DC Tech

May 2012 Every month, D.C. technologists, investors, and entrepreneurs gathered together for discussions, lightning talks, and demos. #DCtech.  With over 25,000 members, the event was usually held at a large auditorium such as the historic Synagogue on 6th and I St. or the Martin Luther King Jr. Library. On Tuesday, May 1st D.C. Tech was …

Piola DC

Jason Morenz was working in the kitchen in Piola located on the northern border of U St by Florida Ave NW. The restaurant was popular on Sunday for their bottomless brunch (not mimosas) but 10 different types of pizzas (personal size) as much as you can binge.   During the weekday, all draft beer (including …

Five Qualities of the Diaspora

There were two milestones I needed to achieve in order to complete my MBA — a new venture capstone project and a study abroad trip to compare and contrast cultures, business practices, and management styles. In the spring semester of 2012, I enrolled in a six-week course entitled Engaging Diaspora Communities for International Business and …

A Site is Born

During the spring of 2010, I enrolled in Professor Richard Donnelly’s New Ventures Class at the George Washington University (GWU) School of Business.  Students had to create ideas for a new venture, form groups of four and present the idea to the entire class at the end of the semester. My teammates were Daniel Lonnerdal, …

Startup Weekend

That next big tech event was Baltimore’s first-ever Startup Weekend held on April 17-19, 2011. On Friday afternoon, I arrived at the Emerging Technology Center, Baltimore’s Technology Incubator, at 8 pm, just in time for the pitches and a quick drink of something. I chugged down an Amstel Light as I glanced around the burgeoning crowd …