How ironic (hypocritical?) is it that one of my first posts after my blogging sabbatical is me writing up another event review? Goes to show you that one should never say never!
Anyway, I wanted to post something about an event I went to last Thursday called TechCocktail. A first for Boston, the TechCocktail event is a business-tech style social mixer that has already gained much traction and acclaim in places like Chicago and DC. Although scheduled on the same night as O’Reilly’s Ignite Boston event, TechCocktail seemed to attract many of Boston’s startup entrepreneurs and technology enthusiasts, and ended up being a huge success with over 400 people showing up for the party. If you were one of the lucky ones on the guest list, then you know it rocked (as far as business events go!) so be sure to thank Brian Balfour, Jay Meattle, Shawn Ward, and Peter Glyman for putting the whole thing together.
TechCocktail was started by Frank Gruber and Eric Olson with events mostly being held in the Chicago area. But with more and more startups coming out of Boston these days (up for debate, I know), setting up an event here makes perfect sense. To help bring things together, TechCocktail Boston was sponsored by Compete.com, Geezeo, ZoomInfo, and Northbridge Venture Partners.
The crowd was a great mix of smart and savvy business types, social media gurus, coders and hackers, and venture capitalists. The open bar made it quiet easy to stick around for a while and keep the conversations going, as I myself had tried to leave on a few occasions but was too easily drawn back into the crowd. In terms of meeting great people though, the night couldn’t be beat. Throughout the evening, I had the chance to take a few pictures, so check out some of Boston’s movers and shakers below (click to see them over at Flickr):
I hope to see more TechCocktail events in the near future, and it’s likely that we’ll get to see one every quarter or so if there is enough demand? So between TechCocktail and David Beisel’s WebInnovators - the event that kick-started Boston’s tech schmooze scene last year - I think we can all expect to see more tech startups getting the support and press they need from across the Boston/New England region and beyond.
For more commentary on the event, check out these other links:
TECH cocktail Boston Was Wicked
TECH cocktail Boston: A Wicked Good Time
Techcocktail Boston at Tequila Rain
TECH Cocktail Boston
Later last night - As much drinking as drinking
Photos on Flickr