Starteryou Investor Dinner | Bananas, 7 PM
- Date
- 2026-05-29
- Location
- More info: https://starteryou.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mblingo, New York, NY, USA
- Host
- Propel Earth
About this event
If you do your best thinking over a good meal and a sharp conversation, this dinner is built for you. Starteryou Investor Dinner | Bananas, 7 PM brings people together in New York for an evening that blends real relationship-building with the kind of candid, small-group discussion that rarely happens at larger networking events. This is not a loud room full of forced intros or rushed elevator pitches. It’s a more grounded format: sit down, talk shop, meet people worth knowing, and leave with a clearer sense of who is building what, where opportunities are emerging, and who you want to stay in touch with after the night ends. About the Event This is an in-person investor dinner and community gathering organized under the Starteryou umbrella. The focus is simple: create a setting where founders, investors, operators, and well-connected members of the startup community can actually talk to each other in a way that feels useful, relaxed, and worth showing up for. Because the event is centered around dinner, the format naturally encourages longer conversations rather than quick exchanges. That matters. People tend to share more context, ask better questions, and make stronger first impressions when there’s time to settle in and move beyond surface-level networking. The event is tagged across food-drink, community, networking, meetup, and social, which gives a good sense of its character. Expect an atmosphere that is professional without being stiff, social without being random, and intentionally designed for people who want to expand their circle in a more thoughtful way. If you’ve been looking for a New York startup event that feels more curated and less transactional, this is likely the right fit. The dinner setting creates room for both business-minded discussion and the kind of informal rapport that often leads to future meetings, referrals, partnerships, or investor relationships. What to Expect You should expect an evening that revolves around conversation, introductions, and shared table energy rather than a packed stage program. The title suggests a dinner-first experience, so the main value will come from who is in the room, how the conversation unfolds, and the quality of the connections you make over the course of the night. A typical flow for an event like this may include: Arrival and check-in around the listed start time Informal mingling and introductions as guests gather Dinner and table conversation with a mix of professional and social discussion Relationship-building throughout the evening, including follow-up exchanges and intros between attendees You can also expect a more natural pace than at a standard mixer. Instead of constantly moving from one conversation to the next, you’ll likely have the chance to spend meaningful time with a smaller number of people. That can be far more productive, especially if you’re trying to understand someone’s investment thesis, startup focus, operating experience, or current priorities. Bring your curiosity and a point of view. The best investor dinners work when attendees come prepared to talk about what they’re building, what they’re seeing in the market, what they’re looking for, and where they can help others. That makes the room better for everyone. Why Attend There’s a big difference between collecting contacts and building actual momentum. This dinner is valuable because it puts you in a setting where trust forms faster and conversations get more specific. If you want to meet people who can shape your next step, context matters, and dinner creates that context. For founders, this can be a strong environment to sharpen how you talk about your company, your traction, or your next raise. For investors, it’s a chance to hear what operators and builders are seeing on the ground. For startup professionals more broadly, it’s an opportunity to plug into a room where introductions can carry real weight. You may walk away with: New investor or founder relationships worth following up on Better visibility into what people in your ecosystem are working on Useful market insight gathered through direct conversation Warmer future touchpoints than you’d get from cold outreach alone A stronger sense of community within the New York startup scene Just as important, this kind of event helps you stay present in the rooms where opportunities often begin quietly. Many meaningful partnerships, investments, hires, and referrals do not start with a formal pitch. They start with a dinner conversation where the right people have enough time to actually connect. Practical Details The event takes place in person in New York, USA on Friday, May 29 at 7:00 PM EDT. Since this is a dinner gathering, arriving on time is especially worthwhile. Early arrival gives you a better chance to settle in, meet people before conversations lock in, and make the most of the room from the start. The listing includes additional organizer and background links here: More info: https://starteryou.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mblingo Because this is an in-person social and networking dinner, it’s smart to come prepared for both professional and casual conversation. You don’t need a speech, but you should be ready to introduce yourself clearly, explain what you’re working on, and share what kinds of people or opportunities you’re hoping to meet. If you’re deciding whether to attend, the key question is simple: do you want a more substantive way to meet people in the startup and investor community than a standard mixer offers? If yes, this dinner is a strong bet. It brings together food, conversation, and a focused community in a format that gives real connections a better chance to happen.
Who should attend
This is for people who want stronger conversations and better connections than a typical networking event usually delivers. - **You’re a founder** looking to meet investors, peers, or connectors in a setting where you can talk in full sentences instead of rushing through a pitch. - **You’re an investor or angel** who values hearing directly from builders, operators, and other market participants in a more relaxed, candid environment. - **You work in startups, venture, or adjacent ecosystems** and want to stay close to the people, ideas, and opportunities shaping the New York scene. - **You’re a strong networker who prefers substance over volume**, and you’d rather have a few real conversations than leave with a stack of business cards you won’t use. - **You’re new to the community or expanding your circle** and want a more approachable format for meeting thoughtful, ambitious people. - **You enjoy dinners where conversation matters** and see social settings as one of the best ways to build professional relationships that actually last.