Bengaluru’s new networking hotspot is the great outdoors

The city’s founders, VCs, operators, and professionals are finding a new space for connection and collaboration— not in accelerators or co-working hubs, but on weekend walks. Early on a weekend, these groups gather at spots like Agara Lake and Cubbon Park, blending fresh air with fresh ideas as they swap insights, explore opportunities, and even seal deals. The strolls often wrap up with breakfast at a nearby café, where conversations continue over filter coffee. “Unlike typical mixers where you just meet, grab a drink, and leave, these walks offer a much deeper way of engaging than your usual mixer. Here, you can have longer, more relaxed discussions without all those distractions. Plus, it’s a really diverse mix of people – you’ve got founders, VCs, even senior operators thinking about starting something up. These are all folks who see the value in waking up early and showing up,” says Srikanth Prabhu, an entrepreneur and start-up operator, who decided to take networking and brainstorming sessions out of fluorescent-lit rooms and into the open skies with ‘Agara Lake and Filter Kaapi’. “At these meets, you’ll find SaaS founders hashing out growth plans, VCs and angel investors scouting talent, young pros plotting their next move, and occasionally a unicorn founder joins in,” he adds.

‘Bengaluru has a strong concentration of founders’

Aditi Aggarwal, a GTM strategist who hosts the ‘GTM Unbound Tech Founders’ Walk’ at Cubbon Park and sometimes, Ulsoor Lake, says Bengaluru boasts the country’s strongest concentration of business leaders. “I’ve lived in Delhi, Singapore, the UK, and San Francisco, and it’s only in Bengaluru that a multi-millionaire founder who has sold two companies will show up in shorts and a T-shirt, even arriving by auto, completely unpretentious. They’re proud to be from Bengaluru and eager to share. I classify these meetings as high-value networking in a low-pressure setting. Founders get real, unfiltered advice from experienced operators and investors in an environment where they feel comfortable asking difficult or even ‘silly’ questions that they might avoid in formal, recorded settings,” she says.

‘This is a no-agenda meet’

Conversations during these walks are always great, says Ganesh Balakrishnan, entrepreneur and marketer, who is a regular at these walks. “When you go to accelerators and incubators, there’s a very specific objective. Here, it’s much more exploratory – a chance to figure out what’s going on and what’s interesting. It’s inspiring to see the interesting things people are doing, and it sparks a lot of ideas for me about what to do next. There’s so much learning. I’ve met everyone from influencer marketers to bungee jumpers – incredibly diverse people. You never know where these connections will lead.”

‘You are completely free from the usual pressures of formal networking’

Hari, an angel investor, tells us that he has discovered new startups to evaluate for investment through these gatherings. “The venue makes all the difference. Traditional networking events often occur in crowded, indoor settings during evenings or afternoons. But here, you have an open networking space. You can even grab breakfast, and you’ll find yourself building long-term relationships.”

‘When founders meet, real connections and ideas flow’

Aswani Chaitanya, an entrepreneur turned VC, who has often been part of the gatherings at Agara Lake, notes that informal meetups like these are crucial for entrepreneurs. “The founder’s journey is very lonely. You’re tied up with your work and schedules. But when founders gather, even informally, it subconsciously helps uncover solutions. Imagine one founder tackling go-to-market strategies, another raising funds, someone else handling debt, and yet another focused on hiring. Regularly connecting with this “founder circle” provides invaluable knowledge. When you face similar challenges, that shared experience is incredibly helpful.

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