Why Fosterly’s Study Halls will cure your networking ennui

People come to Fosterly’s Study Halls to learn — from each other.
On Tuesday, about 40 entrepreneurs convened in a cozy room at Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications to discuss their ongoing projects, work together and chit-chat.
There was an ethically-sourced gourmet coffee purveyor; a scientist making VR technology for astronauts; and the youthful founder of a startup to simplify the buying of cigarettes.
They were all there to trade advice and skills.

Props to @Fosterly @AdamZ for congregation another amazing crew of #dctech folks @DiscoveryComm pic.twitter.com/vqXF8qoWTk

— SilverStrategy (@SilverStrategy) August 18, 2015

“My first objective was to find someone who is familiar with AngularJS,” said Drew Smith, the cofounder of natural resorts review site Wanderus.
Soon enough, he found one — another wildlife enthusiast who was willing to lend a hand — and had time to spare to discuss the ideas of others.
“Everyone’s here just to help out other people,” said Smith.
Organizer Adam Zuckerman purposefully culled the number of participants — he had to reject about 25 from a 75-person applicant pool, he said — to facilitate more meaningful interactions.
“We want everybody to be able to talk to everybody,” he said. “This isn’t about networking. This is about building relationships.”