About Whetstone Network

Who we are

Matt and John met in college at the University of Oregon, then spent five years together at the same internal incubator in Eugene before going their separate ways.

During that time apart, we honed our skills working in startups and other incubators, but we always wanted to come back to work together on our own ideas.

In 2026, we did. We formed 2nd Foundry, our own internal incubator for the products we wanted to bet on. So far, that's Labsistant, an inventory system for labs; mAIn Character Enterprises, our experimental space for products where humans and agents interact; and a handful of smaller tests that never made it past alpha.

Why we built it

Even with that experience, we still hit gaps. We had to make decisions in domains we'd influenced but never owned ourselves. AI helped us mitigate, but we couldn't always confidently identify when it was wrong.

So we leaned on our network: peers, coworkers, and mentors who had already made the call we were about to make. They gave us feedback, validation, and the harsh truths we needed to hear to make decisions with intent and reasoning we could stand behind.

We came out of that convinced other founders deserve the same. Not everyone has a network like ours, and AI alone isn't enough; AI is smart, but humans are wise. Whetstone Network is for the moments when you need a pulse check, a gut check, or just a challenge to your idea before you commit real time, money, and energy.

What it is

Whetstone Network is a single 1-on-1 video session with a human expert who has already made the call you're about to make. You bring the plan; the expert pressure-tests it, surfaces what you missed, and tells you straight. You walk out knowing whether to ship, refine, or rethink.

What it isn't

Not a coach. Not a cohort. Not a retainer. No one will pitch you their consulting agency. It is a single, self-contained interaction designed to get you the read you need, then step out of your way.