Matt Brimer intrigues me.
He’s 29-years-old, comes from the Midwest, and has co-founded General Assembly — an education startup with 500 employees, 12 international campuses, and $50m in funding.
But that’s not what makes him unique.
In addition to General Assembly, Matt — along with fellow entrepreneur Radha Agrawal — runs one of the most successful dance parties on the planet. But unlike most raves, there’s no alcohol or drugs, and it starts at 6 a.m.
Matt and Radha operate and produce Daybreaker: a carnival-like event that started as a social art experiment in New York, but has since grown into a global phenomenon.
Daybreaker takes place twice a month in more than eight cities around the globe. It’s a celebration that starts at sunrise and ends before the workday begins. Unlike a typical rave, Daybreaker events do not serve alcohol, encouraging health and community over hangovers and exclusivity. And the movement is growing at an incredible rate — one new city is added every month.
I spent the day with Matt and Radha to understand how these two disparate worlds collided, who the people were that flocked there so voraciously, and how they created a business out of a seemingly terrible idea.
What’s most intriguing about Matt and Radha is that they’ve created something that nobody else could envision, but that everyone wanted. They’ve identified and filled a societal need that the rest of us didn’t even know existed.
I went to the most recent Daybreaker event in New York City to figure out exactly how the worst idea ever (a dance party before work) became a successful business. Watch the video up top or right here on Youtube.
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