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there is a lot of hip going on in dc and so the purpose of this panel is to really
talk about
where are we with the
state of our dc tech scene
and what can we do to really take it to the next level hope and i think we have a interesting
panel today with very different perspectives
and so i'll start with a couple of introductions then we're gonna jump
right into questions
so for those of you who don't know me i'm donna harris i'm managing director of start of
regions with start america partnership
in addition to being a four-time serial entrepreneur in the tech space
uh... i
now get the
unique benefit of traveling all over the country and
working with entrepreneur leaders in literally all fifty states to think about
how can we make all of are ecosystems locally stronger places for startups
you heard the deputy mayor talk about
startups aren't just for silicon valley anymore and we've seen a lot of improvement
in dc
uh... that is a national phenomenon and so we're excited to be
obviously located here in dc and and part of the the dc ecosystem
so this morning's panel we're gonna do a couple things we wanna
basically look at the local tech
startup scene
we want to talk about
what are the unique advantages and
frankly challenges of
doing a tech start up here in dc
wanna take a look at the
ecosystem as a whole and talk about what's working
where might we want to take a peek under the covers and do a little bit of work
and uh... really think about
how can we collectively as a community come together to improve the start up
scene specifically with the lens towards what can the district
a government do in particular to help support the ecosystem but also what can we
as entrepreneurs
so i'm joined today by
three very different perspectives on the panel today so i'm just gonna
give really quick introductions of each and i'm gonna actually ask them to jump right in
to answering some tough questions
and the purpose of today is for you to get a chance also ask questions so you'll
notice that we've got to twitter information up here
we're gonna be tracking that and we're gonna be looking at some of the comments and q and a
that you all have but
after i asked a couple questions i'm gonna literally open up for you all
start thinking about what you might want to ask this group
so first to my right is david zipper
david is currently the director of business development and strategy with the office
of the deputy mayor for planning and economic development that
and he is
the guy so if you've been to any of the start dc events you've seen him
running around really trying in earnest to help startups
and he is really responsible for business attraction and retention efforts
across dc so
he is here now not only to share his comments but i think also to listen to
listen to some of the things that you might have to say or ask
we then have uh... julie kantor julie is a native of the dc area so she's got a
really good perspective on
where we've been and what's changed over the last
unnamed number of years
uh...
so she is currently the chief strategy officer of
uh... a really cool start-up called barrel of jobs and she give out these really cool
little monkeys if you haven't seen them
you maybe want to hit her up for one
but she also has a really interesting perspective having spent twenty years
leading the dc uh... initiative around the uh... network for teaching
entrepreneurship and she's made some amazing inroads into helping
and young kids across the dc maryland and virginia regions to
really embrace an understand entrepreneurship as a career
and last but not least we have aaron saunders who is
a self-avowed techie so he has uh... worked at a number of firms including
time warner cable
register dot com
uh... and a whole bunch more uh... he's currently founder and cto of clearly
innovative
and they're based in dc but sell literally all over north america
and he's also platform evangelist for titanium appcelerator which i love
that name
and uh... he's also frequent speaker and guest blogger
around the benefits of cross-platform mobile api so he is a self-avowed
tech guy i think has a really great perspective on the d_c_ community
alright so let's dive in so we heard
that's that we don't need to repeat about some of the great progress that's
been made
dignity stock below let's just jump right into commentary from each of you
uh... about the current state
the d_c_ taxing
strengths challenges how has it changed
what is the trajectory for the future look like and frankly for those of you
currently in a startup
what are the strength of being in d_c_ and
where the challenges
hopefully it all out
who wants to start
uh... strengths uh...
uh... michael mccurry innovative without ten people right now if it wasn't for
d kisi
my company would be an interesting story
uh... my no that was a an experiment
um but uh...
we started out we were two people
we quickly drew to a people
and
ki kisi gave us a place called working a place to work at it and how much company
grow
so that was difficult to think about it
uh... uh... a weakness i think is
actor
i did you did not work out he was extremely challenging for me to find out
the space in d_c_
uh... at a reasonable price
highways blessed that high
had my own capital that i had to put out quite a bit to find office basis office
basin dcs extremely expensive um... but otherwise i don't know if i'd be sitting
here today so to me that's deftly something that i think
any help from suggest we proceed
so on
when i was born and raised in d_c_ so when you ask the question like where
wilcox what i think the and this is accurate or not d_c_ draft
home in uh... i've ever worked in their districts since uh... professing since
nineteen ninety five
fair
uh... startup uh... i think that we have the benefit which many startups
uh... the desire of more seasoned entrepreneurs to see us
and so we do have many incubators on the mayor mention some
uh... like fortified bc an affinity loud
he kisi and now i'm
uh... endeavor
and um... for an in my situation uh... i was looking to team up with a proven
entrepreneur
and really build something with a double bottom line and so elijah company new
signature which has grown fifty six percent every year uh... eleven oh one
new york avenue um... eighty employees doing ninety cloudy
we're able to use their resources their staff
financial resources office space and their c_e_o_ is of the signature of my
business partner and we're co-founders a barrel of jobs where were crowd sourcing
jobs building really innovative technology to help america got back to
work
it is a four purpose company and um... with a double bottom line mission so
dead this time designer of seasoned entrepreneurs
to give back to mentor to invest financially
it has been incredibly rich and having been
twenty years in the field of entrepreneurship education locally and
globally
i've never seen the energy
in d_c_ and seeing now of this startup community people
wanna work now for startups the same way
ten fifteen years ago they wanted to work for nonprofits and they want to
make a double bottom line difference
abuse and i believe you see that all sounds great
is uh...
where the challenges what what do you pinpoint of things that we need to work
on
uh... adheres talent
i_d_c_ is gonna be core rate
for eric um... young people
at a college
we're gonna lead is uh...
mail ka
we're gonna leave the middle class the camp or private school
and um... vich you know we're gonna lose it lets you live in certain
neighborhoods
we're gonna be really challenge with losing the thirty five to forty five
year olds and we're gonna get back
dot fifty-plus empty nest urs
back to school
talents israel
and it's actually uh... lobby update that we just put a housing market in bc
and i'm devastated
but we don't really the middle school option and i know that some vote it done
if u frank the sea
that tom so the schools and preparing young people to make it in the market
economy
we're gonna be able to recruit the best and brightest into d_c_
but we're gonna need it strong stem programs
and very very strong arm
you know we we need to look at what's happening in our steel
where parents are rallying around the school and the schools uh... becoming
pretty phenomenal
that
that *** but
should be b dot one exception to the world we want all of our young people
to rise
and uh... i think this is a big challenge in all just say i was on the
mayor's task force for entrepreneurship and technology
and um... one of my akki colleagues
that said i just milked
three miles and went from the worsthorne system in the country to the best school
system in the country
bc nation at all
uh... needs to keep of the middle class
it needs to keep the camp or private schools if you're wealthy
if our private schools
eight so it's a forcing a lot of people like me to consider
moving and um...
or a private school which is
there is that that's not see it
so that's a big chunk of your startup entrepreneur
uh... you know that we did not heist
salaries but it's going to be an incredibly by brett place for young
people to move to they're gonna wanna live here they're gonna want to stay in
this city
and so we want it uh...
backing we need to
focus on on that
and i do think we need to focus on um...
and what it's going to cost to stay in the city and i'm i was very bothered
them airs
transition team
uh... and on on the task force that work for sinatra perish if i'm really pleased
i was at the signing of the bell last week i'm really pleased about the tax
incentives i think we're gonna need to keep working on the capital gains tax
issue
uh... emily you know to enable people to invest in companies like ours
about a big challenge is going to be do we need to go to new yorker silicon
valley to get money
press startups
better not government
fair consider you know i za za yet people helping their friends get jobs
parents helping their kids get jobs kids helping their parents get jobs crowd
sourcing jobs and that's a consumer employer opportunity helping the players
get better tell it faster
combat is that something at you know i will go into be able to build i_d_c_
well we need to get financing outside the city at the white rabbit we kept it
plays a distilled intelligence
but im by fortified and that led to some phenomenal investor meetings and
impressed sale deport if i was a real job for us of invented distilled
intelligence
for the startup
great there before
we turn to creek foundational we heard so far from the torch bearers and i can
only hurt
a capital
is an issue we heard
office space for it
portability
so the pipeline of talent education issue we heard things seem to be getting
better but still
aways to go
curiouser perspective from
working with the government on
well you've seen things change and what did you think that the challenges are
that we need to work on
uh... it's really a lot to say for sure if i said
eventually makes for great point one that's not spoken enough of which is the
importance of school reform
and making about public education system uh... system in the city
much much better people see this is a social issue which it is but it's also
an economic development issue and it's critical not just for the tech sector
but for businesses really throughout our
our city
inside it's the jury intricately linked and i appreciate you making up and i
wish they came up a lot more often
uh... that said
yet another delay also said that we will have the young people coming into the
city
and we risk losing them
will let let's not take for granted the fact we have these young people coming
and that's a big deal it's really different from where the city wise
yet fifteen ten years ago and
that number the l_l_ europe when visually tyson's
when they actually action was
now daniel commercial honesty maybe that was the sea of living social he got side
of the revolution the company was spun out of a loyal
and where he found his big company social right here in the city
when i was hungry machines
with it was fantastic is that we have the amenities and the district to
attract these young people and to get the company started here these
potentially they want to be started here and that's why one of the big pushes
that we've been making in in the mayor's office
has been to provide some nudges to make it easier to start this business is
in the city that's why we gave a small grant for fortified
to move into good move into the district launch the fort at sixteen th and came
and you know it's like a hobby onto bruno activity now and distilled
intelligence if it wasn't dallas the year ago
and now as which was just talking i it's now right here and like just a couple
weeks ago at the carnegie library
so i think the district has
echo take a print a lot of other controversies rather cities are doing
in america and actually europe as well protracted midtech community
and i think that in d_c_ benefits of these do you the young energy could
really badly is our core strength are amenities
our neighborhoods that people want to be here
you see this happening in san francisco in new york in london where there's also
a movement of tech companies to be cities where young people want to be
eaton said then they come and see if companies being kind of where the people
want to be be also season very interesting particularly in new york in
london
as the cost of starting the company has fallen because of technicals of cloud
because of
of open sources because uh... this
use software is just getting cheaper
you're seeing
frankly you're seeing venture capital being less important would might but
might have cost four million dollars
i want to now be watch for a fraction of that
benefit angel investors those putting in ten thousand twenty thousand fifty
thousand dollars are much more important
and look at new york look at you all these wealthy people there from finance
from
from uh... fashion
from media
they're not chipping in money which is allowing those come is get funding right
next door
it's a big deal he said in one he says there is this for you specially c_n_n_
new york
and and washington we happen to be one of the wealthiest
regions in the country
i can go to office in the country
when the wealthiest in the world we do not go i don't think anybody whenever he
wants to be a together perspective
we don't have won the most robust angel communities
so one of the big focuses that we try to let how can we talk
those were that with with residents in the city of frankly of the region about
how
they can get behind some of the startups in the city provide financial support
and that was the when the big ideas behind the julie mentioned earlier which
was a favored option in the capital gains rate for d_c_ resident at best in
tech companies from nine percent down to three percent
which counsel
i don't know they really understand it
city passive recycle the tax reform commission of maine which mayor anthony
williams is looking over expect that will come back but but that's what the
reason behind it for fun provide nudges provide funding to test out of here
because we think that's a critical engine for growth
right so let's
turn it over to you guys
what do you guys wanna know what have you heard that's resonating questions
for the panel and please direct your question if he can to one other
panelists and and quickly get to your questions so we can fit allotment
we're going to school removed
uh... reform thing
everybody who works in d_c_ respond my kids schools want for the third
arlington it's among the mechanic it's in some other place
they bring up the chancellor and show something
but is not a true picture and we say listens
how do we say this is get too
and making the change that we need for school reform is critical
at
i wish i had a quick answer for you and the product of the d_c_ public schools
and i do wanna throw out a winter hurst and eileen and my daughters in the fifth
grade at a d_c_ public school
and i feel like she's getting a private school education i could not be happier
with her school
and i can
echo unit dozens and dozens of other parents who feel the same way up out
uh... elementary school
the school's i think that um...
there's a lot of reform going on in d_c_ and the question is are willing to wait
around
uh...
too
feel that it's popped up on argue parents
who have kids in the fifth grade field that they need to have moved four try
peeled said well he has the iranian we have some of the best private schools in
the country here too
and so uh...
that there's been a an incredible feeder um... calisphere when i a m about my
older brother went and he graduate my mom graduate from us and so
uh... but it it it's a real it so it is a challenge and um...
i think that it does affect our economy when ninety two percent of kids do not
graduate from college
out of the schools
uh... and then they're still beautiful exceptions banneker and
heard some good things that you know there's beautiful exceptions there's
there's a bunch of charter schools better com
thurgood marshall inward eight i think there
it babe if their seats that are unfilled that's cool
ended in ninety two percent go to college or more add about one school
right down the kids are good hope road
a right down there
wept yaad visited that's close blown awake but they have empty seats and they
have like a ninety-two percent plus articulation
take to college
uh... seventy percent of dots in the district
seventy percent of jobs
will require a college education
and sitcom so what we have so many of our young people not graduate from
college
that's
becomes a huge
issue for press all economically i think that one thing that we can do
i'm really impressed with programs like i'll just go with your up
uh... we support you're out uh... eighteen to twenty four-year-old fitted
not go to college
uh... they're getting college
they're getting internships
they're doing six months of tech training every single employer in the
city should hire someone added here at or another strong program and very happy
to learn about your
program
i'd personally if i could
you know way biological i might have students in their junior senior years
leave school for forty five dollars income intern with
start-ups in companies like ours i would have students leave maybe for a month
and go get real experience and billed as networks in the and those connections
uh... i went to feel school after
graduating from christ and i spent a month
i'm working for small business and as my best part of my education was getting
that experience
that's really quick brington questions like how can you
push for perform improve our schools that make a very tangible
any building go volunteer
that the public school pick a charter school i don't have any children but i
go once a week
to a charter school in columbia heights for
disconnected youth and
and and work with these with since they're going to gps
here and
heartfelt coke i think this is definitely a our topic that is a
enormous topic and
there were a couple points though that were made back in kl
bear repeating which is
when you think that the other day june entrepreneur it actually is in that age
range where it would likely be that that parents would be seeking a good school
system for the kids that bridge age of a successful tech entrepreneur is not
twenty three its
actually in that age range where you're staying is mail mantra school
a good school are not so if you get a two-fold one is the pipeline of talent
just purely for the jobs in the community
the other areas that that's been thereby cage factually starting a company so we
get a two-fold
but i think they made a phenomenal point other than the government here because
it's personal action
uh... which is that we have to deal with this is an economic issue not just a
social issue and the majority of the conversation does focus on the social
issue but what we're highlighting today is that he'd the topic uh... is how to
improve the sort of ecosystem and it's fascinating that very first thing and
and probably one of the biggest things we can do
is to really take a look at how we incurred the education system
to be able to tackle those two for problems
when i get to the next question so my question is to follow up with what he
said why
what is the landscape in the district that we don't have
the intial community in the same way that some of these other places to it
seems a really important question
yet that is an important questions one that day on think that they think dot
and hurt pertain
heidelberg field is that it's not easy for educating me alike and he's
assembled history capital of individual investors network facilities in the
networks
they're popping up
and
what i'm understood happy as to what i would have understood and
in those conversations and talking with a lot of people are angel investors or
not or thinking about it
it is that there's been
subculture in d_c_ who have always had mysteries in some people have investment
income available
but they finish about upping their money into
into restaurants as a venture
or into real estate them and find of that companies have never been on the
radar screen to think we never had to companies here to start with
and it did at and it's not a particularly risk a lobbying
environment among those who have been industry think about compare
someone and and he works in fashion or finance with
summon you mention working in-laws or or lobbying realestate
which could be think is going to be more accustomed to may be losing everything
but the media on one investment
making a big on the next
so i think there is this an education process that involves hand-holding
involves hasn't paid
aware of just look up and will understand
that this can be
but a lot of fun but also
event dot financially rewarding piece of your portfolio
and dog actually i think there's number of people who start cream he's angel
networks where they get together a couple dozen people for dinner drinks
pitches local tech companies and only because they wanna make money
actually at that point on this high salute them because i actually think
they're building the local economy maiden the i'd have economic development
and what's the people
in this room five economic development i recognize economic development i see it
and and there is that there is a in there may be some in the string frankly
those were out there
explaining what it how tech investment can work and bring others along
we're doing a really important thing to evolve our economy
uh... this is great blue again ask the same question i asked him last session
uh... d_c_ several years ago uh... received thirty million dollars around
that much from the federal government to support investment and broadbent
infrastructure as well as training and support programs uh... such as connect
issue which has brought us all here can you speak specifically to the impact of
this investment in the community now and also speaks to how we're going to be
building on those programs in the future
i appreciate the question but that's really best record for cocktail within
were birkenau program directly
so i think that the lapd everybody connected different people right
afterwards but because i i don't have a
there's a tremendous apprised of anybody else in the all the time
seven questions
thank you i'm johnta cozy and uh... i would for smaller jitu i'll take a look
at stewart hudson middle school that's where my son has got his going now in my
daughter graduated from their sheets notes without walls
it to look at the idea that if they graduate from high school d_c_ did you
get the advantage of our
well first of all they get distraction for scholarship issue w full for your
school scholarship or they can get the uh... benefit of the program that lets
you get in-state tuition in any
uh... college around the country so uh... it's pretty exciting as far as
actors uh...
of people at the capitol
but i guess my question revolves will do more about the tax incentive that you
mentioned uh... i don't think i wasn't at the council didn't understand that it
said when you look at cutting taxes for people who are he obviously for daschle
investor that would make is someone who is wealthy because that's the nature of
someone who would be an angel investor
and uh... as opposed to cutting taxes for people it's a yr are less well-off
but for example if it was focused on the idea that he would be d_c_ residents to
with the at that tax break as opposed to anybody with anywhere else in the
country limited there some way to he'll get people more excited about that
because he had initial investor from d_c_ anderson company that becomes
incredibly successful well then they're gonna get the benefit of that wealth
we'll be right here in the community could be next story could be down the
street
uh... i could be in in the neighborhood so uh... i would just as should take a
look at that and hopefully uh... we can do something because the more best we
can get into the city that would be helpful and then lastly hardened i've
lived across the bridge inward seven so if you looked at the neighborhood of
passing out in minnesota avenue he looked at work do you a yes is our of
minnesota and benning road northeast if that actually point to people invest in
companies in those locations when you can imagine the transformation will take
place in those neighborhoods because right now nothing's happening there and
uh... it would be great to have that tax is going to be targeted to to developed
those areas as well
schedule understanding that the that the uh...
legislation is introduced to provide that credit for everybody invested in
teh company no matter where they left
and religion
yet that you just actually made exactly the point of people misunderstand
why that was proposed in the bill actually was exactly what you asked for
which is that it be limited to d_c_ residents on these we we can affect the
d_c_ residents
are going to be taxed on so did the benefit would have done exactly what you
were suggesting which is
and it still could buy they'll come back in a few months but
the benefit is prisoners italy for d_c_ residents
to invest in teh compa nies and then precisely for what the reason use
outlined the benefit with foot about the company to receive the investment as
well as the resident of the city whose me making money and then the districts
will be able to leverage that as well so that at that point is that i do think
that there is an education process that needs to go on with counsel and frankly
with i think that many communities in the city dog is is that that the tech
community is not well understood i had had very senior officials asked me what
an angel investors
uh... and he had that this is something this is actually
so and i think that everybody in this room can play a role with if you are if
you have a tech company yourself
i hope that they had uh... you know you take time to get the account numbers or
or what come from and represents
the the place where you work
and got me with maybe have the didn't explain what you're doing explain what
challenges you face being in the city
and and help the city move towards the team hopefully we can we can help you
but at least one hold you back by having policies again in the way
add one comment on such a moderator not a callous but
there it's a pretty early that was really important and it was a big aha
for me
a number of years back i used to be very frustrated with why was the legislature
market to do is st
not necessarily understanding what we needed to giveth gallagher a business
and wave came to realize was that it wasn't from lack of attention oftentimes
those from lack of information and
david's point not just going need with
the person who represent you i think that's a really important take away from
the audience
oftentimes they just understand able what it means to start company beware
the challenges that we face in trying to do that way the connections between
things like education and your ability to actually grow our company upset
justice thomas a relationship with them and become the source of education and
information for them and start with the idea that maybe they just don't
necessarily understand the world from your review and and david pension you
respect a lot of time trainer howell
d_c_ officials understand the capital issue why aren't
investors and putting their money and so he oftentimes it does come down just in
down in helping people to connect the dots
question in fact
here's how you just started to
i think insert requesting that he didn't mention have defended ec community here
is in d_c_ and yet he suggestions for how we can change the really speaks to
these students
different community
accents
but that has been a lot of when he liked it
uh... erin how about you
adi by perspective from a from someone who's caterpillar's he looked more
technology park
perspective
what i work i work in d_c_ under new york original with the new york for ten
years
i worked effectively there
i have people that i work with in san francisco technique by people who work
in europe a continent would people
but the people at companies based dcdc walk
dippers the the unfortunately
people don't perceive
this is the perception of d_c_ intercom
as a place to start to grow technology business elise from
the technology perspective from the people writing the software from the
engineers
right now
it's still really not there and so i think that by default it kind of could
meet all the way up through the d_c_
that that's their perspective also worldwide we need to go try to figure
out what's going to see if i can just go to your credit score leverage worship
cisco no i think
like you said d_d_t_ kinda grow it here
median these grow organically and then as board more of us are successful here
in d_c_ the money will come
artists ellen that
after spending twenty years as a social entrepreneurs teaching entrepreneurship
really globally to low-income children
i'd moved from the certs non-profit too
want to build a can and i wanted to build are for-profit company
and see what kind of difference we could make also in people's lives using
technology
the d_c_ community has been incl
reddit we launched in july
and since july
huge embossed has come over to our office
and spent time really understanding us from d_c_ government figuring out hui
article we might need to me
to be successful and create jobs
we met with david setback startup america and has introduced us to a kind
of people
and um... i spent
time with on
with skylar you personally scott cases presley movement toward us
um... a lot of the angels have come to my office the common they've left
northern virginia offices that come to
office casino were busy and we're we're pretty you know if in the start of dream
which is like a roller coaster in its awesome in its stressful and it's
exciting
on it is not a lot believed
but people are coming they've been very generous
door is open to present it distilled intelligence incase treat capital in
cooley capital calling
and build lettuce calling you now think ok introduce you to cooley kolkata
introduce you to tell you don't get a introduce you guys do
for you to succeed
and we
wants this business
into a lot
we launch this business in july
and people are coming in a bid won a couple things up
they want to understand your vision they wanna understand how you differentiate
from competitors
they want you to do your market research
didn't want to see your technology
and
hal and and your financial projections
how you're gonna make your first dollar you're betting you lot a lot of
businesses do not have
a revenue model
they wanna demo um... they want to see who your partner ring with who are your
channel partners
traction is incredibly important
wherever you are but they're willing to let you before you make your first
dollar
they're willing to look to you before you make you first dollar in the city
and they're willing to entirety along
good friend of mine from connect printer and i have to say iran defeat
and work with the list every entrepreneur and an investor in town
said that didn't come to the table of a lot of relationships
but hire someone who has a lot of relationship that certainly can help i
hope fast-track i had a guy call me and say gee lee
i can speak with you this morning
i'm sorry it wasn't email i've got an emergency at home
can we reschedule for tomorrow but by the way
can you write a piece about the job market
that's five hundred to a thousand words and send it to a area on a huffington's
he puts back
and i did that and i sent it
it was probaby
uh... ten reasons your job search might feel like dating
and that was the first of fifteen articles that published in the
huffington post since
and these and if people
and i don't even know well
us succeed
adjust with a coke i'd believe
my perspective on that is that a lot of it comes down to relationships and you
know i was mentioned uh... lose one of the clemency people here's that either
technologists most of all the singer
you know other developer
i drew up writing software
idukki city from a computer code
yet to be successful i had forced to come see if you do things like this
d_d_t_
we need to get out
but you need to get out do you need to talk you need to build the relationships
that what's up
you need to find out what it was your council into the people at you and
socialize with
to grow
your business
idleness the hard way
i don't have people document or company i don't have to go for the government
looking up but i'm realizing that to move to that next level to make the
difference i'd need to go out ninety two she can say need to make relationships
it doesn't matter how smart you are or how did you think your if you do all
these other things
it just doesn't matter founded ominous sampat today
moving into a topical quickly and so when we think about silicon valley can't
have a panel about an ecosystem without mentioning silicon valley
talk as i travel the world
i hear people say as they want to be a silicon valley of on the black advice
and i happen to do is to just throw that sense other vocabulary
the key is really
what is the best
d_c_
not how we become a replica of something else
as we think about what makes silicon valley successful dirt there are two
things that every community
really needs to figure out one is the density issue
if you don't have a deep and broad community
you don't have the connections in the relationships and then planters in the
people to help you in
and so i have seen a lot of progress in d_c_ lately around increasing density
a lot more of the types of connections that julie is talking about it
fewer of the that i'm not getting to help
sir i think that aaron a struggle at
that the other is recycled capital which we talked a little bit about the fact
that
we are when the single wealthiest communities when you think of the d_c_
maryland virginia region
and yet we have one of the loop loyalist
into an accident rates in the country so how do we
really tackle those two things of my question is for you all in welcome into
the conversation for the audience
what is the best d_c_
we can be with our vision for that
how do we tackle things like density and recycle capital
she would i would
like to see borough and uh... i'd like to
well i think it helped is
being able to extract some of the value of the college and university that are
here
to empowers startups
right now have three
three people were committed to local university
they came to the door they did not know anything about mobile software developer
that we train them
uh... so successfully back to taking advantage of what we have our natural
resources which is always call the diversity the kind of go down to the
next level taking advantage of the school's taking advantage of this high
school kids in the graduate taken in the training them
micah but he is all open-source software
you don't have to pay anything to build any distortion all you need is a
computer at a mobile phone and most of these kids have a mobile phone anyway
um...
august i think we did a media
at the phone in in a custom
uh...
all high school kids
uh...
i think altogether at about twelve or thirteen
but you look like he's a came by
came by on saturday all day happy sunday most of them
either built on that
desitin ap
presented about up
always just a day and a half
the question is how do we take that to the next level
those kids were excited they went to the next level
i didn't have the facilities or the means to extend that process longer to
have them come back in the it became to work with them work on their skills to
work on the apts to help the believes that this is that they could do
so these kids had like i said i've never written a mobile up before
and it reduced the had the places
and they had apts running and phones you know so that's the kind of story of
these happen over and over and over again because
you read in the paper about
the key didn't silicon valley edited when a kid in new york again at their
kids' right here who could do the exact same thing they're companies regulated
and kisses greetings of the companies
but we need to figure out a way to as a community all come together in the
process
offered to think that the question is about
that they should be the best cc we can be
something like that
um... did some places executive totally opposed to that uh...
said there's two things that i would speak to into the lobby in part about
this the about wind is
is talent generation
uh... and you know
and i think is the in the previous panel talked about how everybody would
everybody knows that hire developers had her three right now if you could
uh... that is a common theme that i've heard a lot of and
i think that
and found anything that would with a lot of youngsters now who are hungry for
somebody to hire
tomorrow
you know they they talk about how our local universities need to step up and
have more robust science and engineering programs computer science programs and
and that's happening george russia's make a big investment in that and will
take time but
that has happened we looking also it at saint elizabeth sent east of ever being
a place where the allot of that that either process can can take place
but also i think it's important to look
early robert looked further out let's have a long-term vision
about the youth in the district
and one really important thing the gen bosses' don improvising is connected
tribute to the summer youth employment program with local tech companies she's
done it with several dozen companies this past summer one would stand up for
next summer
these can be the employees of the future we bought a home robotics crass mckinley
tech to d_c_ week last year
and they got the biggest applause of the night twenty thousand people to one of
the arabs fantastic
and i think that i think that's
i think that's really critical and seamless isn't a central role there with
microsoft because i think the first
innovation center in the way in the country
and other personal but could be the first in the country say needs so that's
what they might encounter narration then a quick economic integration
and dynpro your question was you know we don't have enough acquisitions
out that companies locally if you compare it the thought silicon valley
san francisco think that's a good point and it's one that requires some five
so what
i've tried to do
and administrations tried to do is to build bridges between this still very
new
tech community and the more established economic development leadership in the
district
on the fact you know there's a good this is you know this is how sexy economic
going to be alludes brokered a meeting between yet have a big the guy who runs
dot obc and his aunt every entrepreneur around and the head of the board of
trade which is all the real estate and defense companies everything's been
around here for eighty years
and now they've had a bunch of other meetings and and or the goal in my mind
in these from one of them
is that ultimately those established companies can inform local entrepreneurs
about what they might be what would be valuable what services they met when he
use or maybe certainly what about you know about the whole company for ten
million dollars not creates money they can even cycled through out the
entrepreneur community
invade his mother found little make on that point uh... these are to get this
fixed time this economic integration idea but last week with julie ke mention
she came to
the signing of
the technology sector enhancement act which interest you think i can sentence
and that means was one of about a dozen tech leaders who was there which was
wonderful
but also their was the head of the downtown business improvement district
the head of the d_c_ chamber of commerce people who've who
we're not thinking about tak
until a couple years ago
and that's really important those sorts of bridges or how i think we can make
the tech community an integral part
of the city and of the economy for a very long time to come
additive done fend that first it starts with feel what we have
and um... i mean we do have incredible incredible assets on p_c_s_
my can invest place to live in the world i mean it's it's an incredible city it's
called here it's beautiful it's
walking the starbucks we start looking at houses at montgomery county it's
lightweight one point nine miles to the nearest are that i can get out of my
house a lot bopping field um... and it we do have the most educated workforce
in the country here we have found
the metro we have that uniforms
display bus number two for number tech jobs
uh... it's very hot for startups but i think sometimes what we we're where we
can i think uh... that i've heard people like peter corbett who's running d_c_
weak and others talk about a marketing campaign
you know not what happen x silicon valley bill or something else and i'm
not sure what it's called but really
uh... embracing that's so that whether it's someone dot com
at the at the mayor's office or whether it's a start up community or people that
you know i this very highly talented workforce that work for indian
governments in and with a lockheed martin sts that date did that we have a
brand about d_c_ being really really really
hartford startups i think that will attract are also more investors
and people i_d_c_
'cause they do up not always i_d_c_ is a place for start up some people are at
gone two boca retirement gone too
other cities and i talk about the d_c_ stock community people look at me
strangely i thought it was all government that was all apartments like
they're beautiful homes that youthful neighborhoods
people hurt on the retirees duodenum economic development is related to that
the number of young people to get out uh... so funny
uh... vicki opera calcutta but uh... that that that utilizing and i think
there's a group of
that's putting together an entrepreneur is to mentor the next generation
and to mentor other startups but entrepreneurs also are investing
i mean that's that's a great trend if we can get i'm entrepreneurs mentoring
startups ahmed nifty when iran network for teaching entrepreneurship we have
hundreds of entrepreneur is going to the toughest neighborhoods into schools
and share their stories uh... with young people
and answer questions and set up and off
and offer some months internships
of what it takes to be an entrepreneur and idea now
a lot about people that come to d_c_
uh... are
uh... three to four vote their job that pays a hundred fifty year to a fifty
thousand eyes here
they're afraid to try entrepreneurship but the more um...
feel that it's it's it's an option
on the moral or lawyer and agro entrepreneurs in d_c_
within just a minute
education demon has come out literally
in every single question and almost all the comments that we've made so far so
best theirs and they're they're not fascinated that you all three head on
that when we talked about what is the best ec possible
acergy lol saying
not only is it a challenge
but it might also represent one of our greatest opportunities
for the future of our ecosystem and idea that if we can collectively
as a community both
the public sector the private sector entrepreneurs
all come together that there might be a really big idea in there
interesting that
some of the comments here
really been made it to the education piece as well
uh... other incentives for virtual a home-based tech companies in d_c_
quick question
uh...
yet maybe action this is the finance disinfectant not sure he buddy
that he may rise given a quick overview of what that program is people
interested in that
so that may be all these this is an opportunity that in pretty seconds or
less
are d_c_-ten incentives isn't is a buyer a program for any technology company
based in the district in place of these two full-time workers
as an office thirty anything on your house is at an office somewhere
and i want someone to qualify
you get a hold on a whole range of incentives elitist enhanced those
incentives with the bill that was signed last week by the mayor
when you're interested start up the biggest eventual geddes that you'll pay
facing new attacks on any software and hardware you find the city's so you go
to the
today the eniac authority by mac book you know you don't to pay taxes on that
by software attacks on that
but it's really valuable that was later on as you grow you get a five year
completed bateman corporate income tax here in the city that starts when you
become profitable so it's fine to that's couple years from now it's fine if
that's right away it doesn't matter
there's some other vendors to there's gonna be there's there's hiring credits
for decent for d_c_ residents there's also credits if you relocate people from
offices outside the city
into the city
which we get more information about
operative a powerful program against by writing to two page applications guard
tax revenue office here questions about that you can talk to me my emails david
dot separate the c_ dot gov
and i also directly to jennifer bastille i think that you may recall that when a
good against 'cause she's so awesome generator
and she is the first expecially ever had in the mayor's office and she knows
ecological already and she knows that i think she could probably you could call
her three in the morning she could redo language in the bill that created this
program by heart but she's jennifer with one hand dot blots
at bc dot ca while the harder than mine but she technically thank you for giving
up my you know i think that nod and i read read read what i don't give out a
number two no
so that that
it's time for a few more questions and comments
i've had forty top and then we've got a couple on the front
coming out
add funding friend
yet you the question now tobacco coming how
yes i did you know i'm from d_c_ logic ask you want to howard wikiversity
understated economics so you know i appreciate the whole d_c_ native thing
too
i haven't seen a whole lot of innovation from the financing side yes crowd
funding is the pole
all that that basically addresses all of the issues that have been raised here
with respect to financing so
i'm curious as to whether or not the d_c_ government is going to get on board
with respect to crowd funny and let me wrap up by by pointing out
that d_c_ program that you mentioned that gives the so if you have a kid in
d_c_ and they go to college anywhere universally calphalon rather than paying
the out-of-state great because you live in washington d_c_ you pay the rate as
if you lived in the state of california and that's replicate if ralph forty nine
states
that is a huge
which huge uh... attraction in benefit and
the other traction and benefited you know
is the new market tax credit program for the district of columbia which gives a
forty percent tax credit
for venture capital investments in washington d_c_ soap so for example
if you invest a hundred dollars in a company in washington d_c_ in certain
empowerment zones in enterprise zones
in you lose all hundred dollars the federal government will give you back
forty dollars
so that addresses the risk profile uh... issues that you raised with respect to
intial investors in in this area
why isn't the government taking all of these things in putting them together
into a nice neat
investment package that
a crappy let me let me complete the picture for you
a crowd funding platform
that
uh... ease
accredited by the d_c_ government
basically puts together all of these credits into the equity investment that
you make in companies in d_c_ so you get the
startup credit that you talked about
if you're located in certain enterprise zones you get the forty percent
newmarket tax-credit that you talked about you get all of this stuff all
worked up together i just don't see a lot of innovation
and then answer the question was in the hot drive at by deathbed famous broadly
is
that and
i think we've talked a lot of other various initiatives and programs that
rolling out to try to nudge
the tech sector forward but i think always try to remind myself
and remind um...
and uh... and those that i think
the
you've looked at the district to give
may things about the tech sector
you know uh...
and at the end of the day
it's
i've never seen the government created tech sector
it's really the entrepreneurs to go
it's the business isn't it
that now with the government i think and can nudge it along
weekend we can talk but i i'm from research triangle park in north carolina
which is also a model the people often hold up
but i i i think it's important
the government
provide assistance and hand me a lot but i spend most of my time listening
and you're going to the private sector to the tech companies here and hear what
the challenges are
what i i hear a lot of things they care about talent here access to capital here
dot space which is something somebody mentioned early on the inside summoned
and come up again bad guy i just try to always be relatively home bull about the
role that
that the government is going to play and the tech sector because
uh... i think it simply in it's important to bear in mind just how
critical and central
those of you are here who who are on trainers or working it's sort of because
you're the ones who are really pushing i think the local economy for actually
think it's a great idea for a company what you've just a
finished backpack company go it
i think that i could find on here tear a pastime
already there you go
i think you are my work for d_c_ department of employment services
and have a question for any one-term all of the uh... the panelist
and it is out whether any of you have experience with hiring uh... individuals
that you knew or that you suspected uh... had probably faced a lot of
challenges in their lives whether uh... you knew or suspected that you know they
were issues around poverty uh... formal education and whether you had hired
uh... those kinds of individuals before and what was it that made you hire those
individuals what made you retain those individuals were made those individual
successful so any part of
that question i was answer into something quickly on
that's existed exactly right and they haven't dobson new signature support
your apt
tear up dot org
and bad and national
uh... organizations are taking young people from low-income communities
and i met with us housing go they're really great talk about it um... you're
out there as one of the you know best of the best and there's there's a big gray
ones that i a cat and i spent twenty years
helping young people not just take it up to create their own jobs
um... and investing in them financially uh... through
this is think opticians and see capital uh... it'll end eighteen-year is
eighteen to twenty three
certainly signature comment
week we have um... every six months we take to you're out interns that have had
six months of technology training they're getting great technology
positions and to be ultimately
uh... hired
several of them
as full-time in in place
and we think they thought immuno gas in the night many others didn't bring
incredible strengths the table
uh... and um... i think that
you know that there's just i mean i don't want to go into the soft skills
and hard skills
on the big day are getting picked me to get training
first-class training and they're getting caught credit from novak
and so uh... that's also giving them an engine hiring
uh... that they are doing that they are can go back to school while they're
interning and getting training and it's
it's packaged beautifully and in the year at model
so finding a lot of times people when they're when there's an organization
uh... annals of disparate also meeting without sin gerber the issue of um...
there that you know one thing i've been want to do with the bill dot site which
is like a monster dot com ur careerbuilder but were craps arcing jobs
to people actually are helping their friends get jobs and why things are
really wanna do is also segment which dot still require a college degree
and so it just makes it it you know there's many ways to slice and ice three
job boards in and uh... but this one if i have a great friend who would be if it
and i send it
you know if i send it to air in an area gets the job
i actually got a two hundred dollars and i cant let that money to your
opportunity here with a worrier project
who disagree only the director of joint educational facilities or on the
anacostia saturday in the past year ever
and we blew it is we were were pre college students in about thirty plus
areas uh... advanced computing in contemporary mathematics
and what we do it with will basically research korean reduced his kid having
had a research we teach them how to teach them so basically
and
there so there is the place over there where you can see in your students at
few hui
to reveal their
and um...
we have to project hope
we have other programs out there and what differentiates bus from them
we don't do teach them like people normally teaches kids
as a manager
when you have a professional you looking for somebody who can to hake
a pass
research that pass the time of what needs to be done and then
and most of the folks that you prolly worked way of localism added to teach
them how to how to do it first
what we're looking will we do is we teach them how to teach themselves how
to do it and then do it because
that person has more value not only to themselves or to a corporation
so we're over there in on the anacostia savla river we've been over there for a
long time the prime ever heard of us
but determined
than a decade of the name is my high school students published
three hundred technical papers
has a question earlier about
how has the thirty million dollars ten years if you wanna come on up commentary
on that by carrying out personal message from program regional unfairly food
housing
of christian
bulan inserted time at this level
of the exact uh...
the ground from the among his none of them women and so far
but the polling data for good
one is uh... is phil gramm as fell four point one p building
the other one is that scott s_b_a_ grant as well for approval form him
and the large infrastructure responsible team formed four million
and in addition to those of under the occupants of the there's a lot of site
one other grandest also auto is this dump out the sepia park library
the copy cc public computers center of it that the lampoon fireman altogether
is what twenty-some amelia
writes that there was a an suv s asserted million cluster
the terms of the movement of costa
and uh... we tried to do is saying winnow the greek restaurant
called this we'll every disinvestment
some kind of attack community does exactly what we connect the d_c_ team is
trying to do
so why couldn't speak for other grammar not on the mark
solution of it
i could answer is full as pierre ground as well as the as people grow
was a week and i think leverage that these are the his supporters of engage
in the community pair community history was not beauty in connection
leverage that these few weeks resources and in some pre innovative ideas so
we'll see will be able to pad into that
was greer is was so
there who may have mentioned earlier would bring
frequent debris important is that we have four hundred thousand
people
at this wonderful things will come up that being to it
so we have a calming one of the plane was going to do is uh...
for instance leverage float the model wind and attack upon
and also there were paraded embarrassment the peak
than of the that the hollered investors
so would think of the next company over the next
cobblestone
with income of spring twenty thirteen will be able to bring the program would
call opera fung
all contemplate
that the mekong computer about week we just
i mentioned that we do not suspend memo platform
intended for the community organization padding two px slick across a listing of
with so you'll be called a *** from so invite all of organization coming
so you became the reason the phone with the problems is that they did
but the stimulated so those are things we plan to do
win model the
bus it to a blue from community
and hope this is an surly working in the throes of cluster nodes only wants to
mooning we we loop looking for your feedback
all the president will really appreciate that ninety-degree and the president to
be a colic thank you so much ticket anti
ari bell perspire out what i think i tell and i think our panelists today for
coming and and sure enough perspective sent
they want to continue in the audience for coming in
after your questions and being open to having conversation about how do we
really improved the d_c_ texting i want to leave you with with one thought which
is that
we talked about what is the best d_c_ possible
we are clear on that whether we work for the do you think of that or whether we
are entrepreneurs to complete a leadership role in our community
uh... so i'd ask you this sir to think about what can you do
up make d_c_ the best possible community
protect startups adam
they can get started whether it's five off here and adventuring at five
thousand happening
going in the eighties
local representative worked anything that's right
line here looking happy also make the best experience of at one point in eight
days