As we approach the 5th anniversary of Mass Innovation Nights, 61 monthly events and more than 600 new products launched, more than $700 million raised and more than a 1000 new jobs (that we know of), I still keep weekly drop-in office hours Friday mornings at a cafe in Waltham.  In the ‘burbs, it is still close enough to the commuter rail for the car-less.  And I have yet to spend a Friday morning alone.  I rarely miss a week although if I must, I tweet it out.

While sometimes there are just a few folks — maybe 1 or 2, other times we find ourselves dragging over 3 or 4 tables (with the management’s blessing) for a group chat.  Some people want career counseling. Others want the inside scoop on how to succeed when they launch at Mass Innovation Nights.  (Hint – read the directions.  We tell all in the exhibitor instructions right on the website.) I catch up with some of the startups I advise.  I hold casual conversations with potential new hires.  (Yes, Kristen dropped in at an Innovation Breakfast last year.)  Sometimes we welcome visitors from far away, like the entrepreneur from Haiti who was building a social media marketing business in the midst of great turmoil in his home country and visiting ex-pats in the Boston area.

I noticed that the long-running Cambridge Open Coffee Meetup is seeking a new host/owner.  Open Coffee was a God-send when I first started connecting with other startups and entrepreneurs.  It feels like the end of an era so I hope someone else picks it up and runs with it. Or maybe some other Boston-region entrepreneurial resources would consider also hosting drop-in hours regularly.  Or utilize the Thursday afternoon/evening Venture Cafe.  If you are trying to connect with startups, this is your chance.

Or, pull up a chair.  Coffee’s good and we recommend the blueberry lemon scones.