Networking Hangouts bring businesses together in comfortable, intentional spaces where real relationships can grow.
Heyven is a free-to-browse online directory created to help people discover and support Minnesota small businesses, creators, and nonprofits. I built this business to bring visibility and forge relationships that create equitable opportunities.
As our business grew, we realized being discoverable online was not enough. We needed an in-person aspect that brought everything together. Traditional networking often felt stiff and transactional, disconnected from how relationships actually form. So we chose to cultivate something different. Since launching our Networking Hangouts, Heyven has welcomed over 300 attendees and helped spark more than 600+ meaningful connections through comfort, conversation, and shared space.
In late 2023, as our community continued to grow, we began asking a simple question. If Heyven is a neighborhood online, how can we bring people together in-person.
That question led us to partner with coworking spaces like the Coco. Spaces designed with intention. Spaces that feel human. Spaces where people can sit, talk, and stay awhile.
In 2024, those conversations became Heyven’s signature Networking Hangouts.
These gatherings are not about collecting business cards. They are about creating a place to plant relationships to nourish.
We invite people to close their laptops, step away from the noise, and focus on what matters most. Connection.
Our Networking Hangouts are focused on comfort.
It carries the rhythm of a networking event without the stiffness. Cozy seating. Thoughtfully chosen spaces. Light refreshments. An atmosphere that feels less like a ballroom and more like a living room.
There is no forced introduction circle. No timed elevator pitches. No pressure to perform.
Just people in the same room, connecting at their own pace.
Every aspect of the event to cater to how people show up.
An exmaple of this, is our Conversation Starters. Upon Arrival, attendees can pick up a Conversation Starter card. These open ended prompts exist for one reason: to remove the pressure of wondering what to say.
Some people use them. Some do not. Some observe first. Some step right in. There is no right way to participate.
There is only space to be yourself.
You are still welcome. Networking Hangouts are built for people who have felt out of place in traditional networking spaces. For those who have walked into rooms that felt too loud, too corporate, or too transactional.
Support is always present. Gentle introductions. Encouragement. A reminder that you do not have to impress anyone.
The goal is to build connection.
When conditions are right, growth follows.
Across our events, partnerships have formed. Paid opportunities have emerged. Collaborations have taken shape. Businesses continue conversations long after the room empties.
Over 600 connections have grown from these gatherings. That number matters. But what matters more is what it represents.
It represents roots intertwining.
It represents businesses choosing to support one another.
It represents a neighborhood strengthening itself.
These outcomes are not accidental. They are the result of intentional design rooted in trust, care, and belief in community.
Heyven Networking Event are for All identities. All backgrounds. All stages of business. Because tou belong as you are too!
Heyven exists to create the positive conditions for growth, and growth starts with an connection or introduction.
When businesses gather with care, ambition has somewhere to grow.
And that is the type of neighborhood we are building!
