Mark Shepherd has transformed London Tech Drinks into Gathr, expanding its community.
- Initially a small meet-up, the forum now encompasses almost 10,000 members.
- Gathr operates three verticals: Connect, Learn, and Find, to support tech businesses.
- The community aids founders, investors, and operators in overcoming growth challenges.
- Gathr, endorsed by industry leaders, offers a trusted platform for service recommendations.
Mark Shepherd, founder of the notable gathering known as London Tech Drinks, has reimagined the community as Gathr. From its humble beginnings as casual meet-ups initiated through LinkedIn posts, the group has burgeoned into a robust forum, engaging nearly 10,000 individuals from the tech sector, including founders, investors, and service providers.
Initially, the community was conceived to provide a social outlet for tech entrepreneurs in London, with Shepherd’s first LinkedIn invitation expecting a modest turnout. “London Tech Drinks started out in Feb 2022, as a single post on LinkedIn asking if anyone wanted to meet up and go for a drink in response to my own mental health challenges and the desire to bring like-minded people together,” Shepherd explains. Contrary to expectations, the idea resonated widely, facilitating a considerable growth of the community.
Gathr now operates through three core verticals—Gathr to Connect, Gathr to Learn, and Gathr to Find. This structure is instrumental in its endeavour to bolster tech companies by fostering connections, enhancing knowledge, and locating top-tier service providers. Each vertical is aligned with Gathr’s overarching goal of addressing the barriers to success that tech enterprises frequently encounter.
The most recent addition, Gathr to Find, presents a business-to-business marketplace driven by community recommendations. This strategic addition endeavours to streamline the process of locating competent service and software providers, allowing businesses to focus on growth and execution strategies.
The credibility and utility of Gathr are amplified by endorsements from industry leaders. Arabella Reeves, former Platform Manager at Atomico, attests to the platform’s value: “By aggregating meticulously curated recommendations from highly reputable VCs, founders and operators worldwide, Gathr has created an incredibly valuable and trustworthy platform that will help save time and energy in researching the best-in-class providers.”
Gathr stands as a transformative initiative facilitating the tech community’s growth and success.
