5 Tel Aviv Tech Meetups You Don’t Want to Miss

A guest post by Sivan Cohen, Conduit

 Those of us who follow the tech meetup scene in Israel can agree that it’s quite easy to basically kiss your personal life goodbye, yet manage to have free pizza and beer every night as you attend a wide range of meetups evening after evening. Be it a gathering on UI/UX best practices, tips on mobile discovery, or how to land your first seed, Israeli meetups are constantly happening.

My rule of thumb on finding a great meetup is whether it has ‘pizza and beer’ in the title, but since that’s not really an exact science, a list of recommendations would prove more useful—especially for those who are new to the scene. Here is my take on the 5 most awesome meetups you don’t want to miss. Give them a try and see which ones best suit your needs and interests.

• TechAviv

Where is it? IDC Herzliya
When is it? Follow the group to get updates and invites.
What are they about? Led by Yaron Samid, the TechAviv Founders Club is an invitation-only organization of active Israeli Internet startup founders and investors that meet monthly to showcase, discuss, and help fellow members succeed. Each month, member startups demo their products in front of 200 fellow founders and investors to get critical feedback and advice. They also hold group discussions led by a panel or speaker. The goal is to inspire, educate, and help one another succeed by harnessing their collective experience.
Who will you meet there? Founders, founders, and more founders, some investors, and some techies that just like this group
Tip: Get there early to catch a seat—the place gets packed.

• GarageGeeks

Where is it? 40 HaPeled Street, Holon
When is it? Join the Facebook group to get updates on upcoming events.
What is it about? Imagine an industrial garage, 300 geeks, and Yossi Vardi with high-profile guests talking about all things tech related. The garage is 100 square meters of space that includes heavy and light machinery tools, electronic components, a software development environment, and raw project materials. A perfect stage setting for techies.
Who will you meet there? All techies in all shapes and sizes—especially those who like robots
Tip: Come with some sort of refreshment (that’s the code) and a T-Shirt—it gets really hot in there!

• The Junction

Where is it? 32 Shoken Street, Tel Aviv
When is it? Usually Thursdays at 16:30 (but be sure to double check and RSVP before you go).
What are they about? Sponsored by Genesis Partners, The Junction is first and foremost a shared work space/open house for entrepreneurs. They also host meetups there and bring various speakers from all aspects of the tech scene to talk about how to create stuff.
Who will you meet there? Serious techies that are eager to learn more
Tip: RSVP to this—they are strict about who they let in.

• Mobile Monday

Where is it? Various locations
When is it? Follow the group to get updates on upcoming meetups.
What are they about? MoMoTLV is the official Israeli chapter of Mobile Monday (MoMo). MoMo is a global community of mobile industry visionaries, developers, and influential people that foster cooperation and cross-border business development via virtual and live networking events to share ideas, best practices, and trends from global markets.
Who will you meet there? Mostly mobile developers and startup founders, plus a few VCs and general techies
Tip: This is one of the trendiest meetups out there, so be sure to bring a large stash of business cards or install a business card scanner.

• Tel Aviv Beer Tweetup

Where is it? Usually at the Dancing Camel bar in South Tel Aviv, but some are sponsored by a few of the big names like Microsoft and Better Place
When is it? Join their Facebook group to get updates on monthly events
What are they about? Led by @YaelBeeri, this is the “unofficial” tech meetup to attend. If you Tweet, you should come by and meet the people behind the blue bird.
Who will you meet there? Almost all the Israeli techies on Twitter, no matter what they do
Tip: Practice your English—these people are mostly American expats.