During a recent trip to the United States of America it as great to attend a meetup at the Galvanize office in Seattle, Washington.

Galvanize is a learning community for technology and provides a home base for students, entrepreneurs and companies to learn, work and grow.

They generally utilise the lean startup program to refine ideas and test the market.

There were startup founders and investors at the meeting and it was good to go through some of the common challenges faced such as:

How do I find a co-founder?
Who do I need on my team?
How do I get the right team together?

It was no surprise that a critical part of any startup is making the right connections.

There was discussion about the different funding models which are available and it was interesting outlining the benefits of each of the different models.

After the meeting it was great to take the tour of each of the six levels of the building to see the students, entrepreneurs and companies in action. Galvanize provides a great facility as well as experienced mentors who assist with creating viable startups and providing the right processes to keep the startup alive and growing.