Building a community of entrepreneurs in over 100 cities: The Startup Grind story with Derek Andersen
Believe it or not, the company now known for bringing startups together around the globe, once was a small startup itself. Over the years, Startup Grind has grown from a small get together of entrepreneurial friends to a company in over 100 countries, with over 300 employees hosting over 70 events a month.
In this recent interview from Redwood City, California, Murray Newlands talks to Startup Grind founder Derek Andersen about his journey as an entrepreneur, how Startup Grind has managed such significant growth, working with Google, and more.
To find out more, watch the full interview below:
These are they key takeaways from the video:
- Startup Grind started just four years ago when Derek and a friend began hosting events in his office with the aim of bringing like-minded people together to help each other out. Over time, the events started to pick up steam and create a large community of entrepreneurs and investors, helping the events grow into the international phenomenon that they are today. Currently, Startup Grind hosts around 70 events per month and has a team of 300 employees in 100 different cities around the globe.
- Derek says that his company went from hosting an event in one city to hundreds of cities simply by sticking to their brand and their values and promoting positive relationships among entrepreneurs, startups, investors, and other business people.
- Startup Grind is one of only two partners globally, that is powered by Google Entrepreneurs. But although Google backs his company, Derek explains that you don't just start working with Google from day one. He says that it took time to establish a positive relationship and prove that the two companies could benefit from helping each other before they decided to partner up and become what it is today.
- Derek says that the best way that startups can give back to Startup Grind is to keep coming back to the events and sharing their stories. He invites any former Startup Grind attendees who have found success to come speak at an upcoming event and share their insights into growing and running a successful company.
If you have any questions after watching the video, please leave them in the comments below!
To find out more about Startup Grind and to find an event near you, visit their website at startupgrind.com.