Gather

People love to ask about Gather's origin story, but I love to talk about the moments when Gather got "refounded" as a company. It happened once when we went after this crazy vision of the Metaverse at the start of the pandemic, and again, over the last couple years, with a refocusing of the mission on making remote work excellent, and a rebuilding of the entire team to get there. Jinen Kamdar, our Chief Product Officer, has been a lynchpin in refounding this company, and for that reason, Mohammed Kumail Jaffer and I are excited to name him a co-founder of Gather. We first met Jinen 3 years ago, and from the very first week, he was changing Gather in big ways. He helped us realize what it’d take to actually become a successful work product, and made some big bets on the product that ended up being totally correct, but which the rest of us didn’t have the conviction to make. He also played a huge part in defining the culture we have today centered around hunger and excellence in craft. These values are now strongly embraced by every member of our team, make Gather the most energizing to work at than ever before, and will likely be the pillars of our organization for many years to come. As we’ve gotten to work with Jinen more, Kumail and I have felt he possesses the intangibles that make him a cofounder rather than just a successful, hired executive. He believes in our mission with every fiber of his being. So much so that I’ve found myself inspired by our own mission in ways I didn’t know possible, given how he frames it. Looking towards the future, he shares my hope to work on this mission for 10+ more years, if not to be the last jobs of our careers. On a personal side, this has been incredibly meaningful for Kumail and I. From the beginning, our hope was to create an organization that was much larger than the two of us, and that we could find other people who would be equal stewards in our shared purpose. We’re very lucky to have found that in Jinen. And looking forward, we hope to find more and more talented people to take ownership in our cause. To our customers, both current and future. Please know that our team is working extremely hard on a next generation version of the product that we believe will solve the largest issues we hear from you all. The current product is unfinished, and there’s a ton more to improve. Stay tuned!

Shoutout to Gather for transforming the way Strike operates remotely! ?????? We’re a remote-first team, and Gather has turned our virtual office into more than just a workspace. We can pop over for quick chats, personalise our desks, hang out around a campfire, and—yes—even dance like no one’s watching! ?????? My personal favourite.... The go-kart track! It’s awesome how moments like these build team culture, no matter where in the world we are. Being a successful remote-first company takes planning and intentional connections, and Gather makes it so easy. I recommend it to any team looking to level up their collaboration! Bonus points if you can guess who sits where! ?? Cameron Henkes Uthara Nair, Ph.D. Bishesh Tiwaree Raneem Sultan #remoteworking #startup

Stand-ups don’t have to be boring! We’ve found a tool that keeps our team engaged—Gather. It’s a virtual office where our team collaborates in a fun and efficient way, wrapping up meetings in just 15 minutes. How do you keep your team engaged during stand-ups? Thank you Gather for bringing us together virtually.

When you imagine remote work you picture: → Teams connecting asynchronously → Slack channels and teams calls → Recording loom videos But have you considered a virtual office? It’s a game-changer. The team at Vista Social have been trying it out, Through the Gather virtual office: https://www.gather.town A virtual office creates a more personal feel. It allows us to stay connected in real-time. Here’s what I’ve noticed: 1- Enhanced communication. 2- Increased collaboration. 3- Better team cohesion. P.S. Would you ever give this a try?

Tutero was founded during COVID and we are 90% remote. We’ve built one of the world’s best virtual offices. Want to have a meeting? Let’s do it in our office.

Fewer meetings. More casual conversations. Less time where engineers feel blocked, and more time where people feel aligned, engaged, and connected. Gather has helped the Beatport Engineering team reshape their distributed culture. They’ve canceled standing meetings and saved weeks of work from impromptu conversations. And engineers feel truly connected to the organization for the first time in years.? Thank you Morgan Soley for sharing your story with us.?Full link in the comments!

Over the past few weeks, I've implemented gather.town at Guidance Analytics for my team. While it's still early, the results have already been very promising and exciting. Moving away from Zoom, where interactions were confined to scheduled sessions, has revolutionized our daily connections. Now, it’s like walking through a real office: team members bump into each other walking around the office, linger to chat after formal meetings, and spontaneously join or start discussions as they 'pass by' desks. This dynamic has brought to life a natural flow of conversation and collaboration, mirroring the organic interactions you'd find in a physical workspace. It's as close to real life as you can get without being in the same room. This shift has enhanced our teamwork and promoted a more social atmosphere. We're seeing increased spontaneity in collaborations, crucial for a startup where agility and quick pivots are part of the everyday. Reflecting on these changes, I've realized that while technology and methodology are powerful tools, the core of effective management is really about how people work together. Creating an environment where team members are excited to log on and engage with each other is as important as any system or process we develop. #leadership #engineering #remoteWork #teamwork #startupculture #GatherTown

?? Global Team, One Virtual Office: Our Experience with Gather ?? Working from different countries presented challenges for our team's connection and culture. Then, we found Gather. It's not our creation, but the way it has transformed our teamwork deserves a shout-out. In this virtual space, avatars make real connections, collaborate, and celebrate, just like in a physical space. We can walk up to colleague's desk to initiate a quick chat, plan a meeting in a virtual conference room, or even visit the kitchen for some small talk, making it more than just a tool by mirroring real office life. It also helps newcomers adapt to the new environment faster. It's about more than just work: it's about celebrating, connecting, and thus bridging the distance between us. Sharing this, hoping it inspires others navigating remote teamwork. It's about finding those gems that bring us closer, no matter where we are. #RemoteWork #TeamCulture #GlobalTeam

Tuesday is flow-day at Codum.cc. This means: no meetings and a blocked calendar to allow flow-state and #productivity. ?? This post is a shout-out to one of my new favorite tools: Gather, the virtual workplace that helps us at Codum feel connected, no matter where in the ???we are and whether it’s flow-day or not! If you’re building a remote-first or hybrid team, make sure to check it out! (I’m not affiliated with Gather, just a huge fan, and am sure this proves helpful to other teams too!) Which tools do you use to bridge isolation at the workplace? Share below ?? #RemoteWork #TeamConnectivity #LifelongLearning #VirtualWorkplace

My favorite tool for managing a fully remote law firm is Gather. In the video below, I take you on a tour of our virtual office that we created using Gather. There are a few extremely valuable features: 1. Everyone can create their own unique office (and decorate it)! 2. You can see who is "in the office" and available to talk. The program lets you move your avatar around the office to establish video chats. 3. Everyone can meet in a virtual conference room for a staff meeting or hold a private meeting in someone's office. For more tips on how to manage a remote law firm, check out the most recent version of my podcast (The Josh Gerben Show). You can find it on Apple, Spotify or YouTube. #remotework #lawfirmmanagement