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nyc today btw
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maggie gao reposted
Jun 22
Super excited to share that I’ve joined @thecollectiv3e as a Founding Fellow!
The Collective is an invite-only community of founders, operators, and builders shaping the next generation of startups across NYC, SF, Boston, and LA (soon!).
I’ll be helping to run events and build out our SF chapter.
If you want to meet the top 1% of founders, 10x your network, and attend cool events, we’re taking applications for the second cohort of members.
Comment dm me!
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For the first time ever, we’re opening up @thecollectiv3e talent network.
Over the last 6 months we’ve connected founders and top talent to help teams hire.
Everything is based on trust built within our community.
Starting today, you can apply to be shown to top startups hiring across engineering, GTM, ops, design, etc.
If you’re operating at the top of your field and want to be featured to 250 companies like Ramp, Lovable, etc...
Fill out this application - members.collective-join.com/…
* 100% free!
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maggie gao reposted
Jun 11
We’re super excited to announce our 2026 Fall Fellows!
Meet the fellows:
- @Sarah___Fan: USC, @uselemma_ai, @photonhq
- @createdbymason: UC Berkeley, @byhackathonco
- @michelletliu: UCLA, @sundaysinla, @figma, @Apple
- @maya_l39: Western Univ, Vercel, 8VC, Notion
- @roxiegrunenwald: Yale, @hquotientxyz, @DormRoomFund
- @IlyssaYan: Cornell, @designmeetuphq, @MongoDB, @Google
- @imalexwang: Georgia Tech, Vert, @paraformtalent
- @Christine Wu: Boston College, content creator
- @bellaxandrade: Harvard, @massaicoalition
- @lindictive: NYU, founder at @ohtnyc, @tryscope_app
- @tinajyao: UVA, Girls Who Innovate, content creator
- @catarina_chia: Santa Clara, @ToborlifeAI
- Maria Eberhardt: Boston Univ, Resolution, @tiktok_us
- Olivia Liu: UPenn, Venture Lab, Moso Capital
- Siddharth Rout: Columbia, founder at Stealth
- Miraya Jain: UIUC, Product Space, @DormRoomFund
The Collective exists to create spaces for ambitious young people shaping the world. We hand selected fellows from over 750 applications due to their understanding of culture, tech, and innovation.
This is one of the most talented groups we’ve ever seen and we’re excited to see what they accomplish.
Congrats to each one of them!!
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Today we're officially launching @thecollectiv3e.
Billion-dollar companies don’t come from ideas alone. They come from access to people and resources at the right time.
We’ve built The Collective to be a space for ambitious young people to supercharge their life’s work.
Over the last year, we've met thousands of the most talented young builders - people who are carving their own paths and aren't afraid to do things the unconventional way.
In the last 6 months alone:
- $15M raised by members
- $2M in revenue driven for members
- 5 companies launched
Up until this point we've been 100% in person - we’ve never even had a group chat.
Today we're sharing the platform we've built to directly address pain points we keep hearing - hiring, finding co-founders, fundraising, distribution, and more.
Members will get access to:
- our talent pool directory
- regular member-only events
- a private member portal Slack
- warm intro concierge to partners
- $500K in perks (@stripe, @ElevenLabs, etc.)
Currently accepting:
- Founders (any stage)
- Top talent open to startup work
- Operators, creators, and freelancers
- Select investors
Come build with us.
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maggie gao reposted
My mayor Muslim
My bagel Jewish
My cream cheese chive
Knicks in five
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Jun 9
I analyzed over 10 million lines of public data to build a (free) tool for NYC renters.
You can check any building across all five boroughs.
It consolidates rent stabilization records, bedbug, pest, and mold reports, and management company patterns.
In the last 5 years across NYC apartment buildings:
- 43% had immediately hazardous violations
- 39% had confirmed bedbugs
- 34% had mold complaints
Some features:
- rent stabilization status
- bedbug, pest, and mold reports
- a 0-100 health score for every building
- data aggregated by management company
- search by any address or click into a neighborhood
check your building before you sign.
nycstoops.com
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I'm hiring for @thecollectiv3e!
We're onboarding our second cohort of fellows - come work with me and @maggiexgao.
The fellowship is split into two tracks:
🔸 Media & content fellows
🔸 Operations & scout fellows
We'll guarantee you the most rewarding side quest of your career. From our first cohort this year, we only selected 9 fellows out of 350 applications.
Here's what to expect:
You'll meet the top 0.01% of founders and investors, 10x your network, host cool events, and we'll mentor you 1-on-1 to grow your personal brand and find your dream job.
--
Drop a comment like and repost to apply.
I'll DM you the application link directly.
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maggie gao reposted
May 18
We're hosting a startup basketball tournament at Boston tech week!
May 27th, 5pm.
Here's what you get:
⭐ Custom jerseys (yours to keep)
⭐ Snacks, drinks, recovery
⭐ Prizes for the winners (custom balls / merch a @buddydesignco giveaway)
Apply here: lnkd.in/e6QSZPFQ
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I built Beli for NYC cafes.
It updates live with community ratings, lets you search by neighborhood, and saves wifi passwords.
I've been collecting the best WFH locations in New York for last 6 months and consolidated them here.
Some fun features:
- interactive map
- community reviews
- saved WiFi passwords
- live open/closed status
- pet-friendly status
- category rankings (workability, coffee, food, vibe, music, and crowd)
Add your favorite cafe - need more recs in Brooklyn / other boroughs!
nyccafelist.com
I created a list of my favorite cafes to work at in NYC.
Coffee shops > offices.
I started my company inside a coffee shop.
Beautiful spaces. Good energy. Surrounded by people locking in. And you randomly meet the most interesting people.
My list includes the cafe name, neighborhood, and a proprietary, confidential scoring system based on:
- Work space (tables, outlets, WiFi, design)
- Food (quality, options, price)
- Music (playlist, can you take calls)
- People (do interesting people go here)
- Coffee (does it hit)
- Vibes (overall energy)
I'd love to share this list with you add new spots.
Comment "CAFE" and I'll DM you the list.
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I'm hosting a founder Game Night in NYC.
Thursday. 5/14. Chelsea townhouse.
@thecollectiv3e
Poker, board games, food, drink, and cool ppl.
Dm for invite.
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I'm hosting the world's biggest startup basketball tournament.
We're crowning Boston’s #1 hoops team.
May 27th at 5pm. For founders, investors, and startup teams. 3v3.
Here's what you get:
⭐ Custom jerseys (yours to keep)
⭐ Custom game balls
⭐ Snacks, drinks, recovery
⭐ Prizes for the winning team
Brought to you by @thecollectiv3e & @speedrun.
RSVP here: partiful.com/e/3DsvWlYqIH8gM…
Thank you to our partners @SiliconVlyBank, @FenwickWest, @Zendesk, and @Techweek_!
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Running back Founder basketball but this time we are coming to Boston…. @speedrun x @thecollectiv3e
Wednesday, May 27th @ 5pm
See you there 🏀
RSVP: partiful.com/e/3DsvWlYqIH8gM…
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May 5
RT @jonaswillett1: New media is the future.
The next few years will be dominated by newsletters and live streams.
@a16z just invested in…
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hosting an event with @thecollectiv3e in NYC and need a cool venue...
if you have a sick apartment / space - dm me!
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maggie gao reposted
Apr 28
[Founder Game Night].
4/23. North Beach, SF.
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The IRL connection economy at work ;) One of the best events we’ve hosted in the cafe.
Thank you @jonaswillett1 @maggiexgao and supporting folks at @xai and @SiliconVlyBank 🫶
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maggie gao reposted
Apr 22
Hosting a game night w @xai & @AngelList on April 23 for founders, operators, & investors. Limited to 60 ppl — 500 on the waitlist. DM me ASAP to get in
h/t @jonaswillett1 @maggiexgao @irinson
@ishand @forwarddeploy @xbxnxdxcxtx
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I got my job from hosting an event with Jonas and Maggie! Plus they are my actual friends...Not many people can do community work like this but they are built for it.
The IRL connection economy is a $400B market.
And companies are racing to own it.
In the last 6 months, $800M in capital was deployed on "IRL" bets.
@Tinder invested $60M into a new Events feature for connecting matches in-person. They're pivoting to IRL and offering experiences such as speakeasies, raves, and pottery classes.
@222place: raised a $10.1M Series A to curate blind social experiences for Gen Z. Personality-matched groups sent to hyperlocal nightlife events.
@JagermeisterUSA launched BestNightsVC - the only venture fund in the world dedicated solely to nightlife and IRL connection. 16 portfolio companies across 4 continents.
@timeleft: dinner with 5 strangers, every Wednesday. €18M ARR. 6,500 dinners/week across 200 cities.
Dion: members-only social app where the first move is buying someone a real drink, redeemed IRL. 10K members, 30K on the waitlist founded by @revekkapal.
Pie: Bonobos founder @dunn built an IRL friendship app. $24M raised. 130K MAU.
@weroad_official: group trips for 20-30 year olds who don't know each other beforehand. $150M valuation.
Matchbox: is an algorithm-powered matching platform for IRL events and has powered over 100,000 connections. founded by @liamjmcgregor (prev @MarriagePact)
New dating apps like Known @Celesteamadon, Cerca @MylesCerca, and Ditto @AllenWangzian are aiming to improve connection amongst young people.
Billion-dollar companies are paying $$$ for community and events leads:
- @AnthropicAI: Marketing Events Manager ($255k)
- @tryramp: Community Manager ($223k)
- @tryramp: Events & Culture Manager ($181k)
- @duolingo: Senior Community Manager ($193k)
- @NotionHQ: Community Programs Lead
Everyone knows the more time we spend online, the more valuable real-life connection becomes.
The question isn't whether IRL wins.
It's who facilitates it best.
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