Chicago: Things of Note for May
May 16, 2008
Hey TECH cocktailers! Just wanted to get the info out about a couple of great events coming up in the next few weeks/months ahead of the weekend. Here it goes:
2008 National Summit on American Competitiveness - Thursday May 22nd
I heard about this event the other day is it looks to be pretty solid (the attendees are top notch). In fact, I went ahead and bought myself a ticket. This summit is going to be filled with the top business leaders, academics and entrepreneurs around and it is being held right here in Chicago. At $150 the event is very inexpensive and is a must attend for all of us so that we can show how strong technology and entrepreneurship are right here in Chicago.
Register here before this event fills up. I think you will be glad you did.
Chicago Innovation Awards - Call for Nominees
If you know any particularly innovative companies in Chicago (and I know you do) please head over to the Chicago Innovation Awards site and nominate them for the 2008 Chicago Innovation Awards.
I was lucky enough to be part of a winning squad (FeedBurner) back in 2006 and really enjoyed the event. Nominate now before nominations close.
Career Academy for Advanced Technology
I met a woman named Joan that works for the City of Chicago the other day. Among her other duties she is also spearheading an initiative called the Career Academy for Advanced Technology (CAAT).
CAAT will work with high school students to train them for technology careers (training that can even be used to get a great job out of high school should they not choose to go on to college) and prep them for college.
Currently CAAT is in proposal mode and to make sure the proposal is approved Joan is looking for businesses willing to commit in writing to helping students find internships in the industry and to provide training and mentoring to the students (including coming to classes to teach and relay experiences).
Seems like a very worthwhile endeavor to me and I know TECH cocktail, LLC will be committing to it (what could be more fun than teaching kids about technology!?).
If you want to commit your business to this please let me know before May 23 (Joan’s proposal deadline) and I can get you the form and tell you where to send it.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Video: TECH cocktail RACING Preview
May 16, 2008
Saturday… Saturday … Saturday! Start your engines as Threadless.com, a Chicago-based skinnyCorp operated company and TECH cocktail supporter, will be hosting a Pine Wood Derby race called the THREADLEMANSS. Unfortunately, Eric and I won’t be able to attend as we are pretty busy right now getting ready for TECH cocktail CONFERENCE (did you sign up yet?!). But thanks to twitter we found out that TECH cocktailer Carlos Pero of coloring.com has a son that was recently undefeated in his Cub Scouts Pine Wood Derby. We leverage the power of twitter technology (follow techcocktail on twitter) to see if Carlos would like to lead the TECH cocktail RACING effort and thankfully he accepted.
Carlos is featured this week on episode 25 of SOMEWHAT FRANK TV video (below) as he previews our TECH cocktail RACING car and shares some Pine Wood Derby knowledge. Thank you Carlos for your help and good luck on Saturday! You can cheer on the TECH cocktail car this Saturday, May 17, 2008 as Threadless will be streaming the derby live.
Death’s Door Spirits: Bringing Sustainability to Spritis & Drinks to You at TECH cocktail Chicago 8
May 14, 2008
One of our favorite local businesses, Death’s Door Spirits, has created an awesome drink menu that will be available at the TECH cocktail 8 mixer on May 29th (register here if you haven’t already - space is limited).
Not only are these drinks all phenomenal but they are also made with Death’s Door vodka, gin and whiskey. Why should you care if the drinks are made from DD spirits? Well, I am glad you asked.
Death’s Door is based in Wisconsin and their products are are distilled from grain grown for them in Wisconsin so they are truly local sustainable spirits and this is why we’re proud to be working with them (longer company story here). Plus we really like the founder, Brian (who is quite the mixologist), and his products are simply amazing - top shelf without a doubt.
Without further adieu here is the drink menu that Brian created for us including two TECH cocktail signature drinks. This menu will be available on May 29th at the TECH cocktail mixer (along with beer and wine as well per usual):
TECH-Tonic
2 oz Death’s Door White Whiskey
¼ oz blue curacao
5 oz tonic water
Add ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge
TECH-tini (that’s right - it is the signature drink from our logo!)
2 oz Death’s Door Vodka
1/4 oz triple sec
1/4 oz blue curacao
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
Classic Wisconsin Martini
3 oz Death’s Door Gin (or Vodka)
¼ oz dry Vermouth
Pour vermouth into shaker and coat insides. Shake out and add ice and gin. Stir until cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a skewer of olives and Wisconsin cheese.
The Gin Sling
1 1/2 oz Death’s Door Gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 dash angostura
Shake and strain into rocks-filled collins glass
top with seltzer.
Looking forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks!
Lijit Post TECH cocktail DC 2 Breakfast Videos
May 14, 2008
For those of you that may have missed it, Lijit Networks hosted a breakfast after TECH cocktail DC 2 at Busboys & Poets in Washington, D.C. on April 25, 2008. The event was a lot of fun and offered a great opportunity get to know several of the DC TECH cocktailers better over coffee, OJ, eggs and bacon.
If you missed it and you are interested in finding who was there and what happened - no worries because Scott Stead was on hand and interviewed most of the attendees. His videos are shown below.
Additionally, SOMEWHAT FRANK TV offered up a video (below) which find Scott breaking it down with a little geek rap sweetness!
DC Event: Social Rockstar Workshop - Friday May 16th
May 13, 2008
If your are in the D.C. Metro area on Friday afternoon May 16, 2008 tell you boss you need to head to Busboys & Poets for a social media workshop. Speakers sessions will be followed by interactive workshops. Here is the full schedule:
Justine Lam ………….. Back to the future: How the internet brought the grassroots back
Frank Gruber …………Social media and blogging
Nick O’Neill…………… Branding and Promoting
Voxant…………………… Online video
Justin Thorp …………..Widgets 101
Frank Gruber co-founder of TECH cocktail will be speaking about social media and blogging and making some references to its use in the corporate environment of AOL, Tribune and Classified Ventures where he has lead blogging & social media initiatives. Nick O’Neill of Social Times and a TECH cocktail D.C. 1 co-host will also be speaking in regard to building personal brand. Justin Thorp another TECH cocktailer will be talking about widgets as community manager at ClearSpring. Voxant a sponsor for TECH cocktail DC 2. Interestingly, all three of these fellows will be hanging out in Chicago May 29th for the TECH cocktail CONFERENCE!
Social Rockstar Workshop
Where: Busboys and Poets 2021 14th ST. NW DC
When: Friday, May 16th 1:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Tickets & Info: Register here
$15 pre-registered, $25 at door
TECH cocktail adding more SIG-nificance for attendees
May 13, 2008
OK, so the headline is pretty poor and I have heard from some journalism friends that trying to be too witty with headlines is usually a recipe for disaster. I guess they were right. That said, I am really excited about a new facet we’re going to trial at TECH cocktail Chicago 8 (RSVP now - 350 people already have and space is limited plus it’s free!).
We’re going to try embedding a SIG (Special Interest Group) into TECH cocktail 8. No, this isn’t the kind of special interest group you hear about from the political pundits. This SIG is simply one where birds of a feather can get together during the event at a certain place in the room to talk shop.
The first SIG we are going to run is one for IT Security ISVs. Why you ask. Well, for one our friends at Athena Security came up with the idea of SIGs embedded in TECH cocktail events and they offered to run one for IT Security ISVs. Simple right? We like simple.
We recognize that industry associations for security professionals exist (ISSA, ISACA, for instance); and these are great venues for topic-oriented discussions. That said, we think there is an opportunity for a SIG to share ideas about trends, personal achievements and even market frustrations in a social, friendly and informal environment (i.e. within TECH cocktail).
If you are a security professional and want to check out the Security SIG inside TECH cocktail 8 please e-mail Jed Abernethy (jabernethy [at] athenasecurity [DOT] net) letting him know that you’ll be dropping by the Security SIG table at the event.
We’d love to hear feedback on this idea and if you have an idea for a SIG that should be held at the next event please let us know. If this one is successful we’ll want to do it at other events and with other industries.
Illinois I.T. Association Young Professional Event
May 13, 2008
Our friends at the Illinois I.T. Association just let us know about an upcoming event they are working on with MidwestBusiness.com. The cost is $10 for ITA Members and $20 for Non-ITA Members which includes all you can eat appetizers and open bar. Here are the details:
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ITA Young Professionals Summer Get Together
Date: Thursday, June 12th
Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: Burwood Tap, 724 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL
Register: https://www.illinoistech.org
We Are Looking For TECH cocktail Interns
May 8, 2008
Do you know someone looking for a summer internship? TECH cocktail is looking for summer interns.
Aside from hosting our popular mixer events and our upcoming conference, both of which are “cocktails of tech people,” we are working on some other community projects and need a hand. Do you have a son, daughter, friend neighbor, relative or sibling in college that needs to get some experience on the ole’ resume? Let us know - they will learn a lot and get to meet some great people all across the country.
Here is a more formal internship job description:
TECH cocktail (http://www.techcocktail.com), a community building startup, seeks highly motivated, outgoing and enthusiastic interns for Spring and Summer 2008 to assist in producing a conference, monthly TECH cocktail mixers in various cities across the US and other community projects. Ideal candidates are excellent problem solvers, self-starters, go-getters and multi-taskers. Candidates should possess strong organizational skills, be tech savvy and have a knack for keeping up on the latest tech happenings. An eye for design could be helpful. Interpersonal, verbal and written skills, as well as the ability to take a joke, are also required.
TECH cocktail is a community building startup that offers a series of mixer events, community projects & conferences open to bloggers, technology enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and other business professionals interested in the technology arena. Our mission is to amplify the technology signal in under served markets and have fun doing it. We’re a fun and laid back team, but we work hard and are looking for someone who can keep up and even challenge us.
Looking to get started asap! We need 1 intern in Chicago and 1 in Washington, D.C./Northern VA - but would work with interns remotely on projects too.
You will work hard but you will have a blast and meet some of the best people from the tech industry. Come work with us!
Candidates must provide a resume and cover letter. Please send an e-mail (cofounders@techcocktail.com) and put “INTERN” in subject line.
TECH cocktail CONFERENCE is Coming - Badge It Up!
May 2, 2008
TECH cocktail CONFERENCE is just a month away and it is shaping up to be a super event, which brings together expert TECH cocktailers from across the country to help other TECH cocktailers learn from their experiences and take a “no nonsense” approach to running a business, leveraging technology and the Web.
The goal of the conference is to assist attendees by bringing them essential business startup tips, advice and knowledge from a super-cast of successful founders, developers and entrepreneurs.
If you have not purchased a ticket to the event at the early bird low price of $225 you should do so now, as supply is limited. If you want to save a little bit on the ticket simply use the discount code: techcocktailers since we are trying to make this event as easy and low cost as we can, while still covering the costs associated with hosting an event of this nature.
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The conference agenda is as follows:
- Building a business anywhere (not just Silicon Valley)
- Leveraging new technologies and social media to help your business
- Getting your business funded
- Discovering your Inner CEO
- Growing a community around a traditional business
Some of our speakers include the following, with speaker bios here:
MIKE DOMEK - TicketsNow / Ticketmaster
DICK COSTOLO - FeedBurner / Google
JASON FRIED -37signals
HARPER REED - skinnyCorp / Threadless.com
GARY VAYNERCHUK - Wine Library TV
GENEVIEVE THIERS - Sittercity
KEITH SCHACHT - 42 Friends
NICK FERA - Parlano / Microsoft
BLAGICA BOTTIGLIERO - CondoPerks & Gals’ Guide
JEN CONSALVO - AOL
MICAH BALDWIN - Lijit
JARED GORALNICK - AwayFind
DAVID ARMANO - Critical Mass
MIKE MACADAAN - AOL
ALEX BARD - Goowy Media / AOL
ROB SCHULTZ - IllinoisVENTURES
BRUCE N. BARRON - Origin Ventures
DALIAH SAPER - Saper Law Offices, LLC
MATT SHOBE - FeedBurner / Google
EVAN BROWN - Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
SEAN AMMIRATI - mSpoke / ReadWriteWeb
ANT CREED - Intuit
TROY HENIKOFF - Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center
ALLAN COX - Author of Your Inner CEO
JASON REXILIUS - HostedLABS
DANIELLE WILEY - Edelman
MATT MCCALL - DFJ Portage Ventures
BRIAN SOLIS - FutureWorks
BRIAN WILLIAMS - Viget Labs
GEOFF LIVINGSTON - Livingston Communications
FRASER KELTON - AdaptiveBlue
BRAD FELD - Foundry Group
KIRK WOLFE -MK Capital
GARY BARRON - Frost Ruttenberg & Rothblatt, PC
NICK O’NEILL - Social Times
JOHN ZERASKY - FeedBurner / Google
FRANK GRUBER - TECH cocktail / SOMEWHAT FRANK / AOL
ERIC OLSON - TECH cocktail / DFJ Portage Ventures
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TECH cocktail Chicago 8 Mixer To Follow CONFERENCE
April 29, 2008
We are happy to announce the TECH cocktail Chicago 8 mixer event will follow TECH cocktail CONFERENCE on May 29, 2008. You should definitely try and make it to the conference as it is a going to be a “can’t miss” event as we bring together an all-star cast of TECH cocktailers for a full day, potent, conference concoction. Also, if you sign up for the conference here you will automatically secure a ticket for the TECH cocktail Chicago 8 mixer event. If you cannot make the conference, you can still sign up to just attend TECH cocktail Chicago 8 mixer event on a first come first serve basis below.
Here are the TECH cocktail Chicago 8 details:
- Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Time: 6:30 pm CT - 9:00 pm CT
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Location:
John Barleycorn Wrigleyville
3524 N Clark St - Upstairs
Chicago, IL 60657
If you are interested in sponsoring TECH cocktail Chicago 8 or our conference we still have spots open so please contact us as soon as possible - more information on sponsoring is here. We run these events to break even and would love to do so on this second event. Also if you are interested in demoing your startup product or service please contact us. See you there!
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TECH cocktail Chicago 8 Sponsors
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Preferred Services Providers
Preferred Creative Service Provider: Jess3 
Preferred Accounting Services Provider: Frost, Ruttenberg & Rothblatt, P.C. 
Preferred Legal Services Provider:
Hinshaw & Culbertson
Preferred Charity:
Teaming for Technology
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