As we speak, there are professional networks for women executives, mothers, small and medium business owners, and many more.
Medley, a new member-based community launching today, is looking to do things a little differently. Instead of bringing together a specific category of people, Medley's goal is to connect users with people who are not just like them.
Founded by mother-daughter duo Edith Cooper and Jordan Taylor, Medley is backed by a variety of angel investors including Jen Rubio, Tim Armstrong, Damien Dwin, as well as Foundation Capital. The company refused to disclose the amount raised.
Cooper and Taylor told TipsClear that one of the biggest challenges with the product is defining what it is. Unlike other professional membership communities, Medley doesn't just focus on career growth, but rather integrates personal growth into the framework.
"Medley is really the connection between your career, your personal growth and your philosophy of life," said Edith Cooper. "What I have experienced is that people no longer want there to be strict barriers between these aspects of their lives."
People who join Medley spend around 15 minutes in the application process, answering a wide range of questions covering personal and professional information, but also their general psychology and personality type.
From there, Medley pairs the users into a group of eight for the specific purpose of ensuring diversity within that small group. Some may be older, while others are younger. They can come from different racial backgrounds or from different industries. Men and women will meet in their groups.
An expert executive coach also participates in these monthly group meetings (which are currently held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic) and guides the group in their discussions about themselves and their group mates, while focusing on the communication.
Prior to Medley, Cooper was a partner at Goldman Sachs for twenty years and spent the last decade of his tenure as Global Head of Human Capital Management. Taylor was chief of staff at Mic, and was also a consultant at Boston Consulting Group and Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School.
"There is a main theme for my investment thesis, which is the shift towards direct empowerment and direct ownership of relationships between people and everything in between," said Tim Armstrong. . "Just as you can have a direct relationship with your gym or your personal trainer - which a lot of people do and it's an industry that is growing tremendously - most people haven't directly taken ownership of their careers. They end up subcontracting to companies for which they work and which do not have the resources to do development. "
He added that Medley is a gym for your mind and your career.
Medley's target population is people in their late twenties and early thirties who are starting to think longer term about their choices both professionally and personally.
That said, what makes Medley special is that it is open to anyone curious to learn, grow, and explore other people. As such, Medley is available on a sliding scale based on the desirability of the annual membership fee to ensure the community remains inclusive. Founding memberships are available now for $ 150 / month or $ 1,500 per year.
Cooper explained that some of the biggest hurdles for Medley are being broken.
"We no longer have to explain that different perspectives are valuable," Cooper said. "We no longer have to explain why it's so important to have intentional conversations and dialogue with people, or that we can do it virtually as well as in person. Some of the most important things we focused on communicating about this business and this offering have been broken down due to the push and inertia of other things going on in the company.
