Having just recently moved from London to the San Francisco Bay Area, I am going through the process of learning about the best payments and technology groups, forums and clubs in this area. Many of these groups also have on-line resources that make some, and in some cases most, material easily accessible to everybody. Below is a list with some of the best groups I have found for your reference.
BayPay Forum: If you are a member of the payment industry, you are invited to join BayPay, a networking group of the Silicon Valley focused on payments and composed exclusively of members in the payment community or investors in this area.
Within LinkedIn: Search for BayPay in the Groups Directory. It is a very active group with almost 3,000 members. Aside from being a great source of news and information, its greatest value resides in the interaction among members.
From my experience, everybody is very responsive and posts turn into meaty conversations frequently. All members are payment experts and most are willing to continue conversing off-line either on the phone or in person.
BayPay Website: Registering is free and easy to do. It will give you access to 1) A list of BayPay organized and sponsored events around the world; 2) Videos of past presentations; 3) Key payment news and 4) Access to other payment experts.Make sure to introduce yourself to Daniel Chatelain, Founder and Managing Director of The BayPay Forum. He is very knowledgeable and has many great contacts in the area.
PYMNTS.COM and NYPAY: Although these organizations are not based or focused on the Bay Area, they are also great sources of information and contacts. Most people linked to BayPay are also active in PYMNTS.COM and, although NYPAY seems to be much more ‘popular’ among East Coast professionals, it is growing fast around the world. Both have LinkedIn Groups as well as their own websites. I would also recommend reaching out to David True, President and Board Member of NYPAY - another great contact to have in the industry.
Link Silicon Valley: It is a directory with over 10,700 companies comprised of IPO companies, startups, acquired or liquidated companies, and VC firms. It helps its users connect with the people who build and fund the technology companies of Silicon Valley.
The core information provided includes contact information of key management, outside board members, VCs, customers, strategic partners, and other information typically found in corporate press releases. You can view information, which is updated daily, from lots of different angles and ‘connect all the dots’.
You can access some of the information for free and then subscribe to have full access. Give it a try. It’s worth it! And do not hesitate to also reach out to Bob Karr, the CEO and Founder of Link Silicon Valley. He is fun, extremely welcoming and always in-the-know.
Churchill Club: Their focus is ‘to cultivate a one-stop-shop of world-class people—people like yourself—that ignites the kinds of conversations that lead to new ideas, enlivened dreams and personal motivation.’ The Churchill Club, with over 6,500 members, hosts between 30 and 40 events each year, all of them featuring industry and government local and national leaders. The events are a great opportunity to learn, be inspired and meet very interesting people.
MIT/Stanford Venture Lab: It is ‘the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the growth and success of high-tech entrepreneurial ventures by connecting ideas, technology and people.’ Although I have not yet attended any of their events (they do not run any in July, August and December), a few friends of mine have raved about them. No wonder considering that MIT and Stanford are involved!
SVForum: It ‘fosters innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership within the Silicon Valley ecosystem of individuals and businesses participating in emerging technologies.’ It focuses on ‘1) Creating connections and community; 2) Providing education and access to resources’ 3) Linking the global business community to Silicon Valley, and 4) Facilitating the exchange of unbiased knowledge, insights and best practices.’
They have developed 12 different Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that range from Business Intelligence and Health Care IT to Digital Media and E-Commerce. Whatever your interest, they are probably covering it!
MeetUp: A lot of Bay Area groups post their activities and meetings on MeetUp. It is free to register / use the site and it has many tools to help you find interest groups near your location. For example, it was via MeetUp that I follow SVForums Marketing SIG activites and that I found Women Entrepreneurs of the Bay Area (WEBA).
There are endless opportunities to learn and network in the Bay Area and I am happy to now be local and have easy access to all of them! Let me know of other groups that have been helpful to you.