Gone are the days of making it rain business cards at stodgy networking events.
Instead, the D.C.-based Foster.ly has assigned itself the task of holding regular events to give investors, startup founders, developers, lawyers, marketers — and anyone else needed to make a startup idea into a profitable business in the Maryland, Virginia and D.C. area — the chance to build longterm relationships.
It’s something a crew of groups, organizations and individuals are looking at.
The D.C.-based for-profit, as Technically Baltimore has reported, manages this in four ways:
- Study Halls, where groups of 50 business and tech folks meet at a predetermined location.
- An online directory, where more than 2,100 people and 800 organizations are registered in a community guide accessible for Fosterly.com registrants.
- A new Internship Match Initiative, which places college students in internships with startups at seven universities in the greater Washington, D.C., region.
- The annual Day of Foster.ly, an all-day schmoozefest for startup owners/lovers/investors. The second Day of Foster.ly happens Saturday, and 625 are registered to attend, said Adam Zuckerman of Foster.ly.
For Zuckerman and his team, the day is the culmination of the work they do year-round to ensure that people continue to chat after Meetups and other single events they might attend.
On Saturday, Zuckerman plans to announce a new Foster.ly job board, as well as the “next iteration of the [online directory],” which will be a “community-driven, crowdsourced” listing of resources for the startup scene that can be voted up or down, Reddit-style.
Tickets are still available for the Startup Showcase at the Day of Foster.ly.
Those attending Day of Foster.ly and traveling by car can use RidePost to carpool.
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