In a period of social distancing, making new professional connections feels harder than ever. So Amsterdam-based Cooper is building a network that\u2019s all about making and receiving introductions.
\n\u201cEverything that happens in the network is based on the foundation of introductions,\u201d CEO Robert Gaal told me. \u201cYou should never get an unwanted message, and there\u2019s no such thing as a connection request, because it\u2019s not necessary if you have an introduction.\u201d
\nThe startup is launching internationally today and announcing that it has raised $2 million in seed funding.<\/p>\n
Gaal (who co-founded the company with CTO Emiel van Liere) described Cooper as \u201ca private professional network that\u2019s not about how many connections do I have, it\u2019s about bringing the people that you already trust into a circle.\u201d
\nThat\u2019s in contrast with existing professional networking sites, which are most useful as \u201cdirectories\u201d of online r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, and usually emphasize the quantity of connections, rather than the quality. (I\u2019ll admit that on LinkedIn, I\u2019m connected to a bunch of people I barely know.)
\nSo Cooper tries to take the opposite approach, limiting users\u2019 connections to people they really know. To do this, it can pull data from a user\u2019s online calendar, and it also provides them with a personal invite code that they can share with their professional contacts.<\/p>\n
Image Credits: Cooper<\/p>\n
Users then post requests or opportunities, which are viewable by their connections and by friends of friends, who can offer to make useful introductions via email or in Cooper itself.
\nIn fact, Gaal said that during the initial beta test, multiple people have successfully used Cooper to find new jobs \u2014 sometimes after pandemic-related layoffs, which they\u2019re comfortable sharing with their inner circle but don\u2019t want to broadcast to the world at large.
\n\u201cThere\u2019s more discovery, more trust and you can reinvent other things on top of that \u2014 what the r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is, what mentorship is \u2014 if you get trust right first,\u201d he said.
\nOf course, simply sharing a calendar invite with someone doesn\u2019t really mean you trust them or know them well. Cooper could eventually start looking at other measures that indicate your \u201cconnectivity\u201d with someone, like how often you email with them, Gaal said \u2014 but the first step is simply recreating the professional circle in which you feel comfortable saying, \u201cOh, you\u2019re looking for a job? My friend is hiring.\u201d
\nYes, those kinds of conversations are already happening offline, but he noted that most of us can only remember \u201ca handful of people\u201d at once. Cooper is making that \u201cmarketplace\u201d much more visible and easy to track.
\nThe startup doesn\u2019t sell ads or user data. Instead, Gaal hopes to make money by charging membership fees for features like customizing your profile or promoting your request more broadly.
\nThe startup\u2019s seed funding was led by Comcast Ventures, with participation from LocalGlobe and 468 Capital.
\n\u201cAt a time when the ability to connect is limited, Cooper is building a professional network fostering meaningful and substantive connections,\u201d said Daniel Gulati, founding partner at Forecast Fund and former managing director at Comcast Ventures, in a statement. \u201cWe are excited to support the team on their journey ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upstream aims to be the new home for your professional social life<\/p>\n