This is a guest post by Simon McCann, CEO of Launch48
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” This well worn verse is true in all industries and walks of life, especially startup life.
If you need access to investors, mentors, industry leads, possible co-founders, it is always the warm introductions that will get you the furthest.
So how do you build this network? It’s by getting out there and meeting people. I have picked 5 of the best London Startup events to make sure you are meeting the right people to move your career forward.
Minibar
A staple event in the London calendar. The last Friday of every month sees Mother London taken over by the startup community to drink beer (soft drinks available) and have a chat. There are always 3 or 4 presentations by startups to showcase their work.
This is a relaxed atmosphere and is always full of a mix of technical and non-technical startup founders as well as service providers and those interested in setting up their own startup.
For more information visit meetup.com/minibar
Silicon Drinkabout
A lot more emphasis on the social aspect of meeting startups. Silicon Drinkabout is a regular after work drinks for startups every Friday. It is hosted at a different venue around Shoreditch and is always full of startups.
For updates on where they will be and when the next event is (hint: it’s next Friday) checkout www.silicondrinkabout.com.
Lean Startup London / Leancamp
A range of meet ups and unconferences focused entirely on lean methodology.
These events focus in on the specifics of running a lean business so will focus on topics such as Mobile Metrics and bootstrapping your startup.
If you are already involved in a startup, or want to meet people currently running a startup, this is a great event to attend.
The meet up can be found at www.meetup.com/the-london-lean-startup-group and the unconference can be found at leanca.mp
Google Campus
There are so many events at Google Campus it is impossible to pick one. The new mecca of the London startup scene has events almost every night and is definitely worth a weekly scan to see what is coming up.
If you had to focus on one group of events it would be those put on by Techhub. These events are always full of people working in early stage startups, or interested in setting up an early stage startup.
As with all good startup events free beer and soft drinks are served.
For a list of their events check out: www.campuslondon.com/events/
Launch48
The perfect opportunity to meet and work with new people in an action packed weekend event.
The premise is simple, build a startup in 48 hours. Launch48 provides a workspace, free food, startup tools and some great mentors to help you guide your way through a startup.
Whether your objective is to meet investors, london.launch48.com.