President's Notes, June 2018

Dear TiE DC Community:

I hope this message finds you well and enjoying the transition into summer! I am writing to share our progress this year, as well as exciting developments ahead. TiE DC is pleased to welcome many new Members, entrepreneurial company builders, to the organization. We hope you have a chance to meet at an upcoming event.

We’ve had a bustling first half of the year, which kicked off with an insightful evening on global economic development with Alyssa Ayres and her recently published book, Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World. Attendees at the sold-out event received a free, signed copy of the book!

In February, Professor Mahesh Joshi introduced his new strategy game, BiggieBills, to a competitive group of TiE DC members. Teams built their companies in the simulation to grow revenue and capture market share, racing to be the first to $1 billion. Tremendous lessons came out of the session for all who attended. We hope to play again soon. (And, a few teams are ready for a re-match!)

Our TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Boot Camp also got underway in February. 36 students were selected from 70 applications received, representing 24 area high schools. Students participated in 9, half-day classes on Saturdays from February through April. TYE empowers high school students to become entrepreneurs by developing strong business acumen, communication skills, time management, and confidence to lead in a global environment.

The TYE Business Plan Competition on April 28 was a rewarding culmination of the students’ hard work. Seven teams competed for a first place cash prize of $3,000. The winning team, RoBio, a robotic biomedical waste disposal system, will go on to compete in the TYE Global Competition hosted here in Arlington, Virginia in June. Read more about all of the teams, here. This incredible program would not be possible without the continuing support of Infinite Computer Solutions, who has sponsored TYE in DC since its start six years ago. Thanks to Mahesh Joshi for his outstanding leadership of content, delivery and wonderful facilities at George Mason University, with support from Sundi Natarajan, Manpreet Mattu and several other amazing speakers and coaches.

On April 24, our TiE Tuesday featured a lively discussion among four past TiE DC presidents and current angel investors: Satya Akula, PV Boccasam, Hemant Kanakia and Paul Singh. We were so pleased to have a more than 80 attendees at the 1st Stage Theater to hear the collegial exchange among leaders with diverse experiences.

We also introduced a new feature of our events, Open Mic, which is an exciting promotional opportunity for Members to give a 118 second elevator pitch introducing their companies.

Last month, we launched a brand new program with great success: a full-day Startup Workshop. On May 12, Office Evolution hosted 70 founders and CXOs with the theme of “Essentials for Growth.” More than a dozen phenomenal speakers and panelists provided tangible experience, best practices and actionable takeaways on Startup Marketing, Raising Money, and Team Building.
So what’s next? Later this month, TiE DC is thrilled and honored to host the TyE 2018 Global Competition! 20 teams of high school students from around the world will be participating in this exciting event. Tickets for the Friday Business Plan Competition and Saturday Maker's Faire and Awards Ceremony are available, now!

Here are a few of the upcoming programs for the second half of the year that we have in the works: