Last night, I attended SF New Tech's Big Summer Geek Out and it was pretty darn cool. It was engaging to actually be at a networking event that didn't feel grueling as some of them can be.
I walked in just as the 6 companies were getting ready to present their technology. There was a 5 minute LED clock going (thank goodness) that kept the presenters on time. (Nothing is more likely to go over time than a CEO (often an engineer) up in front of a group talking about their baby.)
I realized pretty quickly that there were lots of engineers in the audience given the questions. Although I have to give some love to the host who made sure us non-engineers in the audience could follow along.
Of the companies, a few companies of interest:
- snappystuff: Allows you to list your items you wish to sell or trade on multiple services from one point.
- mydogspace: A social networking site for dogs (and dog owners). I thought the company was....cute, but I'm not sure if it's sustainable long term (it feels like a derivative application of web technology (like toys and pets.com) in the social networking context). But HUGE ups for them having a trailer for the movie version of Marley and Me!
- Backblaze: Clearest and most engaging demo of a super simple online computer back-up service.
- govit: I like that the CEO is actually trying to do something to engage us all in politics but I told him that it's a labor of love and he's up against a lot of dynamics that will make it tough to succeed on a large scale.
I also liked that the host let anyone from the audience give a 60 second spot on things they are doing or resources they are looking for.
Bottom line, it was a fun event that reminded me how many people are out there innovating.
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