We Are Titans announces Start Norfolk 2.0, a weekend long event bringing together individuals of different mind and skill sets — entrepreneurs, engineers, developers, designers, and business professionals — with the goal of building viable startups.
According to the organizers, Start Norfolk is: "Rocketfuel for your startup. From blueprints to buildouts in a weekend."
Sponsor and xTuple CEO, Ned Lilly, will also mentor those budding entrepreneurs during the event. The software innovator, headquartered in downtown Norfolk, Va., leverages the power of open source accounting software to deliver profitability for small business and will include that powerful software and more as part of the winning prize package.
Start Norfolk 2.0 will be held at the Ted Constant Convocation Center located on the campus of Old Dominion University on Friday, April 27th through Sunday, April 29th, 2012.
In addition to the startup competition, speakers include Aneesh Chopra, the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer, Anis Uzzaman, CEO and General Partner of Fenox Venture Capital, Jeff Casimir of Jumpstart Labs and Joe Hill, founder of Aeir Talk, an iPad education application for autism.
The first Start Norfolk was held in November, 2011, at the Innovation Research Park at Old Dominion University. The weekend long event kicked off with over 30 business ideas pitched to a team of judges, then winnowed to eight for further development. Teams were formed and work began on building each of their original concepts into viable businesses. TutoriALL, a tutorial creating app for mobile phones, was selected as the first Start Norfolk winner and received assistance with accounting and legal services, office space and capital to help launch their business.
Over 175 people attended the first Start Norfolk and were highly enthusiastic about the outcome of the event, saying: "I felt like (it) was…the Woodstock of Technology, it was legendary," "Titanic event, #2 is a must!" and "I don’t want to go back home to Atlanta."
Over three hundred people are expected to attend Start Norfolk 2.0, giving attendees a chance to showcase their ideas, network, and get feedback on the development of their ideas. In his State of the Union address, President Obama recently recognized that "Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses."
Last month, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell declared 2012 "The Year of the Entrepreneur" in the Commonwealth to highlight the role of entrepreneurs in creating opportunity for other Virginians. McDonnell said, "Virginia is an incubator for good ideas and we have the right tax, regulatory and business climate for entrepreneurs to turn those ideas into job-creating businesses."
Start Norfolk is helping to build a stronger entrepreneurial startup ecosystem in Norfolk, Va.
Want to learn more and register to participate? Visit: www.StartNorfolk.com.
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.