London OpenCofee Club…. A Year In Coffee
It is now more than a year ago that I moved to the UK and therefore also a year ago that I started networking in London. One of the first events I ever went to was the OpenCoffee Club meetup that happens every week in a coffee place somewhere in London.
I hadn’t been at the OpenCoffee meetup here in London since probably June or July, as at a certain moment you know everyone. As I wasn’t looking for an investment, or to invest, or to work for some of the companies, explaining why I was there was starting to get harder by the day.
A few weeks ago though, some people wondered if I was coming to the OpenCoffee, and so I decided to give it a try again. It was a refreshing encounter as the crowd seems to have changed a lot. The venue is still the horrible 5th floor cafe in the Picadilly Waterstones, and the size of the crowd has slightly diminished, but still there seemed to be a strong vibe of the entrepreneurial spirit.
I talked to the guys from Veedow a few days before the OpenCoffee already. Their product is a social shopping portal that I haven’t really played with yet. I have always been a bit skeptical about products which sound too much like other products I know, but these guys actually seem to have a real business model and the funds to work it out.
Lastly I talked to Pete Smith of SongKick who contacted me because I talked to his colleague about half a year ago. their product is now a real product and up there for all of you to try out. The idea? “Track concerts and song dates of you favorite bands”. The business model? A bit unclear at the moment but probably affiliate deals and such.
