by: Adriel Bercow
At Flybridge, we hold a special penchant for the notion of “community”. We witnessed the power communities have on startups that take developer-centric approaches in portfolio companies such as MongoDB, Crashlytics, Firebase, and Stackdriver. We have been diving into the blockchain and crypto space, propelled by our portfolio company, Enigma, who recently completed a successful $45M ICO supported by a growing community of more than 13,000 members. We innovated the traditional venture capital model by developing community funds that make pre-seed investments in female founders and Harvard graduates. One of our General Partners previously helped build a now $20B company that’s powered by 200,000 community members across 20 different countries. Most importantly, a cornerstone of our mission at Flybridge is the intent to make a positive impact on the communities we touch: our cities, friends, family, entrepreneurs, advisors, and beyond.
When I came to New York City to begin my career in the startup ecosystem after college, I faced an absence of community. While many of my peers headed into finance jobs, I was eager to build my network, seek advice, and bring value to others similarly passionate about startups. The events I attended were large and unstructured. Rarely did I feel excited to return or fulfilled by valuable connections that were made. Over time, I discovered the most worthwhile event format to be ones that were more intimate and brought individuals from different walks of life together. Having an inclusive setting that allowed everyone from the young software developer to the startup founder to connect with one another not only creates a collaborative environment, but one that cultivates sustainable relationships.
To that end, I’m excited to announce I will be launching a bi-weekly event in New York City called The Breakfast Crew Series. The first session of the month will be open themed, covering a wide range of topics, while the second will be curated around the theme of Future of Work — a subject area of focus for us at Flybridge. These events will have the two-fold goal of creating an inclusive environment for those already involved or looking to join the tech industry and to build a platform for individuals to develop valuable relationships both online and offline (aka your “crew”). Here is how it will work:
- Two events per month from 8:30am — 9:30am; including a breakfast spread of tasty assorted pastries, fresh fruit, and coffee to help get your day started off right
- One session will be open-themed including guest speakers, roundtables on specific topics, and workshops
- The second session with be centered around the theme of the Future of Work including guest speakers (consisting of thought leaders, founders, and investors), incubation roundtables, and workshops ranging from creating a diverse work culture and flexible workforce to preparing for automation and legislative changes
- These breakfasts will be intimate ranging from 10–25 guests (so make sure you RSVP!)
- For those who attend at least one event, you will receive an invite to our Slack group focused on supporting you to develop relationships and connect you with the larger community we are building
Our first two sessions will be hosted by our friends at KettleSpace at their Mykonos Blue Grill location in Flatiron on Wednesday March 7 and Wednesday March 21. If you’re interested in attending these and any upcoming events please fill out the form here at The Breakfast Crew Series.
