Aptly named after ‘Startup Van’ the obviously stationary ‘Garage’ will be an online network and syndicate fund before becoming a physical space for networking, working and of course a film studio launching in Q1 2021.
Yes, there will be a members fee, but it’s reasonable at around £1200 per year. They have cultivated throughout their journey around 3K members of this tight-knit community and everyone who is a part of it will opt into helping each other. The pandemic brought about many questions for startups and businesses alike at all levels, this community was a way for everyone to help each other get the answers they needed and quickly.
“Something that I believe is an invaluable resource.”
Everyone wants in on the next big thing, so they set up a diverse panel group in the syndicate (Louise Rix from Forward partners, Zoe Chambers from Octopus Ventures and Andy Ayim who was Backstage Capital, now runs Angel Investing School) who would do the due diligence on startups and then send out blasts to the members to see if they would like to invest. When members invest in each other’s businesses there becomes a notion of really wanting to help everyone succeed. A sort of ‘we are all in this together’ vibe comes about and it is less about competition.
Why networking is key
Looking ahead to 2021, when we can finally enter a literal space formed with a diverse group of people who are looking to leverage their network, chat through issues and gain as much knowledge as possible. The space will give members the chance to get in on the action as angel investors all within the comfort zone of knowing the due diligence has been done. The syndicate has been formed to enable founders helping other founders to succeed.
What a beautiful message of abundance and the notion that there is enough success to go around for all. It is not hard to imagine how invaluable this space (even digitally) will be, especially with its own dedicated community manager whose only role is to get to know everyone and make introductions! But how did they get here? Because like many businesses this has been a journey.
The beginning
Graham’s journey started when he and Mark wanted to start a business together and wanted to record video content, but at this point, they had only interviewed entrepreneurs and written about them. They both felt like they were missing a trick and were slightly bored with the written word. They felt visually speaking to people on camera would get them to open up and tell their story in a new and exciting way. This made sense as talking to people was their passion.
They decided to leverage the final year of Web Summit being in Dublin and put this theory to the test. So they hired a local production company and shot a promo video of their idea ‘Startup Van’. After first trying a transit van and realising they looked like they were going to kidnap people, they finally settled on a 1957 Camper Van with a hippy vibe. With Web Summit wanting to charge them a fortune and knowing at this point they were all in, they parked it in Temple Bar and sent out a tweet.
What followed was genuinely incredible. Founders were lined up around the block! A quick call to family to bring clipboards and help keep the crowd calm and patient and the start of their business was truly born!