Is it possible to send out a note about these things a week or two in advance of the meetup? Each time I find myself wanting to go but being kind of busy but with more advance notice I would be able to make time. It likely does not matter at this point for me- I am in Paris at the moment and I am moving to the west coast in September :-/ ...but maybe this will help other people that would like to attend.
- There are currently no presentations. There have been discussions about adding them in the future (right Dave?).
- Everyone is very social. There are usually circles of conversations going and people bounce around between them. I have never encountered anyone unfriendly. I usually meet 10-20 people and have worthwhile conversations with 4-8.
- At its core its a networking event. From it, I have personally made new friends that I collaborate with and hang out with on a pretty regular basis now. I have also started a project with a guy I met there. It really depends what you want to take away from it.
Is there something specific you are looking for, or types of people you want to meet? There is a pretty solid group of regulars that could help point you in the right direction. Its definitely worth checking out...
That's right Adam. I think we can set something up for "lightning" presentations for next month, if we can get determine the right space here in the city.
I'll echo everything you said above: this is our fourth meetup under the name and I've been impressed each time with the turnout (we started small at 20 or so people and last month we had about 70 people show up over the course of two hours, which ended going into three of four if I remember correctly). The types of people you'll meet - other hackers, founders and those who are thinking about startups in general - is quite different from any other tech meetup here in NYC, from NY Tech, to Digital DUMBO, etc.
At it's core, we're about connecting with other hackers and founders who are passionate about startups (and the industry around it) while leveraging each other with ideas, help and support.
If you're interested in learning more, don't hesitate to reach out: daveambrose at googlemail dot com.
I'd like to go (central Jersey is kind of dead as far as startups go), but it's quite a commute for after work on a Thursday evening. Any chance of doing these on Fridays or Saturdays in the future? You might get people from the region that you normally wouldn't get on a weekday.
