2. • What is the Startup Matchup format?

The Startup Matchup event starts with each attendee giving a quick 30-second introduction to the group, providing their: – Name and title – Company name – What their company does – What they are looking for or need For example, someone might need a technical co-founder, advice on setting up a crowdfunding campaign, a referral for a reasonably priced startup lawyer or a Cassandra NoSQL database developer.

3. • Why does this format work?

Unlike some Silicon Valley networking events where it’s evident that people are only there to take whatever they can get, Startup Matchup works on the foundation of reciprocal networking. Studies have shown that this style of networking leads to both short and long term positive network building.  When you help someone, this increases your trust and credibility in their eyes, and they will be more likely to work with you, recommend you or send someone from their existing relationships your way. What happens at Startup Matchup doesn’t stay at Startup Matchup!

4. • How do I get the most out of a startup networking event?

Our CEO, Matt Day, is at every Startup Matchup, helping to facilitate conversations and connections. Over the years, he has found that the best way to make valuable connections is to do the following:

– As you listen to each attendee’s introduction, take notes and think about whether you could help. (Each chair will have a stack of blank business cards and a pen.)

– During the general networking session, seek out individuals that you could help and if appropriate, write down information on the blank business cards and exchange information. This is an excellent ice-breaker and a reason to start a conversation. – As you seek out individuals to potentially help, you in-turn will be sought out and engaged with by others willing to help you. This is part of the GIVE and GET relationship that produces valuable connections and a quality networking event for all.

5. • What kind of people generally attend?

Because the event focusses on authentic and mutually beneficial relationship building, it tends to attract quality individuals seeking new opportunities. We mostly see people who have the potential to be part of an early-stage tech startup – founders, co-founders, developers, and designers. However, there are also plenty of other skillsets in the room – sponsors looking for startups to partner with, sales and business development experts and growth marketers, for instance. Investors know Founders Floor as a quality accelerator for deal flow and, while we can’t always guarantee that there will be lots of investors at Startup Matchup, they do make an effort to attend.

6. •  Is it always the same people week after week?

We do have regular attendees looking to grow their local community in the startup world, but roughly 70% of the faces we see at each event are new ones. This makes for a nice mix of fresh faces and people who have experience building their professionals network in this particular event format. We attribute our high number of new attendees to a couple of factors: – The event is quickly growing in popularity and reaching more high-quality individuals. – People can make valuable connections and therefore, not need to come back for a while.

7. •  Will there be many people in attendance?

Some business networking events will try to pack people in, but we purposely do the opposite, capping the event at around 100 people. We’ve tested different numbers, and people find that this is the sweet spot. Enough people with a good mix of skills but not too many that you can’t easily keep track of who you want to speak to during the evening.  Because of this, we recommend purchasing a ticket early as the event does sell out.