Wherever you are, we think you should surround yourself with people who will inspire you, push you, and advise you on building your business. In Cincinnati, there are so many ways to find people like you in the entrepreneurial scene.

Here are some of our favorite Meetups in the Cincinnati area:

1. Side Project Cincinnati
What: An initiative of Brandery graduate Roadtrippers, Side Project Cincinnati is your way to share your ideas, find collaborators, and fuel your creativity in a safe place. And beer… there is always beer. Read more about the Roadtrippers team’s side projects in Soapbox.
Next Meetup: November 11

2. Girl Develop It
What: It’s no secret tech skews male. GDI is aiming to tip back the scales by teaching women to code. Build sweet websites with awesome people. No questions are off-limits.
Next Meetup: Drinkup on October 1 for anyone interested in learning more, Intro to Web Concepts on October 8

3. User Enjoyment / UX Meetup
What: The User Enjoyment Meetup is for anyone who wants to make their users’ experience better. Our entrepreneurs love it as a place to get feedback on their products, but these UX enthusiasts discuss everything from usability testing to typography to lean development.

4. Startup Grind
What: Yeah, you got us. We’re the organizers of this one. But it’s just because we think it’s such a great initiative. There are over 125 cities in 55 countries with a Startup Grind chapter, and Cincinnati’s is growing each and every month. We bring in a prominent figure in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to talk about their highs and lows and tips for aspiring entrepreneurs as they go through “the grind.”
Next Meetup: The founders of The Launch Werks, Matt Anthony and Noel Gauthier, will talk about their experiences in the wonderful world of physical products on September 30.

5. QC Merge Drinkup
What: Discuss all things web and technology over a couple of drinks. These Meetups are a great place to network, too. We’ve had a couple of our companies find employees— and even co-founders— at these monthly gatherings.
Next Meetup: Drinkup on October 2 at Japp’s

6. Lean Startup Circle
What: This group focuses on the practices of The Lean Startup movement. If you’re an entrepreneur or wantrepreneur exploring new ways to launch, evolve, or grow your business, join the group.
Next Meetup: Traction Book: Skype interview with Justin Mares on October 9

And a few more specific ones, when you’re looking to expand your knowledge and skill set:

7. Smart Home Meetup

8. Search Engine Optimization Meetup

9. Wearable Developers Meetup

10. Node.js Meetup

11. Startup Finance & Accounting

BONUS (thanks, @joshowens!): Meteor Cincinnati Meetup

This post is part of a series in which we’re highlighting local resources for entrepreneurs. If there are any we miss or you wish existed, let us know!

Can you believe it’s already week five of our accelerator program? Yeah, neither can we.

The momentum is picking up. The companies are coming in earlier and staying later as many of them launch their alpha and beta products. Final company branding is being nailed down. Websites are being fleshed out.

Each week of the program is focused on a different area of building a startup to help keep everyone working quickly and thoroughly. So far, we’ve completed “Branding for Startups,” “Design and Consumer Understanding,” “Founders’ Advice,” and “Defining and Building Your Product.” This week is focused on “Building Your Business Model.” We bring in experts in each of the fields to share their thoughts, lead workshops, and sit down and talk with each of the companies to try to address their specific needs. As General Manager Mike Bott says, “Each company is a slice of Swiss cheese. We want to help them fill in the holes.”

Last week, we had professional photographer Zackariah Cole join us to take some shots of the space, each company, and the Brandery co-founders. He did a phenomenal job. We’re pretty obsessed with his photos. It’s always been hard to capture what our space looks like, but Zack nailed it.

There’s been such terrific progress with all ten companies in such little time. It’s hard to grasp how hard the teams have been working. We want to share the excitement with you. Here are a couple companies that are killing it right now (we’ll update you on a few more next week):

Accrew is an all-in-one accountant collaboration tool. It enhances your current software to allow clients and their accountants to communicate seamlessly and give feedback through an interactive dashboard. Their team is made up of Craig, Ryan W., and Ryan B. from Columbus, three accountants that started a firm called Upsourced Accounting together. We’re lovin’ on Accrew’s Modern Accountant Blog these days, and they are holding two events at the Brandery in the near future. Come learn more about the co-founders, their business, and the changing accounting landscape. You can find more information and Eventbrite sign up for Accrew’s events in their blog.

Craig and Ryan B., two of the three co-founders of Accrew

Chalky is a duo of Stanford sophomores that wants to help high school students get into college and help college students succeed in their education and beyond. Operating in stealth mode until now, Chalky has created a peer-to-peer mentoring system for students. They’ve been crazy busy building out their site and system in the last few weeks and we love what they’ve accomplished so far. You can sign up for Chalky’s private beta here.

Charlie and Isaac, co-founders of Chalky

Looking for updates on our graduates? Don’t worry, they’re coming soon! Lots of exciting things have been happening for our grads. Did we mention that Brandery alum FlightCar is coming to the Brandery for the August edition of Startup Grind? Don’t miss it!

All images in this post courtesy of Zackariah Cole Photography.

We have a bunch of great classes happening in February. Join us to learn new things, build businesses and grow Cincinnati. Below are all of the Brandery sponsored classes, but if you want to see EVERYTHING going on at The Brandery, check out our complete schedule!

Thursday, February 7th, 6-9pm: Startup Grind Cincinnati featuring Tony Alexander, Founder TravelersJoy and SimpleRegistry

Register now! 

Monday, February 18th, 5:30pm-7:00pm: A PR Primer: How public relations can help your startup sell (and how it can’t) with Carolyn Pione Micheli

Register now! 

Register now! 

Monday, February 25th, 5:30pm-6:30pm: Getting Started with Facebook Advertising (General Assembly Screening)

Register now! 

Thursday, February 28th, 5:30pm-7:00pm: Intro to Web Design (General Assembly Screening), followed by Q&A with panel of AIGA Designers

Register now!

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn something NEW!