The Pulse

For most people, the humble lunch break is time to grab a quick sandwich in front of their computer, but an enterprising group of Kiwis is set to change the lunch game.  Introducing LetsLunch – an innovative new way to build your business contacts, learn tips and advice from industry leaders and make some new friends…all in your lunch break!

With its origins in Silicon Valley, the idea of expanding your professional network over lunch has been brought to New Zealand by local entrepreneur, Chirag Ahuja. 

“LetsLunch stands for ‘the easiest way to meet new people’ and all you have to do is create an account then either connect your LinkedIn account or select your interests, next choose your lunch radius and time slots you are available and we will start emailing you the people you should have lunch with, 2 days before the lunch is scheduled.”

So how does it work? All you need to do is give LetsLunch a lunch slot (a specific date and time) and intelligent algorithms, based on your Linkedin profile, match you with people you should have lunch with and at a nearby location.  Because quality beats quantity when it comes to contacts, users with the best crowd-sourced ratings get the added bonus of access to VIP members – in the US that could be the likes of entrepreneur Eric Ries (Lean Start-up Thought Leader), Drew Houston (DropBox CEO), etc.

And the LetsLunchNZ team have already attracted some big names.  So far, they’ve already signed up a Telco Entrepreneur (who apparently has over 10,000 contacts on LinkedIn), a Biotech Commercialisation Queen, some leading investment bankers, and a professional with the right contacts to help take your business global.  We’ll leave you to speculate about who these mystery high profile business leaders might be – but the only way to find out for sure is to sign up to LetsLunch yourself!

And here’s the easy part.  Signing up.  First, make sure your LinkedIn profile is current, up to date, and professional.  Then, sign up to LetsLunch – pick your lunch radius and the time slots you’re available – and voila.  You’re ready to go!  LetsLunch will automatically start emailing suggestions of lunch connection recommendations, 2 days prior.  (Giving you plenty of time to get the suit dry cleaned and a fresh blow dry – first impressions are everything!)

With an impressive VIP lineup, LetsLunchNZ is bringing you an amazing opportunity to build relationships with leading national and international thought leaders, and is scheduled to launch in New Zealand on 26th Marcy.  Hop on to this awesome opportunity and be part of this exclusive network (less than 100 invites left) by signing up for LetsLunchNZ. 

Emma Mulquiney | Online Editor – MYOB