We recently interviewed Jonathan Lehr about his group The NY Enterprise Technology Meetup. The NYETM will foster innovation in the NY enterprise technology ecosystem through promoting early stage technology companies, supporting entrepreneurs, educating companies on how to work with enterprises, and creating an environment where entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses can all network and learn from one another.

DIIP: When and why did you start this group/organization?

JL:  I spend my days in financial services working with early stage enterprise tech companies, and my nights in the consumer tech community as an entrepreneur, attending meetups and collaborating with others at various startups.  This is how I realized that to really support innovation in the enterprise, there needed to be a way to foster that ecosystem. And that's how NYETM was born.

The NYETM was launched in January 2012, and we had our first meetup on Wednesday 1/25/12 where 125 technologists, investors, entrepreneurs, and students came to watch company demos from Bitly, Socialware, Red Rover, and PerspecSys, as well as our business app of the month ScanBizCards.

 

DIIP: What type of events do you have and how often are they held.

JL:  The events are going to be a mix of company demos, panels with industry thought leaders, key notes, and happy hours.

 

DIIP: What is your value proposition to those that attend?

JL:  We're helping to centralize and build New York's enterprise technology ecosystem.  As an attendee, you will learn about new trends whether it is from a company demo or a panel speaker.  You will also have the opportunity top meet others in the space and networking in this environment with others interested in enterprise technology can lead to much innovation. For presenters/speakers, you can find your next customer, investor, partnership, or hire.

 

DIIP: What makes your group unique or different from other groups?

JL:  No other group currently targets the enterprise technology ecosystem to promote its startups, build a community, and foster innovation in the space.

 

DIIP: Why do you think it is so important for people to go out to your events and “do it in person?”

JL:  It is important to actually meet others in the space in order to foster a true connection.  Whether you're looking to learn about new technology, get hired by a startup or hire someone for your own venture, find a partner, or even if you're just generally interested in the space, nothing beats coming together and meeting others and learning about their viewpoints in a shared environment of interest in enterprise technology.

 

DIIP: Describe the ideal attendee to your events.

JL:  Anyone interested in the enterprise technology space, whether as a technologist, investor in the space, entrepreneur, or student.

DIIP: How has your group evolved since you started it?

JL:  The group continues to grow and we're currently at about 300 members.

DIIP: What tip or tips would you give to an attendee of your event on how to make it successful for them?

JL:  Don't be shy! Introduce yourself to people you meet.  Everyone is there to learn more about enterprise technology and meet new people, so go up to someone, introduce yourself, ask them what brings them to the event, and then share what brought you as well.

 

DIIP: What do you look for when choosing a venue?

JL:  Somewhere that is conveniently located in the city.  It should have room for all the attendees to comfortably sit for the demos/panel.  It should also have a projector and wifi so that the company demos can go smoothly.

 

DIIP: How do you judge the success of an event?

JL:  If people meet others in the space, learn something they didn't previously know about the enterprise ecosystem, help others, and continue to promote innovation in the enterprise technology space, then this group's mission statement will be met.

 

DIIP: If you could pick one person that you would want to speak at/attend your event, who would it be and why?

JL:  We're not aiming for that one special person, but rather continue to look for interesting new enterprise technology startups to demo their technology.  From panelists, we're going to have different talks where we'll target CIO's and CTO's to discuss industry trends as well as how to sell to the enterprise, as well as entrepreneurs who are currently growing their businesses to discuss challenges they've faced and how they've overcome them.

 

DIIP: When is your next event?

JL:  Our next event is Wednesday February 15th from 7-9pm and features demos from Revolution Analytics, Thrupoint, Infragistics, and CB Insights (a graduate of the Fintech Innovation Labs incubator).  It will also be at Cooley, which is on the 46th floor of the Grace building on 42nd street between 5/6th avenue.  Event details are at www.meetup.com/ny-enterprise-tech.

 

To learn more about The NY Enterprise Technology Meetup, please email Jonathan Lehr at nyetmorganizer@gmail.com . You can also follow the group on twitter: @nyetm.

If you would like to have your group featured on the Do It In Person blog, please email info@doitinperson.com