Business in Boston

July 5, 2012 8:11 PM

Moving to Boston to join a new tech startup. How can I quickly get involved in the tech startup community?

(I'm asking anonymously because I'm currently in the process of finalizing the details. I'll be back on MeFi in the coming weeks to followup, maybe even meetup with some of you in the Boston area if you're interested.)

I will be overseeing marketing and communication (among 12 other things; startups, amirite?) for a new startup in Boston.

1. This isn't my first startup.
2. I'm married, in my 30s, and a family guy... but I'm accustomed to late nights and early mornings for business gatherings.
3. The startup will most likely (initially) be based in Brookline (Corey Hill-ish).

I want to hit the ground running when I get to town and

With regard to events, I'll pretty much give anything that doesn't involve strip clubs or illegal drugs a chance. Beer, coffee, water... I drink all. I'm curious about the different groups, meetups, associations, blogs, events, breakfast clubs, etc., that are available in the Boston area.

With regard to other resources (blogs, associations, sites) what do I need to be reading and/or joining?

What one bit of advice would you give to a startup Boston n00b who is getting their feet wet?

posted by anonymous to Technology (9 answers total)

Granted, it was my only time at a tech startup event in Boston, but I went to a Web Innovators Group meeting, and it was a pretty nice event. Huge turnout, and it seemed like a great opportunity to meet people and see what other types of companies are in Boston.
posted by deansfurniture5 at 8:32 PM on July 5, 2012

There are tons of organizations that are independent of particular companies that are of interest!

Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council

Venture Café

Microsoft NERD hosts events. (like Music Hack Day)

Google Developers Group

Many other user groups.
posted by mkb at 8:50 PM on July 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

Lunches at the Berkman Center.
posted by morninj at 10:00 PM on July 5, 2012

mkb offered a good list. In general, I found that organizers favored EventBrite for ticketing and head count, so check there for public groups and one off events.

I could better direct you if I knew your market or technologies, so mail me when you find your voice. I was deep in the Boston (software) startup scene and would be happy to answer any questions.
posted by nominal at 1:43 AM on July 6, 2012

One stop shop: Get on the Monday morning VentureFizz mailing list, and everything will flow from there.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:25 AM on July 6, 2012

On the more tech end, Boston PHP is one of the more active technology Meetup groups in the area, and has great seminars (topics much broader than PHP). Upcoming meetups are on Continuous Integration, Picking the Perfect Domain Name, Browser Wars, etc.
posted by lillygog at 6:12 AM on July 6, 2012

Tedx just happened but you should check out the Facebook page and try to go next year. It's very startup heavy.
posted by UMDirector at 9:28 AM on July 6, 2012

I live and work five minutes from Corey Hill in Brookline. Feel free to memail me when you get to town. I'm happy to take you out for a cup of coffee.

(I'm in the tech scene in Boston --- more lifestyle than startup --- and there's also Brookline stuff to talk about assuming you're living as well as working here.)
posted by alms at 11:56 AM on July 6, 2012

All of the above plus the Lean Startup Circle Boston. Great group for startup related discussions and topics.
posted by fremen at 2:47 PM on July 6, 2012