Big news

Welcoming embarc into the OPUS ecosystem

September 10, 2025

At OPUS, our mission has always been clear:

To back the most ambitious early-stage founders to go further, faster, together.

Over the past few years, we’ve built a global community for founders actively scaling their ventures from MVP to Series A and beyond. But we’ve also seen something else: There’s a huge wave of smart, ambitious people right at the beginning of their journey.

People who haven’t raised, haven’t quit, maybe haven’t even said their idea out loud yet. But they’re already thinking like founders.

They just need a place to start.

That’s why we’re welcoming embarc into the OPUS ecosystem.

What is embarc?

Founded in 2022 with backing from Notion Capital, embarc is a community built to inspire and support future founders, especially those navigating the early, uncertain stages of entrepreneurship.

“We founded embarc to build the space we wished we’d had when stepping off the traditional path — a home for the visionaries and entrepreneurs of tomorrow,” said Daniel Jones, Co-founder at embarc.

Whether they’re exploring an idea, launching a side project, or trying to figure out what comes next, embarc is the space where they can build confidence, meet collaborators, and take real steps forward.

Through open events, peer learning, and powerful community energy, embarc has become a trusted launchpad for people exploring what it means to build something of their own.

"I'm very excited embarc is joining the OPUS family, bringing huge firepower to the mission I started a couple of years ago – to bring together exceptional future founders via incredible events,” said Arya Tandon, Co-founder at embarc.

Why now?

In June 2025, OPUS raised a $2 million seed round to deepen our impact and expand our reach. Part of that vision was to create a more complete journey for early-stage founders.

“embarc’s founder-first DNA and deep commitment to helping talented people get into entrepreneurship by building authentic networks perfectly aligns with our mission,” said Ken Donald, Managing Director at OPUS. “Together, we can scale our impact for founders significantly.”

Welcoming embarc into the fold helps us support a broader spectrum of entrepreneurial talent, from those still finding their footing to those ready to scale with intent.

“When Arya, Daniel and Matt launched embarc, it was one of the easiest investment decisions we made,” said Chris Tottman, Founding GP at Notion Capital, who backed embarc early. “Joining forces with OPUS is a natural next step to unlock more value for the community we serve.”

What’s next?

Together, OPUS and embarc will continue to champion early-stage founders, from first-time builders to fast-growing startups, by expanding access to:

Events
Educational programming
Founder-first content
Real-world support

We’re also launching a dedicated media division, designed to inspire and inform the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Coming soon:

The No Cap Podcast
SYCM (our weekly newsletter)
A mini-mic founder series sharing stories from the streets
A major flagship event experience

“Alongside relationships, self-belief is a critical component in the initial stages of starting a business,” said Sam Tidswell-Norrish, Founder & Chair of OPUS. “Our media activities are a vehicle for us to help inspire, encourage and educate the new era of founders.”

Let’s build the new era of founders, together

With embarc now part of our wider ecosystem, we’re better equipped than ever to support early-stage entrepreneurship, from first steps to full scale.

Whether you’re building, thinking about building, or backing those who are, you’re in the right place.