Top The Letslunch New Zealand team. Above The New Zealand launch of Letslunch at Portofino in Auckland.
Facebook and LinkedIn are all very well for building networks, but Letslunch, a Silicon Valley start-up, wants to encourage face-to-face meetings.
New Zealand is the third country in which Letslunch has launched, after the US (where it has 15,000 users) and Italy.
After signing up, you can enter a time and date for lunch and Letslunch’s algorithms will match you with people you can have lunch with. You can grade the lunch, and the crowd-sourced rankings contribute to the individual’s rating. The system can even suggest restaurants based on your preferences.
Over 50 entrepreneurs, business people, bloggers and VIPs gathered at Portofino in Auckland for the New Zealand launch.
Chirag Ahuja, CEO of Letslunch New Zealand, says that every participant benefits: experienced guests bring influence while younger guests bring fresh ideas and perspectives. Users can sign up at letslunch.com.