by Keith Schacht June 22nd, 2007
in Events and Thoughts.
This won’t be news to any of the geeks who read this site, but for the rest of you, there is an interesting event in Chicago this weekend: Barcamp Chicago. This is an unconferences, the attendees set the agenda. Lots of tech talks, coding sessions, and general techie goodness will be had by all.
If you’re still wondering what Ruby on Rails is all about, or you’re trying to find a developer or two to help out with a business idea, this is the place to be. I attended last year and enjoyed it, although the venue was a bit raw (it felt like I was camping indoors). This year Jason Rexilius has upgraded things all around. The one tip I’ll share: bring your own chair (those folding camping chairs are perfect).
by Keith Schacht June 14th, 2007
in Events.
Last week was the latest Chicago Beta. ~40 Chicago entrepreneurs gathered together to talk shop, get advice, and catch-up with one another.
Three new Chicago start-ups gave a 60 second pitch:
- SocialWare - A social networking portal application that can be easily customized and skinned for your group
- PeerSight - Join a peer group of other entrepreneurs that will meet regularly for structured facilitation sessions, similar to YPO or Vistage, but it happens entirely online
- TasteVine - You input your wine preferences and the food you’ll be eating and receive recommendations.
The audience’s favorite? …TasteVine
(Text message voting powered by Interactive Mediums)
And Chuck Tempelton, the founder of OpenTable.com told his story about how the company was built from idea to the market leader it is today. Fantastic story.
Lots of great conversation, a few of my takeaways:
- The Facebook Platform is hot. You can watch Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement. If you’re already doing development in this space, let me know.
- Leo Capital Holding, the local VC firm, is looking for investment opportunities in mobile companies
- An upcoming tech event is being put on by 606tech called Web Ascent
Add your comment with other interesting takeaways…
ADDED 6/23: Video of the pitches:
by Keith Schacht May 8th, 2007
in Events.
After taking a month off, Chicago Beta is back with the next meetup: Thu, June 7th at 7pm.
RSVP on the website
We’ll have a special guest, Chuck Templeton. Chuck founded OpenTable.com in 1998. Grew it to over 120 employees and raised over $50 million. Currently he is working on a new start-up.
Chuck will answer questions and share some advice on start-ups.
by Keith Schacht May 6th, 2007
in Events.
At the lastest Chicago Beta, presentations by:
Click to Watch Video
(Thanks to Business POV for producing this)
Interactive Mediums provided live text messaging voting so the audience could pick their favorite 60-second pitch. The winner: Tappity.
by Keith Schacht February 12th, 2007
in Events.
If you missed out on the last Chicago Beta, or just want to re-live the pitches, the video is up!
Click to watch video
The 60 second pitches:
Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this event possible:
www.digitalbootcamp.com
“0-60 Training” in all popular Web Dev tech.
www.businesspov.com
Video stories about Chicago commerce. Updated weekdays.
www.singlehop.com
A full service managed hosting provider with the the à la Carte Server Management Program
by Keith Schacht December 27th, 2006
in Events.
Before Christmas, 74 people gathered in Goose Island for the latest Chicago Beta. Business POV was working the room interviewing a bunch of the attendees, you can watch the interviews here.
And Michael of Digital Bootcamp announced he’s starting a small group round-table of entrepreurs working on a new start-up. The group will get together once a month to check-in with and keep each other on track. If you’re interested, contact Michael Carruth.
Watch the event recap:
Click to watch video
The 60 second pitches:
Web 2.0 entrepreneur tips:
Thanks to our sponsors for helping make this event possible:
Managed dedicated hosting. 15% discount to Beta attendees.
www.digitalbootcamp.com
“0-60 Training” in all popular Web Dev tech. 10% discount to Beta attendees.
www.businesspov.com
Video stories about Chicago commerce. Updated weekdays.
www.singlehop.com
by Keith Schacht November 7th, 2006
in Events.
The Chicago web start-up scene is alive and kicking! At least 50% of the people who attended this month’s Chicago Beta were new faces. I can’t keep my “list of start-ups spotted” updated fast enough to keep up with all the new companies I’m learning about.
Thanks to midPhase for helping make the evening possible:
And thanks to Business POV for covering the event and creating the video you see below. If you haven’t checked out their site, it’s worth a browse.
For all of you that attended, I’d love to hear any feedback you have to offer!
The 60 second pitches:
Click to watch video
by Keith Schacht October 6th, 2006
in Events.
Missed the last event? Here’s a video recap of the companies that pitched.
Special thanks to Mark Sheffler for shooting, editing, and putting this whole thing together. He did a phenomenal job. This is just one of the main video stories about Chicago you can find on his website, www.businesspov.com.
And finally, some feedback from attendees:
Zeljko Dakic
“We enjoyed meeting people and learning about what others are doing.”
Matt MacQueen
”very friendly group, no attitudes to deal with. people eager to meet.”
Jediah White
”superb group! I only wish we had done the 30-60 second pitch earlier in the evening, and that more people had been pressed to participate (i.e. make a pitch). “
Michael Carruth
“Room was a bit tight, but that is just a testament to how GREAT the event was. Lots of smart people, entrepreneurial vim and vigor, and interesting apps! Very much looking forward to the next one.”
nemik
”Really looking forward to the next one. Met so many wonderful people and had a great time talking to all of them and what they do.”
Bob Snodgrass
”Great crowd, small room but good networking”
