Interfuze: mixing cocktails and CVs

Interfuze is an organization that provides a networking platform for ‘high potentials’: master students, expats and young professionals, both international and Dutch. For new exchange students, he organizes seminars especially designed for them.

The aim of Christo Thekkel, founder and owner of Interfuze, and Master student at RSM, is to bring people together and help them improve their networking skills. He started his company while travelling in Asia, because he had to create a social networks in a short period of time. “I got inspired to start Interfuze when I was in Hong Kong, and had organized a few networking events on my own. My passions are organizing events, connecting people and public speaking, and this all comes together in Interfuze.”

Starting off as an initiative of one motivated student, Interfuze now has thirty people working on networking activities for young people with high potential.

Seminars for exchange students

At this moment, Interfuze has two main activities: networking events and seminars. The seminars are especially designed for arriving exchange students, and take about four hours. They include speeches as well as networking games to get to know other students. Thekkel explains it is a good way to welcome students who have just arrived in Rotterdam: “Because the seminars are so interactive, they get to know a lot of people, and also learn skills to build up their social networks during the rest of their stay.”

Not just beer-drinking

Interfuze also organizes monthly networking cocktails at upscale venues, such as Blender. Unlike the usual student party, where people casually drink beers together, these classy cocktail parties aim to connect people on a more professional level. “The idea of the networking drinks are to put the seminars into practice, and provide people with a platform to expand their networks. We attract a lot of young professionals at our drinks, and have partnerships with several organizations on- and off-campus.”

Want to know more?

Apart from the monthly Interfuze networking cocktail, there will be new networking seminars at the end of January. Plans are also made to set up workshops, for instance in voice training and body language. If you want to keep posted, visit the Facebook page or the Interfuze website. IS