I Need A...

My co-organizers Sharon, Tom and I had a blast running the NYEdTech meetup together for a few years, 2011-14. Entrepreneurialism had generally had a great run and in particular the Education industry especially among EdTech enthusiasts since the recession. There are great problems to resolve and new learning paradigms to make more widely accessible and simultaneously impactful not to mention numerous operational efficiencies to resolve. With such a diversity of interests and fertile ground for ideas and talent alike it's no wonder it's hard to find your match among a crowded room full of eager like minded folks.

Most everyone attending an NYEdTech event likely came wanting something, pure discovery was not driving everyone in the room, though that was undoubtedly part of the experience. Something we stumbled upon to effectively advance networking and make better use of that precious little time at the end of the program was "I Need A..." We spent as much time as people wanted to voice their needs publicly: whether it was asking for a developer, an instructor to beta test or perhaps seeking new partners or a marketing plan. By encouraging folks to seek out what they need, they in turn were able to readily find each other. The odds of two people in a room having the exact same birthday is 50/50 when there are 23 people in a room; the odds of two people meeting and continuing a discussion after our NYEdTech meetups was much better than that.