February's Founder Newsletter

๐Ÿ“† Events, Resources & Support

โ€‹โญ๏ธ Who are we? the founder community in NYC. Donโ€™t build a startup alone.

Quick Links: 

๐Ÿก Join the community ๐Ÿ“… Attend an event  ๐Ÿ’ฐ Sponsor an issue  ๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ Appear in the newsletter   ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ Volunteer  โฐ Book a mentor

๐Ÿ‘‹ Hello Everyone,

And welcome back snow โ˜ƒ๏ธ ๐ŸงŠ - loved seeing all the snowmen pictures yesterday.

Coming up in this issueโ€ฆ.

  1. ๐Ÿค– โ˜•๏ธ Event re-caps (are you famous??)

  2. ๐ŸŒŸ Upcoming TKS Events (next coworking day Feb 27th)

  3. ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Tools & Resources - retention as a tool for growth, finding your people, getting VCโ€™s interested and FREE MONEY

  4. ๐Ÿ“† Event Calendar: 50+ across NYC

  5. ๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ Sign up for our weekly event digest email

  6. ๐Ÿ›Ÿ Marketing volunteers needed

  7. ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ Membership subscription - should we launch one???

But first, I started this community a few years back, after realising how incredibly difficult it is to build something on your own. What started as a few coworking days became The Knowledge Shop, a true community for founders building in NYC.

But, i am getting to a crossroads, and really need some help.

Do you get value from the community? Would you pay something to be a part of it?

Other than a tiny fee for some events - Iโ€™ve run everything for free the entire time - but in order to keep things going, I really need to start bringing in some money. One idea i had was a membership model (original i know ๐Ÿ˜‰)โ€ฆ.

  • In return for a monthly fee???

    • Priority access to free events like the coffee huddles

    • Access to the curated events calendar / weekly digest

    • Potentially free entry to paid events - like coworking days

    • Other things - open to ideasโ€ฆ

Anyway - before i go down completely the wrong path, do you understand, would you support SOMETHING? Whatโ€™s most valuable - ie what should we double down on? And what would you love us to start doing?

Extra points for suggestions of what you think would be a fair cost, inclusions, or frankly, literally any ideas - I am all ears.

Need to figure out a way to keep supporting everyone, without selling a kidney, or leaving you all in the lurch - open to any / add ideas ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™

Thanks so much for hearing me out, and now onto our usual programming.

Tori

โžก๏ธ ps - changing subjects entirelyโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐ŸŽจ Do you want to get more involved in the startup space? Got a few hours to spare? Iโ€™m looking for a volunteer to help with marketing - ie social media, graphics etc. If thatโ€™s your thing (donโ€™t have to be in NYC). reach out. 

๐Ÿ“† Event Re-Cap ๐Ÿ“†

๐Ÿค– So that AI coworking day happened

The first coworking day of the year, at the wonderful Primary (Fidi and the most ๐Ÿง˜โ€โ™€๏ธ wellbeing focussed coworking space i know), tested a new theme for us - everything โ€œAIโ€.

As someone who uses, as opposed to build with AI - it was a fascinating day. Learnt so much from both the wonderful visiting AI and emerging tech experts - Eva Agapaki PhD, and Sofia Guzowski, as well of course from all you amazing founders. I definitely think we need to do more in this space.

โฌ‡๏ธ Here are some of the startups that came. Check them out!

Ed-Tech: Whimsy (helping kids learn)

Productivity: 3rd Brain (share household tasks equitably - AND their Beta just opened), Smarty (tasks, calendars & notes in one place), App Mail (your email marketing assistant)

Being human: My good point (helping activists increase their impact), Meet In 10 (making in-person events more impactful)

Building blocks: Try Build (green data solutions)

Gaming: The game HERs (where women who game, connect)

โ˜•๏ธ We also coffee huddled (Twice)!

The amount of serendipity between everyone always amazes me. Connections, and follow up coffees aplenty. Which i love (especially the passion project of mine, bringing British founders in NYC together)

Need to figure out a spot for greater capacity, or host even more (if i can find a co-host or two???) So many people want to come, which is amazing - but I canโ€™t fit you all in. ๐Ÿค”

Nomadworks are always amazing hosts. ๐Ÿ™ ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ They are offering a free day pass to folks who want to check out their Times Square spot - email me for details.

๐Ÿ‘€ Check out these amazing startups that cameโ€ฆ

AI - Insta label (data labelling

Climate - Climastry - sustainability management

Fashion - Aida Labs - fashion models, without the leg work, Mira - digital clothing stylist, Stand 4 Socks - socks that do good,

Gaming - Chess Meet - the community for chess players

Health - Little Beat - soundbath in your pocket

HR-Tech - Shap.community (hiring / jobs newsletter), The Big Sky (connecting businesses to partners)

๐Ÿ“† TKS Community Events ๐Ÿ“†

๐Ÿถ TODAY. Founders & Furry Friends - a chance to get some fresh air, walk your dog, or meet other founders with theirs.

๐Ÿ™Š 27th February. โ€œSpeakโ€ - with clarity and confidence. Coworking day to help founders land that pitch and get rid of those nerves.

โ˜•๏ธ 1st March. Coffee Huddle - Small group sessions focused on support, and building meaningful connections. First Friday of every month.

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 8th March. British founder Coffee Meet - Small group session with fellow founders from across the pond.

โค๏ธ 18th March. Cofounder / Team Dating - looking to find a  co-founder or early hire? Then step right up.

๐Ÿ’ฐ 26th March. Startup financials coworking day - learn from CFOโ€™s, and have your business model reviewed by a VC

Founder Coworking โ€œThe Speaking Editionโ€

Expert for the day

This professional singer and executuve coach, brings her incredible energy and expertise to help her clients find and strengthen their voices, so they can โ€œSpeakโ€ to win.

  • Presentation: "โ€‹โ€‹We've got a communication issue"

    • โ€‹Learn how to use the most important business tool - your voice.

    • โ€‹Understand the basic mechanics of body, breath and voice

    • โ€‹Tips to improve connection and resilience in communication

    • โ€‹Tips in communication - hacks for what trips us up the most

  • โ€‹3 Free 1:1's - 3 lucky attendees will be chosen at random for a 20 min sit down with Lindsay following the presentation.

  • โ€‹Brainstorm with other founders on their top communication and confidence building do's and don'ts.โ€‹โ€‹

  • Personalised intro's before the event, with attendees whose interests align with yours.

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Tools & Resources ๐Ÿ“ˆ

๐ŸŽ๏ธ Productivity Hacks

1. Stop obsessing on your inbox. Receive emails only at set times AND hide your inbox to avoid distractions

2. Stop recreating the wheel. Create shortcuts for regularly used info, and paste it straight into docs, emails, forms etc

3. Find other hacks like these. All the hacks podcast (where the above came from) - increasing efficiency in life / travel etc.

๐Ÿ“ˆ Retention as a growth tool

Product-led retention is better than product-led growth.

And we all know that second time founders focus on growth, and not productโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ’ฐ Getting VCโ€™s interested

Detailed breakdown on using your startupโ€™s traction to get VCโ€™s interested, and how to find / use data points (from a VC).

๐Ÿค Finding people - co-founders / team members

There is a distinct knack and tactics to be used here. Some advice shared by Pillar.vc, on how to increase the odds and in your favour.

๐Ÿ’ฐ Finding free money

A list of grants, especially for minorities and women

 ๐Ÿ“† Event Calendar ๐Ÿ“†

Februaryโ€™s Eventsโ€ฆ

Our calendar of startup events across NYC, features our take on the BEST events for founders. From pitch nights, to networking events, accelerators and workshops.

โžก๏ธ CLICK HERE for the complete list. 50+ founder events

A snapshot of our favouritesโ€ฆ.

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๐ŸŒŸ ๐Ÿ“† Fri 16 Feb 3:00 PM

๐Ÿถ Founders & Furry Friends - Walk & Talk ๐Ÿถ | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Fri 16 Feb 5:00 PM

Black Crypto Startup, Blockchain - Meet & Greet | ๐Ÿ  In person | โ›“๏ธ Web3

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๐Ÿ“† Tue 20 Feb 6:00 PM

VC & PE Happy Hour | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Wed 21 Feb 12:00 PM

ScaleUp Speaker Series New York: Incorporating a Startup | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Wed 21 Feb 1:00 PM

Work-Bench Enterprise Sales Masterclass: Technical Founders Selling Technical Products | ๐Ÿ’ป Online | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Thu 22 Feb 4:00 PM

Ask a VC: Heidi Roizen, Threshold Ventures | ๐Ÿ’ป Online | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Fri 23 Feb 5:00 PM

Techstars NYC 2024 Demo Day | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Sat 24 Feb 1:00 PM

Yorkseed and Founder Institute Winter Mixer | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐ŸŒŸ ๐Ÿ“† Tue 27 Feb 9:30 AM

"SPEAK" - Helping Founders Speak with Confidence & Clarity | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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๐Ÿ“† Wed 28 Feb 6:00 PM

NYC Pitch Competition: Pitch to Win $100K | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘พ B2B Saas

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๐Ÿ“† Wed 28 Feb 6:30 PM

NYC Hardware Dinner | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ“ฆ Hardware

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๐Ÿ“† Thu 29 Feb 7:00 PM

NYC Future Founder Dinner | ๐Ÿ  In person | ๐Ÿ‘‹ Industry Agnostic

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