NYC x NJ: The Community Collab We’ve All Been Waiting For

For a long time, tech events intimidated me.

Not because of the technology, but because of the language.
The polished titles. The LinkedIn bios that read like résumés written by a PR team.

“Head of Strategy.”
“Principal Architect.”
“Global Lead of Something Important.”

Nothing wrong with those roles. The people holding them? Often brilliant, kind, and willing to help. But when I first walked into those rooms, I felt like I had missed the memo on how to be in tech.

I didn’t talk like them.
I didn’t come from the same places.
And my intro didn’t come with keywords that earned approving nods.

So, I shrank. I assumed I was in the wrong room. I assumed everyone else had it figured out, and I was just catching up.

Turns out, I was wrong.

The Lie We Quietly Believe at Tech Events

If you’ve ever walked into a tech space and felt like you had to prove something just to stay in the room, you’re not alone.

There’s a quiet system that creeps into events like these. Certain titles get more attention. Some people speak, and the room leans in. Others speak, and the conversation moves on.

This has nothing to do with actual value. It has everything to do with perception.

I used to think that to be taken seriously, I needed to talk like a founder. Pitch like an exec. Drop acronyms like candy.

But the truth is: those people? They’re still learning too. Behind the job titles are humans trying to figure it out, same as the rest of us.

Showing Up as Yourself Is Enough

Instead of trying to mimic what I thought tech people sounded like, I focused on what I actually cared about: building connections that didn’t feel forced. Asking better questions. Listening more.

And things changed.

Conversations got real and people opened up.
I realized no one had all the answers, just different pieces of the puzzle.

That was the turning point. I stopped chasing permission to belong and started showing up as someone who brings something unique to the table, even if it doesn’t sound like what’s on someone else’s resume.

NYC + NJ Showed Up and Proved It Works

When I organized the 2026 Kickoff Happy Hour, I wasn’t just planning an event. I was testing an idea that bringing different communities together could create real connection, not surface-level networking.

And it worked.

People from NYC and NJ showed up, filled the room, and stayed long after the mic went cold. They shared ideas, traded contacts, laughed, collaborated.

It reminded me that the best tech spaces don’t start with credentials. They start with curiosity.

Big shoutout to our community partners, Rocket Mixer, F3, The Generative AI Network, Tranquilla AI, and HotspotsNJ,  for helping make this vision real and bringing so many bold minds into the same room.

No scripts. No hierarchy.
Just energy and intention.

We’re going to keep building that.

See you at the next one.