Moving Back to Chicago
January 30, 2008
Just a quick note to let all the TCers out there know that I (Eric) am moving back to Chicago in a few weeks. I am really excited to get back into town and to continue working on building up the Midwest/Chicagoland as the tech hub it deserves to be.
For all the details on the move please check out my blog post and FAQ.
See you all at TECH cocktail 7!
TECH cocktail Specials Jobs: 1.25.08
January 26, 2008
Here are some of the super TECH cocktail Specials job listings from the week ending January 25, 2008:
From the TECH cocktail Job Board
Chicago, IL - Software Engineer, LAMP with Java Script / AJAX experience @ Where I’ve BeenChicago, IL - Web Developer @ Elevate Studios, Inc.Chicago, IL - Web Developer @ Elevate Studios, Inc.
Evanston, IL - VP of Technology @ Evanston Startup Company
Deerfield, IL - Technical Support Specialist @ Frost, Ruttenberg & Rothblatt
Chicago / telecommute - PHP guru for funded startup @ Chicago stealth startup
Chicago, IL - Interactive Designer @ Energy BBDO
Chicago, IL - Web Developer @ Marcel Media
Chicago, IL - Software Engineer ( Junior, Senior, Lead ) @ Centro
Chicago, IL - Web Interface Designer @ Centro
More jobs…
These are just some of the recent cool web & tech jobs posted on the TECH cocktail Specials for MORE JOBS. If you’re looking for a design, programming, marketing, product development or IT executive job - Check It Out!
Midwest Venture Summit: Submit Your Business Plan Today
January 24, 2008
The Midwest Venture Summit is coming up quickly but there is still time to submit your business plans (deadline is Jan 31). For those that don’t know, the Midwest Venture Forum is a great place to get your business plan in front of a lot of top VCs from around the midwest (over 100 actually). Perhaps you’ll end up raising money based on your appearance at the Midwest Venture Summit (companies that have presented at the MVS in the prior year have raised $222mm to date) but even if you don’t you’ll get a lot of great advice from some of the top minds around. Here is the official info from the IVCA:
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Q. How can you pitch your business plan to multiple VCs and Angels at one time?
A. At the 2008 Midwest Venture Summit, Chicago
March 17th & 18th, 2008
* Nearly 100 angels and VC’s from the 13 state Greater Midwest area
* Numerous business intermediaries: lawyers, accountants, investment bankers
* Professional coaching for presenters
Opportunities are available for companies in various stages of growth, from early* to series A+** who are located in the 13 state “Greater Midwest” (IA, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN,MO, NB, ND, OH, Western PA, SD, WI).
Prior year MVS presenting companies have received over $222 million in VC funding to date.
If you want to be part of technology business and financing in the Midwest you cannot miss the 2008 Midwest Venture Summit.
Submit your business plan today at www.MidwestVentureSummit.com for consideration as presenter in the Midwest’s premier venture capital summit. Submission price is $175.
* Early stage companies typically have:
* product or service in development
* key management in place
* have done initial marketing or pre-sales
* friends & family money invested in the company
**Series A+ companies typically have:
* already received institutional/angel money
* Are seeking investments to expand working capital or marketing and sales capabilities
Deadline for Submission is January 31st, 2008
Click Here to submit your plan!
TECH cocktail Chicago 7
January 22, 2008
It’s time for another TECH cocktail so we are pleased to be announcing TECH cocktail Chicago 7! TECH cocktail Chicago 7 will be held on February 21, 2008 from 6:30 to 9:00pm in the upstairs of John Barleycorn Wrigleyville.
Expect to see local startups showing off their products to the rest of the community, meet fellow entrepreneurs, bloggers and technology enthusiasts and have a few hours of fun!
If you are interested in becoming a TECH cocktail sponsor please email us ASAP as spots are filling up quickly.
Venue: John Barleycorn Wrigleyville (Map)
Time: 6:30pm -9pm
Date: Thursday, February 21, 2008
Cost: FREE
We look forward to seeing you in Chicago in February!
Building a Video Game Company in Wisconsin: It Can Be Done
January 22, 2008
Justin Kruger just pinged me about a really neat event. Turns out Frozen Codebase, a video game development company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is doing a talk in Milwaukee about how they got it done (including finding funding) in the midst of the frozen tundra. Check out the description and event details Justin sent along (below) if you’re interested. Unfortunately Frank and I won’t be able to make it to the event so if you do make it up to Milwaukee please let us know how it went.
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Frozen Codebase is a punk rock video game development company in Green
Bay, WI, and they are coming to Milwaukee on January 26th to talk
about how they were able to raise money locally and nationally to get
their company started. Ben and Norb are a riot to watch and should be
plenty of fun to watch and ask questions of as they tell their story.
Their most recent game, Screwjumper was released about 2 months ago in
November and has been doing fairly well on Xbox Live Arcade. Please
RSVP (http://www.eventbrite.com/event/93702266) for the event and let
us know if you would like to join us for the Brewcity Bruisers match
afterwards, we may get food and a bus between events.
Time: 3pm Jan 26th, 2008
Bucketworks [entrepreneur's greenhouse]
1340 N. 6th st.
Milwaukee, WI
RSVP Link — http://www.eventbrite.com/event/93702266
Sponsored by the Fireseed group, “a casual think tank”
BlogPotomac June 13 in DC
January 17, 2008
If you are in the Washington DC area, mark your calendars for BlogPotomac, a one day event aimed at providing advanced marketing insights beyond the average social media 101. BlogPotomac will be held on Friday, June 13, 2008 at the State Theater in Falls Church, Virginia. BlogPotomac seeks to provide a local “un-conference” on best marketing practices for the social media community in the Washington, DC area.
The event will include seven keynotes:
Opening Keynote: Lionel Menchaca, digital media manager & chief blogger, Direct2Dell
Lunch Keynote: TECH cocktail co-founder & blogger, Frank Gruber, product manager of social media platforms at AOL
Additional keynotes (in alphabetical order) will be given by:
- Social Media Group’s Maggie Fox on integrating social media
- Kami Huyse, Communication Overtones on ethics
- Author KD Paine on measurement
- Jeremy Pepper, The Point and Pop! PR Jots on strategy
The current invite for our final keynote is MyDD’s Matt Stoller on political blogging. Event co-chair Debbie Weil will emcee with BlogOrlando creator and BlogPotomac advisor Josh Hallett. Geoff Livingston is the financier and organizer of the event.
There will only be 150 seats available with ticket details will be coming soon. Financial accounting for the event will be open and published. Any profits from BlogPotomac will be donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I will be doing a lunch keynote at the event so I’ll see you there! 
Humanized Team Snatched Up By Mozilla
January 16, 2008
The news just keeps coming today. Unbelievable! TechCrunch is reporting that Chicago based Humanized is being snatched up by Mozilla. This is a talent acquisition deal that is being done with a straight employment agreement according to Mozilla CEO John Lilly.
Frank and I want to pass along our congrats to Aza and the rest of the Humanized crew. You guys have certainly built some great software and you have some great ideas. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing some of those ideas make their way into Mozilla products. Looking forward to catching up with you guys soon!
ITA CityLights Event Coming Up
January 15, 2008
Just a quick note to let you all know that the ITA CityLights event is coming up on April 3, 2008. You can head to their site right now to nominate candidates for each of the following six awards:
- ITA CityLIGHTS Award: The CityLIGHTS Award recognizes a business, education, media or government leader whose relentless efforts on behalf of the information technology industry have best promoted its growth and/or awareness of its vitality in Illinois to a range of audiences and raised the stature of the Illinois technology industry.
- ITA CEO of the Year: This award is presented to an individual contributing to the extraordinary business development of their technology company over the past year. Any individual in a leadership position employed by an Illinois-based technology business, or division of a corporation operating in Illinois, may be nominated for this award.
- ITA Spotlight Award: The Spotlight Award is awarded to the Chief Information Officer/Chief Technology Officer for his/her leadership and outstanding contributions to his/her company’s performance.
- ITA Lighthouse Award: The Lighthouse Award is presented to the company which, through sustained growth, national reputation and recognized excellence in product and services, best represents the region’s growing stature as home to quality information technology companies.
- ITA Rising Star Award: The Rising Star Award is presented to the company, which, through innovation in products, services or business approach, has emerged from its start-up phase to become a solid presence in the marketplace.
- ITA Newcomer Award: The Newcomer Award is presented to the company that has the strongest potential to emerge from its start-up phase to become a solid presence in the technology marketplace.
So hop on the site early and vote so that the people who shape Illinois technology can have their moment in lights.
DEMO Discounted For TECH cocktailers
January 15, 2008
Are you looking to attend DEMO next week (January 28 - 30), the startup launching pad conference, in sunny Desert Springs, California? Is so we are looking to help by offering TECH cocktailer a $600 discount on the normally $2,995 conference pass price. That’s right TECH cocktail can save you money!
Register for DEMO 08 Here - for $2395 saving you $600.
Let us know if you are headed out there and we will see you there. Also be sure to take a look at a pretty thoroughly list of 2008 Web & Technology related conferences.
TicketsNow: Another Chicago Success
January 15, 2008
The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that InterActiveCorp’s Ticketmaster has purchased Illinois-based Tickets Now for about $265 million. TicketsNow is currently the country’s second-largest website for reselling tickets to concerts and sports events.
Another quick fact about TicketsNow that I’d like to mention is that he company was born in Woodstock, Illinois which is the home of TECH cocktail co-founder Frank Gruber.
Frank and I would like to extend our congrats to the TicketsNow team along with Matt McCall and the DFJ Portage team (they were investors in Tickets Now). This is clearly another big success story for Chicago, Illinois and the Midwest in general.
Onward!
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