Erik is joined by Scott Heiferman (@heif), co-founder of Meetup.

They discuss the reason that IRL (in real life) meetups are important and why in-person contact cannot be replaced by virtual interaction. They talk about some of the most important communities that have started in the past, particularly involving religion, and why the connections they make have been so powerful.

Scott mentions the health benefits of belonging to a community and talks about the importance of network effects in building new groups.

He also talks about what makes a successful community and how people looking to build communities can make theirs grow.

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Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.