Here is my original 1 minute pitch of Party with a Local at Startup Weekend Amsterdam in July 2011 (which went on to win the most votes of the Friday pitches & formed a team of 9 very talented people who banded together to take it from idea to reality, and make a working prototype in 1 weekend!). A lot has changed & we’ve tried a lot of different things in the year since then… but the core of the idea is exactly the same today:
Hi, my name is Dan. I’m from Australia and I run my own Online Marketing company here in Amsterdam called Amplify Media.
My idea is called Party with a Local and it solves the problem of traveling to a city you’ve never been to before and having a shit night out! I’ve done a lot of traveling (and a lot of partying) and I’ve always found you have a MUCH better time going out when you meet locals! But it’s not always easy to meet locals.
Party with a Local solves this problem. It’s about bringing travelers and locals together for real-life meet-ups, meeting up for a drink in a new city with a friendly local happy to show you around their city’s nightlife.
As well as a website for finding locals, there’s also an App which is location-based & real-time (check on your phone for locals to meet up with). It’s linked to Facebook for profiles, linked to Foursquare for check-ins. Basically it’s a cross between Couch Surfing (without the couch) & an app like Grindr (without the nudity & sex).
What I need are Developers to build it, Designers to make it look cool & someone to help me on the business side. If you’re interested come and see me after, I’ll be at the Ping Pong table!
By Dan Fennessy
Some photos from Startup Weekend Amsterdam:
Startup Weekend Amsterdam - mentoring from Mathys van Abbe, Founder Mobypicture
Startup Weekend Amsterdam Day 2 - Breakfast with the team
Startup Weekend Amsterdam - final pitch & jury questions
Startup Weekend Amsterdam - everybody jump!
