It was definitely not your father's networking event — billed as a block party, the inaugural Boston TechJam last night brought together entrepreneurs, startups, students and venture capitalists to make connections, share ideas and celebrate the Hub's innovation community.
More than 1,000 members of the tech community attended the sold-out event at District Hall, the city's new innovation center in Southie's Seaport District, which featured live music — provided by bands that had at least one member who was an employee of a local tech company — robots, games and a "Pitch Heard Round the World" contest for startups, entrepreneurs and students.
Mark Lorion, chief marketing officer of Apperian and co-founder of TechJam, said he is hoping it will be the start of an explosion of social and cultural events in the innovation community.
"We're trying to bring together every corner of what makes this economy work," said Lorion.
Boston's startup scene has long been criticized for its lack of after-hours interaction, and events that bring together the tech community for relaxed networking with music, food and drinks could reinforce the Hub's reputation for innovation and help reduce the number of promising entrepreneurs that graduate from local schools and leave for New York or Silicon Valley, organizers said.
"This stuff has to happen in Boston," said Rob Weeks, co-founder of Sol-Power, adding he would welcome more events like TechJam.
Michael Skok, a venture capitalist with North Bridge Venture Partners, agreed.
"Startups are much too hard unless it's serious and fun," Skok said.
But it wasn't just fun and games. Another crucial part of TechJam, said Lorion, is the wide range of companies involved — everyone from Zipcar to Rethink Robotics to Aereo. Bringing companies and sectors together is crucial for the growth of Boston's innovation economy, he said.
"We're all kind of in this together," said Lorion.
Aaron Burke, president of Paraware, said he made several connections with local companies at TechJam. Traditional networking events don't translate to a younger audience, he said.
"That's really for older people," he said.
Burke took part in the pitch competition, where he had two minutes to sell mino, a sensor that tells when running shoes have worn out.
While DataCrowd, a startup that crowdsources data research for marketers took the prize, Burke said the feedback from venture capitalists and other investors was invaluable.
"It really helped us understand how to add elements to our typical pitch that describes an investor's viewpoint," he said.
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