Community building in the

21st centuryThe people-powered origins of

General Assembly

Matthew BrimerGENERAL ASSEMBLY

About Me

■ Graduated from Yale, moved to NYC

■ Previous startup failed, never had real “job”

■ Founded General AssemblyNow: $50MM in funding, 500+ employees, campuses in 14 cities globally

■ Started (very large) side project — DAYBREAKER Now: 9 cities globally and counting. For a separate talk!

@brimer #hustlecon

The Problem

The Problem

■ Rewind to 2009: Recession hit NYC, tech was transforming every industry

■ The New York tech scene was burgeoning but disjointed and ad hoc

■ People were seeking new career paths, new skills, new inspiration

@brimer #hustlecon

The Solution

The Solution

@brimer #hustlecon

Let’s create a community nucleus for the startup ecosystem in NYC - housed in a real, physical place!

How we did it

#hustlecon

1. Activate the core2. Give karma, get karma3. Establish clear norms and values4. Create meaningful offline experiences5. Balance curation with openness

6. Be authentic and live your mission

@brimer

1 / 6

Activate the core

Activate the core

#hustlecon@brimer

■ Focus your early efforts on building a powerful core of true believers

■ Examples:○ 1:1 coffees○ Group dinners○ Space tours○ Manually building email list○ Pre-sold memberships before launch

■ Early adopters you cultivate become evangelists

2 / 6

Give karma, get karma

Give karma, get karma

#hustlecon

Give! Be as useful as possible. Connect, inspire, support.

@brimer

■ Well-placed intros add value to the ecosystem — everyone benefits■ The karma you send out inevitably comes back to you

3 / 6

Establish clear norms and values

Establish clear norms and value

#hustlecon

Codify the founding principles of the brand early to shape the community’s ethos

@brimer

■ We encouraged a culture of reciprocity through a “I’m offering / I need” offline bulletin board and online email list

Establish clear norms and value

#hustlecon@brimer

1. People before the machine2. Learning by doing3. Journey over destination4. Passion + purpose5. Curiosity over apathy6. Own your path

We chose these values to inspire and drive our community:

Create meaningful offline experiences4 / 6

Create meaningful offline experiences

#hustlecon@brimer

■ Think offline UX design! Create experiences that are magical and memorable. Engage people IRL.

■ Examples:○ Live bands + dance parties instead of boring happy hours○ Heart Beats (social event with no work-talk allowed)○ Intimate fireside chats with amazing people

■ People connect far more deeply offline than online

Balance curation with openness5 / 6

Balance curation with openness

#hustlecon@brimer

■ A tightly-curated membership yields quality people and interaction, yet can be unwelcoming / too “clubby” to those on the outside

■ Example:○ We balanced the two with multiple levels of engagement:

classes/workshops/events open to the public, but membership & courses were selective

Be authentic and live your mission6 / 6

Be authentic and live your mission

#hustlecon@brimer

■ Be earnest, be authentic, care about your people. The spirit of your community should flow from within you. Live your community’s values.

■ Examples:○ It should feel like a grassroots political campaign!

■ As the community builder, you are a convener, a facilitator, and a public servant — not a celebrity!

A “nucleus” of the startup ecosystem

A “nucleus” of the startup ecosystem

#hustlecon@brimer

■ Within 6 months of launch, people were telling us that GA was the central nucleus of the NYC startup ecosystem

■ 10x the number of applicants that we could physically accept into the space and almost every night we were running a sold-out class, workshop, or event

■ Our community + brand became well-known and respected in the industry, and we realized we had a much bigger vision on our hands

#hustlecon@brimer

The Future

The Future

#hustlecon@brimer

■ Helping people transform their lives for the better and empowering them to pursue their calling

■ Building a long-term educational institution (to last for decades!)

■ Growing our community to become indispensable, personally and professionally, for our alumni

■ Continue to expand around the globe, both online and offline

http://ga.co@GA

MATTHEW BRIMERCO-FOUNDER

#hustlecon@brimer

Twitter: @brimer Facebook: /brimer Instagram: /brimer

#hustleconwww.hustlecon.com