IvyConnect celebrated their one year anniversary by throwing a intimate fete and panel discussion with inspiring innovators from the IvyConnect community. Panelist included Ntiedo Etuk, CEO of DimensionU, Seema Mody CNBC Correspondent, Hillary Schafer, Executive Director of Jefferson Awards for Public Service, Nick Taranto, Co-Founder of Plated, and Marine Reserves Jourdan Urbach, Renowned Virtuoso, Violinist & Composer. The Cadillac sponsored event took place at Bleecker Streets Arts Club and attended by many members of IvyConnect, along with media professionals. Guests were able to get up close and personal with Ivy Connect executives, including founders Beri Meric and Philipp Triebel.
In case you didn’t know, IvyConnect is a “members-only” club which is currently thriving throughout New York City, Washington D.C., Boston and with plans to expand throughout the country in the coming months. Members currently consist of entrepreneurs and young professionals in various fields.
I had the great pleasure of speaking with Meric and Triebel to get some insight into their IvyConnect company and much more.
Beri’s Answers
Where did the name IvyConnect come from?
We love the word Ivy – it has global cultural resonance, and alludes to depth, intellect, growth and dynamism, all at the same time.
What was the highlight of your first year with IvyConnect?
Our first anniversary event this week. It was an amazing privilege to have our whole team and the incredibly supportive members of our community in my room. Everything we’ve achieved is thanks to them, and their thoughts and ideas will continue to shape all we stand to do in the future.
You mentioned starting a few companies with your business partner before ivy connect. What advice would you give to inspiring entrepreneurs?
Have conviction, and never give up! Perseverance is the core ingredient to success, and conviction holds the key to perseverance. You need to have conviction in your ideas, but it’s the most important thing to have conviction in yourself (as your ideas will always evolve). No matter what goes wrong, if you have the passion to keep learning, improving, and persevering, you will eventually refine your endeavor into something people truly love. The only way to truly fail is to give up.
Fun Questions
What would you do in the event of a zombie apocalypse?
ZombieConnect
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Relentless
Philipp’s answers
Tell us about IvyConnect members.
Our members are inspired individuals who are passionate about making a significant positive impact in the world. They are driven, intellectually curious, open-minded, imaginative, adventurous and compassionate. The strength of our community is rooted in the diversity of our member-base, ranging from inspiring entrepreneurs and innovative professionals to emerging artistic and intellectual talent. Our members’ age ranges from 25 to 45 with the average age being 31.
What are the benefits to being an IvyConnect member?
Our members benefit from being part of a community of like minded people. Everything we do is designed to create multi-dimensional experience that’s highly social, intellectually stimulating and culturally enriching. Our members enjoy bi-weekly events, ranging from private viewings at art galleries, symphony and theater performances, speaker events, film screenings, dinner & cocktail parties as well as volunteering events. All our events occur on a regular basis across all of our cities to encourage spontaneous interactions, which help foster a genuine sense of fellowship and community. We also actively introduce our members to each other, both at our events and via our online platform, both within and between IvyConnect cities. Our members also enjoy IvyCard benefits that include preferred access to cultural institutions and numerous lifestyle brands.
What are your goals for the next year? Can we expect anything expansions?
Our key goals for our second year can be split into the following three pillars:
- Geographic expansion: Following thriving chapters in New York City, Washington DC and Boston, we will be expanding to LA in two weeks, followed by San Francisco in April, Chicago in June, and Miami in September. Using these seven markets as our base, we will then expand our community across international capitals to ultimately establish a community in all major cities around the world. In 2014 we will host more than 200 thought-provoking social experiences across 7 major US cities. With a presence in each global city, members will have access to a built-in community of like-minded peers, and be able to access benefits and privileges unique to that city.
- Expand our Creative Partnerships: We will continue to partner with extraordinary organizations that share our values around innovation, creativity, and collaboration. Some partnerships for 2014 include Cadillac (we launched the Ivy Innovator Awards presented by Cadillac to recognize and support the next generation of leading minds in the fields of Technology, Film, and Design. More details here: http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/cadillac/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2014/Feb/0219-ivyconnect.html), Fox Searchlight Pictures (special advanced screenings of widely anticipated independent movies, starting with Dom Hemingway advanced screenings in April across NYC, DC, BOS, LA) and Jefferson Awards (strategic Partnership to promote the “nobel prize” equivalent for public service in the US, providing IvyConnect engagement through joint volunteering and mentorship)
- A call to action for our members to collaborate and make an impact on society at large: We’ve created a community of more than 5,000 members across NYC, DC and Boston in our first year, and as we grow, a key goal in our second year is to get our members to collaborate in a way that truly matters and makes a big positive impact on the world.
What makes IvyConnect different from other members only clubs?
First and foremost IvyConnect is a true community of like-minded, intellectually curious, open-minded people who are all passionate about making a significant positive impact in the world. Our goal is to create an authentic interpersonal bond between our members, and to foster enjoyable experiences and meaningful collaborations that ultimately stand to make the world a better place. IvyConnect provides a multi-dimensional experience for all members that is social, culturally enriching, intellectually stimulating and professionally rewarding. Also, our team gets to know each of our members individually, and we interview all prospective members on a one-on-one basis. We also actively introduce them to each other, both in person at our events and through our online platform. Lastly, we partner with best-in-class global brands that are designed to elevate the experience of our members and amplify the impact of our community.
Fun Questions
What was the last costume you wore?
I was a Vampire at our Halloween Party last year at the DL Rooftop – you can see our photo gallery here: https://www.ivy.com/events/new-york-halloween-party
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Connector
To learn more about Ivy Connect or to request a membership, please visit www.ivy.com. Good Luck!
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