinner can learn more at growthdinners.com.

Lighthouse Network brings a complementary and credentialed foundation to the partnership. Known for its human-centered approach to founder support — combining capital access, leadership development, and deep peer community — Lighthouse has connected more than 500 founders with the answers and relationships needed to build and scale. Its network includes partnerships with CarMax, Capital One, Williams Mullen, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, and Atlantic Union Bank, among others.

About Growth Dinners

Growth Dinners is an invitation-only IRL community for founders and operators generating $1M in annual revenue. Based in Richmond, VA and expanding to markets across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond, each dinner is limited to twelve founders, curated for fit, and built around solving the real problems that keep founders up at night. Founders seeking ongoing peer support can apply to Roundtable Mastermind — a curated small core group that meets monthly. Learn more at growthdinners.com.

About Lighthouse Network

Lighthouse Network is a founder-first organization that exists to invest in the lives of entrepreneurs. Serving early-stage founders from Pre-Seed to Series A, Lighthouse combines capital access, tactical business support, and deep leadership development through its 11-week accelerator, Founder Fellowship, and Founders Summit. In 2025, Lighthouse supported 78 founders, helped facilitate over $111 million in capital raised, and created 247 jobs across its network. Learn more at lighthousenetwork.co.

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