The future of networking
And hopefully the death of corporate icebreakers
I don't think I've ever met anyone who genuinely likes networking events.
Last week I was standing in a crowded bar, clutching a drink, and scanning name tags while perfecting my "I'm totally comfortable here" face during AI trivia.
But what if I told you those days are starting to feel increasingly distant?
I've been exploring how the next generation of founders are completely reimagining professional connections, and trust me, it's nothing like those dreaded mixer events we've all suffered through.
“Alexa, find me a friend”
I was skeptical when an AI super connector called me. Another tech solution promising to fix the age old problem of meeting new people, sounded like something that rhymes with hinder.
But then he(it?) asked me something different, not about my job title or industry, but about what I actually wanted to get out of my next connection.
It felt less like an algorithm and more like a surprisingly insightful friend who knows just the right person you should meet.
This was my introduction to Boardy, an AI-powered networking platform that's just raised $8M in their seed round.
Boardy practically raised this round all by itself. Investors got a taste of the platform, and the connections were so spot-on they reached out directly to invest.
Gone are those awkward first moments of walking up to someone, where you're essentially starting from zero. Instead, you begin the conversation knowing there's already common ground.
My first match? A Toronto restaurateur who'd pivoted into building an e-commerce web design agency.
Our conversation flowed naturally, starting with the simple premise of "Boardy thinks we might hit it off, do you want to chat?"
No cold DMs, no rehearsed pitches, just two people sharing stories about their personal journeys.
Speaking with Boardy's founder Andrew D'Souza, it's clear this isn't just another networking tool. D'Souza, who previously co-founded Clearbanc, brings a refreshingly different perspective to professional connections.
The numbers tell the story. At his previous company, they had 600 employees making 10,000 cold outreaches a month for just 100 deals - a 1% conversion rate.
Compare that to in-person meetings with a 40% conversion rate, and you can see why he knew there had to be a better way.
D'Souza's vision goes beyond just improving conversion rates. Speaking about Boardy's mission, his response struck me as refreshingly candid compared to many founder pitches I've heard.
"My hope is that we focus on real human connections vs. just trying to drive everyone through each others' sales funnels," he explains.
"I've always believed every person on the planet has a unique and individual zone of genius, what they were put on this earth to do. But we've had to conform to job descriptions and scopes of work."
Instead, D'Souza envisions AI helping us discover our zone of genius, connecting us with others who share our values and appreciate our unique skills.
It's an ambitious mission - "to connect humans to solve humanity's biggest challenges."
Coming from any other founder, it might sound grandiose. But after experiencing how Boardy transformed my own approach to professional connections, I'm starting to think he might be onto something.
Beyond the Desk and Onto the Court
But what if your idea of networking hell isn't cold outreach, but those dreaded corporate icebreakers? (God forbid we have to do another one of those.)
That's where Founders Sports Club comes in, taking networking off LinkedIn and putting it onto the tennis court.
There's something beautifully honest about watching someone swear after missing an easy shot, or seeing the mix of skill levels on display.
No LinkedIn polish, just real people being genuinely terrible (or surprisingly good) at tennis. I found myself playing doubles with a marketing agency owner and a short-term rental entrepreneur, and those polished professional personas melted away faster than you can say deuce.
FSC is a sub-brand of Art of Mondays, founded by Evan Bryce and Jai Howitt, who describe it as "a private community for people building cool shit online and exploring the world." But there's more to it than just swapping business cards.
Howitt's journey to creating Art of Mondays speaks volumes about why we need different ways to connect.
After running two seven-figure businesses by age 24, he found himself in that all-too-familiar founder trap, successful on paper but burning out in reality.
"Despite things going well, I still lost a lot of money and my life was consumed by putting out fires and making sacrifices, I felt guilty any time I wasn't working and struggled to be present."
It was months of traveling, searching for a space where conscious founders (without big egos) could connect, that led to Art of Mondays.
And he's hit on something that resonates deeply with many founders: "It can feel quite lonely when there's nobody who truly understands the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to run a business."
The rise of communities like FSC points to something bigger happening in the professional world. When times get tough and the world seems a bit scary (and let's be honest, when doesn't it these days?), we tend to seek out our tribes.
Whether that's going for a run around the tan or sharing war stories about startup life, these authentic connections become more valuable than any number of LinkedIn connections.
Finding Your Tribe
What's emerging isn't a digital replacement for traditional networking - it's a rethink of how professionals connect.
These new platforms and communities, whether they're AI-powered matchmakers like Boardy or physical meetups like FSC, understand that meaningful connections often form around specific interests or needs.
It's less about casting a wide net and more finding your precise corner of the professional world, not by industry but by interest.
In the past week alone, I've discovered a plethora of bespoke communities, from young founders' hub Next Chapter to the virtual tech campus of Build Club.
Each offers something unique, moving away from general mixers toward more personalised, purpose-driven connections.
I don’t think they will replace traditional networking entirely. But they're offering something potentially more valuable - the chance to build relationships based on genuine shared interests rather than just professional necessity.
And if that means fewer awkward drink-clutching moments in crowded rooms, I'd say that's a future worth raising a glass to.