Half an hour that sorted everything out
You had a question no forum would answer honestly. And someone took the time, with nothing in it for them.
For experts
Someone once helped you. Today you can pass it on.
Twelve weeks. A fixed group of three to five young people heading exactly where you are today. You walk part of the way with them — and stay on for as long as it suits you.
Remember?
Someone picked up the phone.
Almost everyone working in finance or at a startup today has a story like that. Usually it was shorter than you think:
A hint you could not look up anywhere
Which team is actually hiring. Why your cover letter is not landing. What really gets asked in that interview.
A referral you never asked for
In the end it was not your CV that decided, but someone who passed your name along at the right moment.
The problem is not that you do not want to help. It is that nobody tells you whom, when and for how long.
Why you
You do not have to be at the top. Just a step ahead.
The best coffee chats do not come from the top floor. They come from people who still have the path fresh in mind and remember how it felt.
How it works
Twelve weeks. The same group.
Not a single call after which everyone disappears, and not an open-ended programme either. A clear window in which you get to know the same people properly. What comes after is your call.
The coffee chats
The same faces, three times
You are not talking to strangers from your inbox, but to a fixed group that shares one career goal. One session every four weeks: the first time you tell them how it went for you. The second time they know exactly what to ask. The third time you see what has moved.
- Three to five people heading into your field
- Questions arrive upfront, so nothing catches you out
- Video call, calendar invite included, about an hour
After twelve weeks
Hardly anyone leaves at that point
Twelve weeks are the frame, not the end. Many stay with their group, others take on the next one, and some join network meetups, panels and case nights. You grow with the network instead of dropping in once.
Your effort
We handle the logistics
Scheduling, reminders, no-shows, collecting questions: all on us, for all three sessions. You get finished calendar invites with a link and the group's questions a few days before each one. Nothing else needed.
WindowTwelve weeks with one group
SessionsThree, on a four-week rhythm
AfterwardsCarry on if it suits you
The difference
Why this is not classic mentoring.
Mentoring rarely fails on goodwill, it fails on format: open ended, unclear expectations, one person carrying everything. We built the opposite.
Classic mentoring
coffeechat.network
Frame
Open ended, no one knows how long
A clear twelve weeks, then decide again
Format
1:1, starting over every time
The same group, three sessions
Counterpart
Whoever messages you first
A curated group from your field
Logistics
Your problem
Entirely on us
Impact
One conversation, then it fades
A group you watch grow
Who fits
Closer beats higher up.
We are not looking for titles, but for people who still have the path fresh in mind. How far along you are is up to you.
Analysts
IB · PE · M&AAnalyst, associate or VP: you still remember exactly how that assessment centre went and which question nearly knocked you out. That is what they ask about.
Consultants
StrategyCase interviews, day-to-day project life, the gap between the brochure and reality: online you find everything except an honest answer.
Founders
Startup · VCFounders and investors: first round, first hire, first rejection. What is behind you is exactly what lies ahead of them.
12weeks guiding
the same group
the same group
3–5people you get
to know properly
to know properly
1group: the same faces
from first to last session
from first to last session
Honestly
What you get out of it.
It would be dishonest to claim this is only about giving. Three things come back to you without us having to promise them:
/01Perspective
You see what is coming
How a generation thinks about your profession, what puts them off and what draws them in. Employers pay consultancies for that information.
/02Network
Today's questions are tomorrow's colleagues
Whoever asks you questions today will later sit in the next office, across the table in a deal, or on your cap table. After twelve weeks you are no longer strangers.
/03Clarity
Explaining forces you to sort
Nothing organises your own path like trying to make it understandable to four people who ask honest follow-ups. Most of that you keep for yourself.
And the real reason stays the simplest one: someone did it for you back then.
FAQ
What experts ask us most.
How much time does this actually take?
Three sessions across twelve weeks, about an hour each, on a four-week rhythm. Scheduling, reminders and the group's questions all run through us, and you get finished calendar invites with a link. Your effort is the conversations themselves.
What am I signing up for, time-wise?
One cycle of twelve weeks with the same group. Deliberately not a single call, because a one-off conversation rarely leads anywhere, and deliberately not an open-ended programme. After the twelve weeks you decide freely how it continues.
What happens after the twelve weeks?
Whatever you want. Many stay with their group and continue on the same rhythm, others take on a new group in the next cycle, and some join network meetups, panels and case nights. And if you want to pause, that is fine too.
Do I need to prepare?
No. The group prepares, you don't. Before each session you receive the questions they are wrestling with so you know what it is about. No slides, no agenda, nothing to read beforehand.
Am I experienced enough?
Almost certainly yes. This is not about titles or years served, it is about still having the path fresh in mind. Someone who remembers their own assessment centre, first week or first rejection often helps more than someone whose entry was a long time ago.
Who am I talking to?
A fixed group of three to five young people who share the same career goal and have all been through our application process. The circle stays the same across the twelve weeks, so you never start from scratch again.
What happens to my contact details?
They never enter a searchable database and are not passed on. Whether a member may stay in touch with you beyond the coffee chats is entirely your call. Without your yes, nothing happens.
Do I get paid for this?
No. Coffee chats are unpaid, for you as well as for members. That is deliberate: the moment money is involved, a conversation turns into a service with expectations attached. We want the opposite.
Online or in person?
The coffee chats usually run online via video call, which is easiest for everyone. On top of that you can join network meetups, panels or case nights in your city. But you don't have to.
Give back
Twelve weeks. A group that remembers.
The first step is a short intro call with us: we explain how a coffee chat runs, what to expect and how you can put your experience to use. You ask everything you want to know. Only then do you decide whether you start.
No strings attached. No profile, no sign-up. Your details never enter a contact database.