On the surface, the idea seems preposterous — convince a few dozen tech companies all throughout Los Angeles to host an hour-long open house / semi-recruitment rah rah session in the form of thought-provoking salons, all in a single day — and yet, somehow, the damn thing worked. Bigtime.
On Wednesday November 19, John Batelle’s NewCo hit Los Angeles, after similar events in Boulder, Detroit, New York, San Francisco, London, and Amsterdam.
Per the event site, “The concept is simple but powerful: NewCo turns a traditional event inside out. Instead of filling a dark ballroom with “attendees” and having leaders lecture in a one-to-many style, NewCo occurs inside the world’s most innovative startups and high-growth companies. Executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and future influencers get an up close and personal experience of each company in its native habitat. Once inside, participants have a wide range of experiences – from behind-the-scene tours of cutting-edge work environments to founders candidly sharing insights into their own entrepreneurial journey.”
But to attempt to hold close to 100 open houses across a city as congested as Los Angeles, with no less than a half dozen events going off concurrently at the same time? Damn near impossible.
And yet… the participating businesses were golden, the possibilities endless. No matter which events you hit, chances are you came away with a new piece of information or a great new connection.
That, or you were too busy picking brain off the floor after having your mind blown by a company or concept you may have never considered before.
Congrats, here’s to many more, looking forward to next year.
