On August 20, 2009, we hosted ten early stage start-ups companies presenting to a handpicked group of 200 attendees including the Mid-Atlantic region’s leading investors, startup executives, engineers, designers, startup industry professionals, bloggers and press. The crowd also included representatives from Ashoka, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, The DC Office of Economic Development, Department of Defense, Grotech Ventures, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, The Obama Administration, Sunlight Foundation, Valhalla Partners, the Washington Post, ThrillList, and TechCrunch.
The ten early stage start-ups who launched at Social Matchbox Summer Social 2009 (www.socialmatchbox.com) were selected from a pool of 50 applicants. They included the top emerging companies in Mobile Applications, Energy Efficiency & Green Applications, Gaming, Web 2.0 Personal Publishing Applications, Online Collaboration, Government 2.0, Email Visualization & Productivity, Philanthropic Analytics and Human Capital Management.
After presentations ended, the audience acted as virtual investors by wisely investing their “Social MatchBUCKS” in appealing companies. At the event reception, the Community Choice Award winner was revealed: Earth Aid Enterprises (www.earthaid.net). Earth Aid Enterprises is the first company to receive the Social Matchbox Community Choice Award. The award is a high honor representing a vote of confidence from the Mid Atlantic’s leading investors, startup executives, engineers, designers, startup industry professionals, bloggers and members of the press. The Social Matchbox Sticky Pick award went to unblab (www.unblab.com), a startup that helps people to navigate their inbox with style. This award is based on votes from the 10 person organizing team that puts on the event. Considerations for the Sticky Pick include product design and marketing elements. [Full Presenter List]
Attendees enjoyed conversations and cocktails with their peers at a private reception held at The District Chop House & Brewery a few blocks away from the E Street Cinema event site.
Sponsoring organizations wanted to express that their support of the Mid Atlantic startup community exists as much or more in 2009 as it did in 2007 and 2008. Sponsors included Grotech Ventures, staffmagnet, Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP, Boalt Interactive, Launchbox Digital, Network Solutions, intridea, R2i.NTEGRATED, messagepub, Casey MultiMedia, FitFeud, Vlytics, Interactive Strategies, Legal River, WorthPoint, University of Maryland’s Dingman Center, American University’s Kogod School of Business, University of Maryland’s Computer Science Department, Refresh DC, DCRUG, DC ACM, and E Street Cinema. As emcee and co-producer, Juliana Neelbauer, announced to the audience, “Social Matchbox sponsors are not only asking for a seat at the table of the startup community, but by supporting events like Social Matchbox, they are helping to build that table.”
For more information and links to all companies and sponsors mentioned here visit http://www.socialmatchbox.com or contact Robert Neelbauer at 202-330-3909 or contact@socialmatchbox.com.
[Photo Credits: All Photos Taken By Marc Benton, except for the topmost photo which was taken by Nikolas Coukouma and the reception photo taken by Bob.]
Updates:
Official Event Photo Gallery on Facebook and on Flickr.
Join the Social Matchbox DC Community on Facebook.
Join the Social Matchbox DC Community on LinkedIn.
Follow Social Matchbox on Twitter.
Join our mailing list by sending a note to contact@socialmatchbox.com.
Event Video Interview of Presenters, done by Dawn Casey of Casey Multimedia (check out her blog post about this):
Ben Bixby of Earth Aid, Community Choice Award Winner!
Christopher Brown of TapMetrics
Eli Holder of Unblab, “Sticky Pick” winner!
Chris Cairns of Win The Trophy
Coverage of the Event:
Social Times did an event write-up here.
Paul Weinstein compares the event to the best of San Francisco and speaks to the fact that he wishes his hometown of Chicago had something like it. Thanks for traveling to DC to join us for Social Matchbox!
Ken Yarmosh provides his recap of the event and overviews of presentations.
BOALT’s Elizabeth Presson provides her recap of the event here.
The guys from Diditz have put up an additioanl photo gallery using their application.
Dawn Casey took photos that are here.
Nikolas Coukouma took photos that are here.
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