Andrew Yeung's Second Act
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Andrew Yeung is preparing for his second act.
The 28-year-old former Google product manager made a name for himself organizing tech meetups and parties in New York City during Covid.
In 2020, he arrived in the city knowing no one so he set about building a community. He started by using Twitter to invite engineers and tech founders to meet in Central Park.
Those events grew organically until he was hosting parties for thousands of people on the roof of the Williamsburg Hotel. Business Insider described him as The Gatsby of Silicon Alley.
The meetups stood out because the events were free and attracted a crowd of young startup founders from Brooklyn starved to assemble in real life. He was also innovative in posting invitations on social media, insisting on name tags and arranging greeters to encourage mingling.
Andrew tapped into a pent-up demand to connect in a less formal, but intentional way.
It was business but felt personal.
Now, Andrew is switching gears with his first big conference this weekend, a meeting of 500 entrepreneurs at a venue in Queens. There will be speakers, panels and networking along with an after party.
The idea is to attract founders and entrepreneurs to share insights on how to start and grow a business. It’s called OOO, which stands for Owners, Operators and Outliers. Andrew wants it to have the vibe of a Ted Talk, not a traditional, stuffy conference.
Andrew explained the desire to branch out by saying that while his previous focus was on helping people connect, now he wants to help them build.
In part that reflects his own situation. He left Google last year to start his own events company and has extended his reach to host events in cities from San Francisco to Miami to Austin (during the South by Southwest festival.)
The idea of scheduling the conference for a Saturday in the middle of August was intentional. It screens for ambitious people, he said. The site outside Manhattan makes it more likely people will come and stay, not drop in.
For speakers, Andrew has invited entrepreneurs and people he has learned the most from including, Ankur Nagpal, founder of Carry and Teachable; Sam Parr, founder of the Hustle; Alex Lieberman, co-founder of Morning Brew and Steph Smith, podcast host and an advisor at a16z.
Andrew said that 80 percent of the attendees identify as C-suite, entrepreneurs or founders. The people coming work on average at companies with $3.8 million in revenue and 13 employees.
Andrew said he hopes to put on five similar events next year.
The conference ends Sunday with a session to relax at Othership, a downtown bathhouse that offers breathwork, sauna and ice baths.
Andrew, it is safe to say, will be taking the plunge.
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