The SiliconValley NewTech Meetup inspiration & vision

Brian Solis interviewed me on Aug 14, 2006 about my inspiration for starting the Silicon Valley NewTech Meetup when I moved out here.  The interview is reposted below.

Focusing on emerging and established web and (web2.0) companies, Vincent (Vinnie) Lauria, took some time to give us an overview of the event, its success and what?s next?

Brian – What was the inspiration behind starting this series?

Vincent – The founder of meetup, Scott Heiferman, runs a similar session in NYC that I used to attend before coming out here. I loved the event and always met interesting people. When I came out here, I saw a bunch of tech events, but nothing had the ‘organic’ feel of a meetup. I really liked that nature, so I decided to start my own.

Brian – How has it/is it changing/evolving over time?

Vincent – Well, most meetups are small groups of folks who meet in coffee shops or bars. This meetup actually started at a coffee shop in Palo Alto. It’s been growing steadily since. We’ve moved from a coffee shop, to DFJ, and now finally to DLA Piper. Who knows where we’ll go next if/when it outgrows DLA.

Brian – What’s your vision for the event?

Vincent – Two fold. For one, to allow early’ish stage companies to demo their product to an active and interested audience. Second, to create a networking event of eager entrepreneurs looking to meet similar folks, learn new ideas, and hopefully form some valuable relationships (whether that be professional or simply for friends.) The Valley has a lot of churn, so it’s very valuable to for both newbies and seasoned pros to meet each other.

Brian – What type of companies are you looking for?

Vincent - The meetup is called ‘NewTechnology’ which basically correlates to web2.0 companies. I enjoy presenting companies as small as two founders, pre-funding, to companies who have established a team and already may be earning revenues or have VC investment.

Brian – Who’s your target audience?

Vincent – Entrepreneurs, a few investors, some recruiters, and anybody who is interested and passionate about new and exciting web ideas.

For more pictures from SVNT, visit flickr and search the following tags: SVNT Newtech

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I’ll leave you with an organizer’s view of the event.  I hope to see you at the next one on Sept 5th @ DLA Venture Pipeline.  Wine will be provided by Andrew Lane Wines.