A conference for founders rarely stops at the talks. Founders Connect 5 started at 6 pm and flowed smoothly from the stage, through circle workshops, to conversations over wine late in the evening. You cannot cover an event like this from one spot by the stage.
On 1 October 2025 I photographed the fifth edition of Founders Connect at Google for Startups Campus in Warsaw. The organiser is the fund Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder, and the slogan of this edition was “Secrets of scaling: first client, first million, first exit”. This was my fourth consecutive edition of the series.
What happened
The evening had three clearly different parts, and each required a different approach.
The stage part consisted of talks and a fireside chat. The Google for Startups room has screens on the sides and a large sign on the wall, so a wide shot sets the context on its own: you can see who is speaking, about what, and where. On top of that, close-ups of speakers mid-gesture, because these shots work best afterwards in announcements for the next talks.
The workshop part looked completely different. Chairs rearranged into circles, participants drawing topics from slips of paper in a glass bowl, screens counting down the round’s time. A workshop report is about details and conversations, not the stage.
At the end, networking: conversations under the campus neon signs, at the long table and in the booths with shelving. The evening light does work here that cannot be replicated at midday.
What I pay attention to at a networking conference
Branding is part of the material. The signage on the campus walls, the “Meet more makers” neon sign, the organiser’s and partner’s logos on screen – these are the shots the organiser later uses to open invitations to the next edition.
I photograph conversations from a distance. Networking is the heart of this event, but no one talks freely with a lens close to their face. I choose shots where people look good and natural.
Situational humour stays in the selection. A participant hugging a Google for Startups cushion says more about the atmosphere than any description in the report.
Outcome
The client received publication-ready material from the whole evening: the stage, the workshops, networking and partner branding. This was the fourth edition of the series I have photographed for Tar Heel Capital Pathfinder (editions 2-5).
