LaunchMemphis End of Year Report.

Please download the LaunchMemphis End of Year Report 2008  (.pdf), which highlights all the events from our first year.

LaunchMemphis would like to thank all the sponsors and participants who helped make 2008 such a great year for entrepreneurship.

We look forward to making 2009 an even better year…please stay tuned and help us continue to LaunchMemphis!

BarCamp Memphis HUGE Success

First of all, a HUGE thanks to everyone who had anything to with making BarCamp Memphis the success it was. Attendees, presenters, volunteers, sponsors, and planners all came together to make BarCamp Memphis a truly great weekend.

The weekend began, staying true to our Memphis roots, at Ground Zero Blues Club in downtown Memphis. We met a lot of wonderful new faces, and found some pleasantly familiar ones there for some great mixing and meeting. The crowd was fun, the food was great, and it really set the mood for our Memphis-style tech conference.

Early the next morning, we were greeted at the Emerge Memphis building by a mountain of Red Bull and a slew of great presentations. Topics varied from Ruby on Rails programming, to RSS feeds. All of our speakers gave home-run presentations including LunaWeb’s Dave Barger demystifying LinkedIn and Mitch Canter teaching attendees to “Make WordPress Dance.” There were also some very passionate words exchanged during a great open conversation about Social Media privacy/etiquette.

Between all of that, and some great Memphis BBQ from Rendezvous, BarCamp Memphis was one of our best events yet with the Memphis community. Thanks again to absolutely everyone who made it possible!

Event Sponsors: Open Road Technologies, Small Business Chamber, MPACT Memphis, Red Bull, LunaWeb, and Rendezvous BBQ.

AgBio Conference

Memphis Bioworks is hosting an event on November 12 at Fogelman Executive Center from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. for those interested in learning more about companies involved in agricultural biotechnology, renewable raw materials, and reduction of environmental pressures. This event is titled: “AgBio Partnering and Opportunities Forum” and is being hosted as part of a two-day conference.  This is an invitation only event, so if you are interested in attending the forum, contact Peter Nelson at (901) 448-1724 or pnelson@biobased.org.  If you’re interested in this growing industry or are an investor looking for unique opportunities, then this may be the event for you.  The forum will include presentation from five innovative companies and a Q&A session. This event is sponsored by BioDimensions, Infinite Enzymes, Innova, Memphis Bioworks Foundation and Verdant Partners LLC.

BarCamp Memphis 2008 — Be There, Share, Learn

LaunchMemphis and LunaWeb invite you to be a part of Barcamp Memphis, a user-generated conference where you share what they know and learn what they don’t about the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship and technology. BarCamp is the conference that puts you in control. Hear about the latest tech and business tools by joining the conversation on November 8th.  Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join.

Schedule:
Pre-event gathering on November 7th at 6pm (Location TBD)
BarCamp event day November 8th 9am-5pm at EmergeMemphis

BarCamp Memphis Theme:
Business and Technology in FLUX

In a constantly shifting environment, what do you do?  Entreprenuers and businesses are constantly trying to walk the line between chaos and control , between the cutting edge and solid ground.  Things are in FLUX. Now enter the world of technology; tried and true constants shift quickly and the market gives businesses and entreprenuers a choice: change or fail.  BarCamp Memphis is designed to explore the awesome questions that affect you.  Maybe you will find solid ground amidst shifting paradigms!

Potential Example Topics:
Forget Rails; its GRails time!
Crowd Clout
The World Without a Browser
Digital Lifestyle Lubricants
LeftOut on LinkedIn - Mystery of the Universe #9

Register for BarCamp here: http://memphisbarcamp.eventbrite.com/
For more info visit: www.barcampmemphis.com

Geoff Livingston Creates Buzz in Memphis

Memphis was visited by its second high-profile blogger within a week’s time, and most of us are still reeling from the good vibes and exciting conversations these events created.

Monday night, Geoff Livingston, author of Now is Gone and his PR blog, “The Buzz Bin,” met for a tweetup at Quetzal cafe in downtown Memphis.  Attendees included everyone from seasoned Social Media veterans, to several fresh faces looking to see what the web has to offer their business.

Despite the excitement surrounding Geoff’s attendance, the evening took on a very relaxed tone as the crowd mixed through the room networking, finding familiar faces, and engaging the featured guest in conversations about the state of the blogosphere and the benefits of Social Media for business.

As the evening progressed, the tweetup culminated in a Geoff becoming the centerpiece of a group discussion, moderated by LunaWeb’s Dave Barger, where an eager group shared their ideas and questions about Social Media, while the Washington D.C. based PR and blogging guru addressed each topic, drawing from his own experience for examples and anecdotes.

The event was a huge success for LaunchMemphis and a great experience for all of the attendees.  Upcoming on the Social Media horizon is the Socia Media Breakfast on October 1st at the Crescent Club.  The breakfast is open to everyone!  See details on the Meetup page.

Sarah Lacy Brings UGBT to Memphis

Last night’s TechFuel event with Sarah Lacy was one to remember! The latest stop on Sarah’s User Generated Book Tour, which brought her back to her hometown, started at 5:00 at the EmergeMemphis building downtown and didn’t end until the last of the crowd dispersed at 10:00.

After some initial meet-and-greet time, the evening started off with some quality time with the internet celebrity. Sarah spent about 20 minutes talking about her experience in Silicon Valley, sharing moments from her book, Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0, and answering questions from an eager assembly. After that… the party started.

The group dispersed to the next room over to mingle over drinks and food, while Sarah signed books and gave advice to some very eager Memphis Entrepreneurs. For 3 straight hours, with the support a single Heineken, Sarah spoke to every single person who approached her at the event. Some of these conversations were simply humorous anecdotes of Silicon Valley personalities, while others were filled with unflinchingly delivered, hard, straight-shooting advice to entrepreneurs who willingly took the kind-hearted criticism she delivered.

The next LaunchMemphis event will be with PR guru Geoff Livingston at the Quetzal coffee shop on Monday the 22nd from 7-9 p.m. Geoff is the author of Now is Gone and high-profile blog writer. Join the Facebook event for more details!

LaunchMemphis Rocks Social Media in September

September is poised to be a HUGE month for the Social Media and Tech Community in Memphis!  Within the next two weeks, LaunchMemphis is putting Memphis on the map by hosting three major events featuring innovation and online celebrity.

First on the agenda will be the Sarah Lacy at our TechFuel event on September 18 (5pm).  The high-profile blogger and author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0 is returning to her hometown of Memphis on her User Generated Book Tour.  This will be a great night for bloggers, techies, and anyone just looking to network and learn.  Best thing is… it’s free.

On the 22nd, just four days after Sarah hits Memphis, Geoff Livingston stops by for a night with the Memphis locals.  Geoff is one of the premier “blogging gurus” on the web and the author of Now is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs.  He has also received some well deserved praise from the likes of the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post for his work in Social Media.

Last, but most assuredly not least, is the Innovators Luncheon with the Leadership Academy on September 25th at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn.  The theme is “Innovators,” and will feature a panel discussion by some of Memphis’ most established and promising entrepreneurs from EmergeMemphis, LaunchMemphis and even established innovators like Henry Turley.

You can get details and RSVP information on all these events on the Launch Memphis site.

This is also a great time to get involved in the planning process for BarCamp Memphis!  The un-conference is set to be held on November 8th, but planning meetings have already been underway.  There are chances to make your voice heard by suggesting speakers, topics, and, of course, getting your name out there by donating to the all-important swag arsenal.  Visit the Barcamp Memphis wiki to get involved!

LaunchMemphis Preps for Sarah Lacy

Sarah Lacy, is bringing her User Generated Book Tour (UGBT) to Memphis just a month from now! The Tech Fuel event is being hosted by Launch Memphis. Sarah has gained notoriety with dizzying velocity over her career, most recently, as a columnist for Business Week, host of Yahoo TechTicker, and a closely followed blogger.

She has become one of the most polarizing figures in the world of Web 2.0 with many people expressing a “love her or hate her” attitude. Sarah’s biggest fans often appreciate her deeply personal inside knowledge of many of today’s seemingly inaccessible business giants. However, detractors are quick to cite what is, perhaps, one of the most infamous public interviews of the last several years, between Lacy and Facebook mastermind, Mark Zuckerberg at last year’s SXSW conference, which sparked a great deal of online debate and criticism.

Her latest tour is to promote her new book Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0. At tour stops so far, Lacy has been discussing the ideas in her book, doing Q&A sessions with bloggers and columnists, and keeping news from the whole event posted on her blog.

Her stop on the Memphis leg of her tour will be at Emerge Memphis on Sept. 18 at 5:00 pm. Don’t forget to RSVP via the Facebook Event or via email TechFuel@LaunchMemphis.com. Be there, log on, and get ready to blog!

Memphis Startup Weekend Reunion: BIG SUCCESS

The reunion for Startup Weekend was a great success this past week. Launch Memphis, a conglomerate of individuals and organizations dedicated to helping entrepreneurs find the tools they need to market their ideas to the Memphis area, was the driving force behind the event that was held at the Emerge Memphis building.

The evening was centered around sharing the success stories that came out of the Startup Weekend event that was held several months ago (May 31- June 1). There were big wins across the board ranging from new ideas to help already existing businesses to the eventual launch of a new social networking application called Spynnr. The application will be designed to create an interactive online community for ultimate frisbee players.

The impact of Startup Weekend was apparent throughout the room and it looks like there are more great things to come from everyone working with Launch Memphis. Check out www.launchmemphis.com and get involved!

Announcing the Fall 2008 Season of Entrepreneurship

The LaunchMemphis founding team is pleased to announce our Fall 2008 Season of Entrepreneurship. This Fall we are putting together 4 events to develop our entrepreneurial community. Like every season we hope to organize dynamic, unique, and meaningful experiences for the community, and while all the events are important there are two highlights that fit this mold definitely.

1) Mark your calendar on September 18th, 2008 for your opportunity to interact with Sarah Lacy (http://www.sarahlacy.com/), a tech entrepreneurship reporter for BusinessWeek and Yahoo’s Tech Ticker. She is the recent author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0. If you are technologist, entrepreneur, new media player, blogger, or other interested party, please join us for this special party complete with food, drink, and DJ (and some book signing). You’ll meet and share ideas in a fun and open atmosphere and brush elbows with those daring to launch a new venture — plus you can meet Sarah Lacy. While the event is free, RSVP is required for attendance. Send a quick message to TechFuel@launchmemphis.com.

2) Mark your calendar for November 7th and 8th, 2008 for Memphis BarCamp. Yes LaunchMemphis is organizing the “Un-Conference” for the community. For those that haven’t heard of this program, BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants. More information will be announced shortly, but, like Startup Weekend, we don’t think you will want to miss this.

In addition to these two events, we’ll host a Startup Weekend Reunion on August 7th, 2008 and we are co-organizing a luncheon with the Leadership Academy. For details on these events and all our events be sure to go to this page on our website.

We hope you enjoyed your summer and invite you to join us for another series of great events to develop our entrepreneurial community.