Episode #207: Kushagra Shrivastava – Engineering serendipity in community and events
How to design events where the right people actually meet and follow through.
For founders and operators building communities, networks, or community-led growth.
Kushagra Shrivastava is a builder and community investor behind Zoogler, a 40,000+ ex-Google alumni network. He explains how he defines “serendipity” as structured randomness within constraints, how he measures it through behavioral signals (like connection velocity), and what he considers non-negotiable when hosting events. We also cover why Zoogler outgrew a stack of tools like Google Sheets, Airtable, and Eventbrite-style platforms, what changed during the 2023 Google layoffs, and how his product Key uses intent to drive warm introductions for outcomes like hiring, fundraising, and business development.
WHAT YOU’LL HEAR
– A practical definition of serendipity, “structured randomness within constraints,” plus how to measure it
– The 3 non-negotiables for events: pre-event intent collection, designed “collision moments,” and forced closure with a next step
– What breaks communities: optimizing for quantity (content and connections) instead of intent and outcomes
– A founder checklist for starting a community as an individual vs. as a brand and how to scale once you know what works
