Startup America, touring the Commonwealth of Virginia this month, learned about unique cultures and communities — startups and the people associated with them. The tour stopped at xTuple headquarters in Norfolk for a TechMeetup on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. Donna Harris and Mary Simonds of StartupAmerica brought knowledge, experience — and encouraging words — to all of the entrepreneurs and soon-to-be entrepreneurs in attendance.
As heard in the Twitterverse during the event: @Startup_VA: RT @maryksimonds: Great advice! "Ideas are cheap, execution is everything. Just do it."- @byronthepoet #startupvatour #startnorfolk #hrva #orfvb @SiliconAnchor
Stellar speakers shared their stories about their journey as an entrepreneur. The crowd really enjoyed them all, even learning about the world of IVs, courtesy of Gary Warren of IV Watch. Other storytellers included Aneesh Chopra, former (and first) Chief Technology Officer of the United States; Donna Harris, Managing Director of Regions, Startup America Partnership; Ned Lilly, CEO of open source business management software xTuple; Kristin Fitch, Ziggity Zoom; Byron Morgan, Vinylmint; and Marty Kaszubowski, Managing Director, Pixidies. Emcee and facilitator was Zack Miller of Hatch Norfolk, the region's startup accelerator.
Here is a video of the entire event. It's long, but it's worth it. Click here for video.
Here are photos from the event courtesy of Silicon Anchor News on Flickr and from Facebook: xTuple TechMeetup-StartupVaTour.
Learn more about the Startup America Partnership and Startup VA. Keep abreast of entrepreneurial happenings in the Mid-Atlantic region with Silicon Anchor News.
Missy Schmidt
Since early 2012, Missy has directed marketing for xTuple business management software, including the global user conference, inbound and outbound content marketing, lead generation, sales campaigns, website design and digital strategies. She has ties to the business and economic development, startup and entrepreneurial communities in Virginia and nationally. Prior to joining xTuple, Missy was VP of strategic communication and marketing for Hampton Roads Partnership, a public-private corporation that worked to improve the region's economy within the international marketplace. Before that, Missy spent 25+ in sales, including product development, within the industries of telecommunications, retail, industrial food service, government contracting, contract packaging and manufacturing. Missy holds a B.S. from James Madison University. She and her husband, Bert, who is president and CEO of WHRO Public Media, reside in the "innovation corridor" of downtown Norfolk.