We had another record crowd at Tech After Five last night in a couple of ways. Of course, every month the crowd gets bigger and we hear more stories of great connections being made, but I think I see more cameras in the room as well. If you got pictures and would like to share, just post them to Flickr and tag them with Ta5 and send me an email or use our comment form to let me know how to find them.
-> View the initial group of photos from last night’s Tech After Five.
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At 5:30 PM tonight, the GSA Technology Council will host another record breaking Tech After Five at Barley’s Taproom. The audience is blowing the doors off of this event with each month significantly larger than the last. We set out to create an event where aspiring technology professionals are connected to Greenville’s growing community of technology entrepreneurs in order to make the connections that foster the development of high impact companies. It seems to be working. There is no other event in Greenville where so many of the right people come together to make the right things happen. Don’t believe me? Check out what others are saying.
The Startup Zone will see BigBlueHat introduce version 2.0 of their BlueInkCMS which allows for the easy creation and maintenance of websites. Content Management Systems are important for small business web site owners that want to frequently refresh content but dont have ready access to technical or design staff. BigBlueHat thinks that they’ve got the right set of features that will help them stand out in the crowded Content Management Space. Talk to President Benjamin Young and see for yourself.
WeSeeYou will demonstrate their patent pending We See You Mirror designed to promote safe driving by delivering a multi-panel rear view mirror which allows drivers multi-angle viewing into their rear seat. The mirror was desgined for auto safety but is also seeing commercial application as well. Be sure to ask Rick Matney at tonight’s Tech After Five why he decided to relocate his business from Florida to South Carolina.
The Details
Tech After Five is 3rd Wednesdays, Barley’s Taproom, 5:30-7:30, RSVP Online. Free.
Companies interested in appearing in the Startup Zone should apply online. (also free)
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We think Tech After Five is a pretty great event. We built it so that entrepreneurs and technology professionals could get out from behind their microscopes, fab labs, and laptop computers to build real connections in the real world. It seems to be working. Here’s what you have already said about Ta5:
Great opportunity to meet people and share ideas. … gave me an opportunity to meet and spend some time with the “brain trust” in our community.
- Gary
I was able to meet a lot of excellent business contacts. Very friendly people made me feel welcome, and several people introduced me to people they knew. Great opportunity for good conversations. Thanks so much for having the event!
- Laura
Tech After Five is drawing a great group of IT personal that is giving our sales group an opportunity to network that we might not have otherwise and is great exposure for our company.
- Jerry
It has been great to meet new people and reconnect with old friends. Tech After Five is the perfect setting to make new connections.
- Kasey
I found just what I was looking for! I needed help with building some websites … Tech After 5 is a meeting you need to attend!
- Jim
Even at my first meeting I met A) someone I helped, B) someone who is now helping me, C) an old friend I had not seen in a while, and D) a personality in local technology media. Definitely attend next month!
- Chris
Good people, refreshments, and a fun environment. Great venue for meeting new people and touching base with current friends and acquaintances. I like what Phil said in a recent email “..investing the time to develop connections with us, your peers, and potential stakeholders in your future success”. This really puts it in perspective; community, connections, and opportunities.
- Gary
Tech After Five meets 3rd Wednesdays, 5:30 - 7:30 at Barley’s Taproom. RSVP Online and the first beer is on us.
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Thanks again to Adam Gautsch for taking photos at May’s Tech After Five. The crowd keeps getting bigger and each month we hear more stories of great connections at the event. The Startup Zone area featured ZipitWireless, and AtheleteFocus.com showing off the latest version of their device and website, respectively.
A few words from the attendees of May’s Tech After Five:
Tech After Five is the Third Wednesday of every month at Barley’s Taproom. RSVP online and the first beer is on us. Want to know why? Watch this.
Thanks to Keymark for sponsoring the May Tech After Five. They would like to invite you to their Horizon’s conference on June. (RSVP)
One more picture:
It’s the only one I shot.
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In a post on his blog, Loïc Le Meur asks Jason Calacanis, formerly of Weblogs, Inc., and now Mahalo fame, why he wants to put the DEMO conference out of business. Calacanis rightly observes that Startups are usually not in a financial position to make the investment of tens of thousands of dollars to participate in DEMO. Calacanis, along with Tech Crunch’s Mike Arrington formed the TechCrunch50 conference to showcase new companies while minimizing the expense for the startup.
We share Calacanis’ point of view. It’s incumbent upon the community that has had previous success in tech to create programs that make it easy for startup technology companies to take their first few steps. It’s the least we can do.
Watch Jason Calacanis explain why he FREE is better for startups:
Loïc Le Meur interviews Jason Calacanis about the TechCrunch50 Conference
We offer technology startup companies free demonstration space at our monthly Tech After Five networking event.
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Technology Professionals and Entrepreneurs alike are invited to our monthly after hours event. We’re meeting at Barley’s Taproom in downtown Greenville, SC. (There should be plenty of free parking in the lot next door.) The fun starts at 5:30 PM. RSVP Online and bring a business card and the first beer will be on us. (RSVP / More info)
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Were you at April’s Tech After Five at Barley’s Taproom? Each month we get a bigger crowd making more connections (and seeming to have an even better time!) Be sure to check out April’s photos, which we have courtesy of Adam Gautsch. Tech After Five is the GSA Technology Council’s monthly, after hours networking event of Upstate South Carolina’s creative class (and digerati) at Barley’s Taproom. Be sure to register in advance, May’s registration is now open. (RSVP) April and May Ta5 sponsored by Keymark.
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Each month at Tech After Five, we ask you to pre-register with your name, company, and a short description of what you may be looking for at the event. As I look into the list for this month, I see that people are looking for things like:
We do this to facilitate the great networking that takes place at the event. Here’s the rub.
Due to scheduling conflicts, only those who register online by 9 PM tonight (Tuesday) will get the cool badge. Everyone else will be handed a lame blank badge like the one pictured above and a Sharpie marker and forced to fend for themselves.
Don’t let this happen to you. Be cool.
Register Now: [RSVP Online]
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At last month’s Tech After Five mixer with the GSATC, I wandered around a bit with the microphone and asked a few questions. During that time, I managed to catch up with Krissy Green and she explained a bit about why she was there, and then turned the tables on me…
The next Tech After Five is this Wednesday (April 16)! [RSVP]
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The next Tech After Five (Ta5) will be held at Barley’s on April 16! We get together for fun and beverage and a lot of great networking. All Tech Professionals and Entrepreneur types are invited. Remember that if you sign up in advance and bring a business card with you, the first beer is on us!
Adam Gautsch has supplied us with photos from March’s Tech After Five:
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