From Burning Man to Launching Startups: It’s All About Networking

When we hear the word «networking», we usually think about it in a business context, but in reality, networking is all about meeting people, establishing a connection and helping each other out. And it can happen even outside of a coworking (or office) in the places you least expect. We’ve talked to Dmitry Seregin, the CBDO and Co-founder at Subty, a consumer subscription marketplace and budgeting tool app,  about how his drive to travel and explore led his company to a launch on a new market overseas.

Before working at Subty I was mainly working at corporations – so I never had to network on purpose. Actually, most of the time I had to avoid people because there were so many requests. But since I’m a generally active and outgoing person, I always liked meeting someone new and getting introduced to new experiences. So, after we decided to move the company overseas – the first thing I did in the United States was to go to Burning Man. 

Principles of Burning Man 

Besides being one of the world’s most famous event, Burning man is also a community based on 10 main principles: 

• Radical Inclusion – anyone can become a part of the community and of any activity included; 
• Gifting – the community appreciates when anyone can give an unconditional gift to another;
• Decommodification – the community is free of any commercial sponsorships or transactions; 
• Radical Self-reliance – everyone in the community relies on their inner resources;  
• Radical Self-expression – anyone can be themselves without limitations;
• Communal Effort – the community values are creative cooperation and collaboration. 
• Civic Responsibility – every activity performed at the event should be done with the respect to the community;
• Leaving No Trace – the community of Burning Man respects the environment, leaving it in a better state than were found; 
• Participation – the community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. 
• Immediacy – everyone in the community is devoted to having an immediate experience. 

Intch App – Your Chief Networking Officer Try it

Following these common principles makes hundreds of thousands people all over the world a community. While everyone comes to Burning Man to have fun and make memories, it is also a place that allows to establish meaningful connections fast because at the event you can solve complex problems together. After Burning Man I was left with several hundred contacts of various people from the globe – and with some of them we kept in touch and started founding new communities at home. After a while I realized how diverse the crowd was – and how useful these contacts might become in the future. 

Starting over with a great network

This year after months of research the Subty team decided to step into a new market – and the team (and myself) moved to the States. And the first people to help us in the new country were the people that I met at the Burning Man community.  They were the first to help with everything – from contacts of their friends for renting an apartment, to vendors who helped us start a business. I got in touch with over 40 people from my contact list at Burning Man – and over 20 of them are interested in Subty as new investors. This helps because starting over in a new country is incredibly stressful – and it’s great to have a network of contacts to rely on while developing a business. 

Now we are getting ready for our first road show to raise a round of investments in the US – so, if you have any questions about developing a start-up, looking for funding or launching on a new market – send me a message on Intch!