I am embarking on a 50 coffee meetings challenge.

50 coffee meetings. It should stick in your head as a metaphor for networking. For getting outside of your comfort zone. For starting relationships today that won’t pay off for a year. It’s the entrepreneur’s equivalent of “10,000 hours.”

Carolyn Van picked ING Direct Cafe for our coffee meeting – that’s where she often spends her coffee breaks as a co-founder and head of sharks of Third Ocean, among all other cool things she does. Carolyn is truly passionate and knowledgable about all things digital and innovative, and I will be watching her new initiative Venus Ventures closely. We need more smart women like her in the startup community, and we need to support each other as professionals, entrepreneurs and friends.

Because, to quote another brilliant entrepreneur Sarah Prevette, “The most powerful tool we have is each other”. Carolyn Van quickly grasped the brilliance of the 50 coffees idea and joined the movement – starting her own 50 coffees soon. 

Carolyn, I loved our coffee. Thank you for the encouragement, willingness to help and many bright ideas. I’m looking forward to being your coffee #9. I feel like we barely scratched the surface of what can be, so let’s get together again