Latest news with #VentureCafe
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Venture Cafe Launches In London With Invention Agency Backing
Venture Cafe founder and Advanced Research and Invention Agency chief of staff, Dan Cole on stage in ... More London Earlier this month, around 270 people - most of them startup entrepreneurs - gathered at the Jellicoe Building in London's King's Cross area to mix and mingle at the newly launched Venture cafe. The first Venture Cafe was launched in 2009 as a place where entrepreneurs working within the Cambridge Innovation Center in Massachusetts could meet regularly, get to know each other and exchange ideas. Since then, Venture Cafés have opened their doors in 20 locations across the U.S., Europe and Asia. The London location marks the first step into the U.K. by the not-for-profit Venture Cafe Global Institute, so when I spoke to founder Tim Rowe, I was keen to find out what his organisation was bringing to the party in a city in which ecosystem building has been a way of life for more than a decade. As Rowe explains, he has been planning to bring the Venture Cafe concept to London for a number of years. It was an obvious location. 'You know, some people might refer to London as the capital of the world. I think it's more diverse than any other city in the world, and that's really important when you're building a startup and you need to sell your products everywhere. So there was no question about whether London was interesting. It was just a matter of when we could come here.' A first attempt - which got as far as a letter of intent - fell victim to the COVID epidemic. However, the idea was revived when Britain's newly-minted Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) offered to sponsor the weekly events. With the funding in place, the first meeting took place on May 15. As Rowe sees it, the purpose of Venture Cafe is not simply to bring people together but also to create a space where new opportunities can be developed with personal relationships as the catalyst. 'When people within the innovation community don't know each other, they can't help each other and they can't start companies together,' he says. 'They can't do all the things that need to happen in an entrepreneurial community.' Equally, businesses may well struggle if they don't know how to find VCs or engineers. So, Venture Cafe provides a space where they can meet. And that, at least in part, is the rationale behind the funding from the Advanced Research and Invention Agency. Set up by the U.K. government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the agency is tasked with supporting transformative technology projects. As ARIA's Chief Product Officer Pipply James said in a canned quote, the agency's mission aligns with the Venture Cafe concept. 'Breakthroughs happen when different people, ideas, and disciplines collide. That's why we're partnering with Venture Café: to create open, energising spaces where founders, researchers, investors and innovators can meet, collaborate, and spark the next wave of world-changing ideas,' she said. But here's the thing, London - and the U.K. in general - now boasts a pretty mature innovation ecosystem. In practice, that means there are many forums and organisations that exist to support entrepreneurs and introduce them to their peers. At a local level, there are networking groups. Nationally, organisations such as Tech Nation and Barclays Eagle Labs offer opportunities to connect. The same is true of innovation centres, such as Plexal in East London and there is no shortager of numero accelerators. Nevertheless, Rowe sees space for new forums. 'I haven't heard anyone say there isn't a space for this, " he says. 'I have heard a lot of excitement about what we're doing.' One important element of Venture Cafe, he says, is the fact you are never far away from a meeting. 'There is something unique about what we do, and that's the regularity and intensity of what we do. We do it weekly,' says Rowe. 'And I think there's something fundamental about that. For instance, there is no major world religion, as far as I know, that doesn't meet weekly.' To some degree, the concpt sits in a complementarty space to others working within the ecosystem. For instance, one attendee was startup accelerator operator, Growth Studio. 'Our accelerator programmes, and the success of our cohort founders, are heavily influenced by our ability to meet in person and get first-hand access to industry leaders and understand their markets and priorities. Events like this break down the barriers,' said co-founder Paul Finch. Will it catch on with time-poor London entrepreneurs and VCs? Well, the first event attracted 273 people. Evidence from elsewhere suggests that the figure will grow as word spreads. The last meeting in Tokyo attracted 1,000 people, while in Boston and Berlin, attendance was put, respectively at 500 and 440. With sponsorship from ARIA, the events - which include themed nights around specific sectors - are free. Rowe hopes and expects attendance to be on a par with other centers.
Technical.ly
26-03-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Philly's Venture Cafe, the once-popular University City meetup, shuts down after 6 years
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at philly@ Local startups are making strategic moves through accelerators, partnerships and executive leadership changes — but one major opportunity just shuttered. The University City Science Center ended its Venture Cafe program, a biweekly meetup for founders and other stakeholders. At the same time, the startup resource organization announced the next cohort of its Capital Readiness Program, including three Philly-based startups. Plus, transportation tech startup Jawnt is partnering with parking platform SpotHero and adtech data analytics platform announced a new CEO. Check out all the details and more power moves below the chart, where we look at the top 10 desirable skills for jobs right now and how many job postings request each skill. Innovation meetup group Venture Cafe shuts down The University City Science Center is ending its biweekly Venture Cafe programming. The program was launched in 2018 and facilitated networking, panels and discussions among founders in the Science Center's community. This decision aligns with the Science Center's goal to continually evaluate and upgrade its programming, Kristen Fitch, senior director of marketing, told March 20 was the last Thursday gathering at the Science Center. The global Venture Cafe network will continue to operate in other cities. Venture Cafe Philadelphia launched around the same time that the Science Center's 3675 Market Street office opened, providing a way to engage with the community and strengthen partnerships with other orgs in uCity Square, Tiffany Wilson, president and CEO of the Science Center, said. 'By all accounts, we reflect on Venture Cafe as a major success for the Science Center,' Wilson said. 'We're eager to continue building upon that foundation to meet the changing needs of this dynamic ecosystem.' Jawnt partners with SpotHero to book parking via commuter cards Local transportation technology company Jawnt is partnering with parking reservation platform SpotHero. The partnership will allow Jawnt members to book and pay for parking on SpotHero using the money on their Jawnt commuter cards. The new feature is already available. 'While we champion public transit for its sustainability, we know that it's not always accessible to commuters due to proximity, scheduling or other factors,' said Jeff Stade, CEO of Jawnt. 'By enabling drivers to reserve their parking through the SpotHero app, they are given the power to make their car commutes more sustainable while also saving time and money.' The 2024 RealLIST Startup honoree works with companies and organizations to offer commuter benefits to its members and employees. The company's platform integrates with existing payroll systems to make it easier to manage benefits programs. appoints new CEO Adtech company appointed Ken Kennedy as its new CEO. Kennedy brings 30 years of experience working at software companies, most recently as COO and president of revenue management and digital monetization at business support software company CSG. West Chester-based platform works with organizations to better understand data about its audience. 'The company has a strong foundation, a talented team, and incredible potential for growth,' Kennedy said. 'Together, we will build on our successes, drive innovation, and unlock new opportunities to deliver value for our customers every day.' 3 Philly companies selected for Science Center's funding accelerator The University City Science Center announced the seventh cohort of its Capital Readiness Program, an accelerator for healthtech startups preparing to raise funding. Ten companies from the United States and Canada were selected to come to the Science Center the first week of April. This round, the center selected three companies local to Philly. Cerespectus is a medical device company that developed a catheter to deliver gene therapy to the central nervous system. UprightVR is developing VR rehabilitation tests and exercises to help people regain balance and prevent falls. Liife's platform uses cryptography and blockchain technology to ensure identity security. 'This program will enhance our funding readiness and connect us with inspiring entrepreneurs and industry leaders on our journey,' said Jamie Moses, cofounder and co-CEO of Liife. Since launching in 2023, the Capital Readiness Program has worked with 60 companies, which have collectively raised over $35 million. More power moves: Colby Maldini joined the Wistar Institute as a new faculty member in the HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center. Madini joins as part of the Caspar Wistar Fellowship program, which supports younger researchers. Healthtech company Liife appointed former Amazon Web Services leader Elizabeth Boudreau to its advisory board. Boudreau currently runs a startup consulting firm, Practical Acceleration. Philly-based Kidas, an anti-bullying software for online games, partnered to provide its software on esports software company GgCircuit's platform. The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia awarded banking executive Daniel K. Fitzpatrick the 2024 William Penn Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of businesspeople in the region. Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
