The Archives

• 09.28.07
  New York, I’m Back
  My Experiences

  Unbelievably, I forgot to announce on this blog that I am moving back to New York. As of Sunday I will be based out of Brooklyn Heights -- returning to the city I left almost four years ago. With that said, here is an ode to my time in DC. When I arrived in DC I was doing securities litigation, studying for the LSAT and thinking I would join the ranks of K Street lawyers. I came to DC largely because I didn't know anyone here and I didn't want to do what all my other friends were doing ’“ ...
  
  
• 09.04.07
  Universities, Startups and Entrepreneurship
  Entrepreneurship

  Student entrepreneurship and university-led incubating of startups are subjects I have covered before. Recently though I have jumped on several email lists for organizations dedicated to promoting university-level technology innovation and I hope to get more actively involved. Here are some very cool stats I came across: The 20-year returns for Early/Seed VCs is 20.6%, compared with 13.8% for Later Stage VCs and 8.2% for the S&P 500 8% of all university startups go public, in comparison to a "going public rate" of only 0.07% for other U.S. enterprises - a 114x difference Over ...
  
  
• 07.15.07
  The ‘Shots’ Heard Round the World
  Social Media, Social Networking

  Dammit! I really didn’t want to post anything new until I completed my blog re-design but there is just too much good stuff going on. Recently, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the intersection of online and offline interactions. A couple days ago an event happened here in DC that simply blew me away. If you have not yet read the Washington City Paper expose on Late Night Shots, you simply must. Late Night Shots is an invite-only social network that has been covered by the likes of TechCrunch, but is relatively small and un-advanced in stature. What’s really interesting ...
  
  
• 05.10.07
  Tech Event Mania In DC!!
  My Experiences, Social Networking

  Well actually only two events in one week, but hey, we’ll take what we can get! In addition to tomorrow’s DC OpenCoffee Event from 9-11am at Caribou on 17th Street (See details here), it seems there is another great event next Wednesday, the 17th sponsored by TECH cocktail. TECH cocktail was co-founded in July 2006 by Eric Olson and Frank Gruber in Chicago and the boys will be in DC for their inaugural event with DC resident and co-sponsor, Nick O’Neill. Sign up for TECH cocktail DC 1 now! The purpose is ’to better connect the local technology and entrepreneurial community’ and will be ...
  
  
• 05.02.07
  First Washington, DC OpenCoffee: May 11th, 9-11am
  Campus Chatter, Entrepreneurship, Social Networking

  OpenCoffee is a great concept and we’re bringing it to DC! On Friday May 11th from 9am to 11am we’ll be informally gathering at the Caribou Coffee on 17th and L (Location Map). Feel free to drop by for 10 minutes or for the full two hours ’“ whatever your schedule allows. The idea is to provide a set meeting place and time so that people can network and talk about topics ranging from entrepreneurship to technology. If you think you’ll be able to stop by, send me an email and we can keep track of potential numbers. No RSVP is ...
  
  
• 04.28.07
  You can lead a person to culture, but you can’t make them think
  My Experiences

  Someone was kind enough to submit my blog to Digg two days ago. This morning when I first noticed the link, I went to the article and viewed a comment that had been left. After reading the response, I felt compelled to respond...here is the exchange in its entirety: Phibre States: ’the bright young things sam fawns over really need to be dropped off in the middle of the gobi.’ My Response: Phibre: This is Sam. I certainly value your opinion, but I ask you why these ’bright young things’ that I fawn over out to be ’dropped off in the Gobi’ ...
  
  
• 04.24.07
  BrightestYoungThings.com : It’s About Time
  Pop Culture, Social Networking

  Occasionally I stumble upon true gems online. BrightestYoungThings.com appears to be just that (at least for the DC hipster crowd). It's about time someone knowledgeable on good music, art and style - spiked with a killer sense of graphic design - exposed some of DC's great underground events. It seems the BYT blog debuted here, followed by the much improved current version here. You can check out some of the pictures on Flickr from recent gatherings: quite the attractive crowd. I couldn't find much info on the author, but then again, I didn't look that hard. The blog seems to cover excellent ...
  
  
• 04.10.07
  I’m a Believer: Trader Joe’s
  My Experiences

  Tuesday, April 10, 2007: 6:30pm I am in line at Trader Joe's in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC. I am in a line I estimate to be 120+ persons long. You know what, I don’t even mind. As though you were running a marathon, they have stations set up offering, coffee and cookie crumbles as you pass the midway point. I have seen at least one relationship develop, definitely digits were exchanged. The line has kept moving constantly and they have runners strategically placed in case a price needs double checking or someone needs to replace a damaged vegetable. Some people are literally buying ...
  
  
• 03.30.07
  A Few Good Books by a Few Good Men
  My Experiences

  Beautiful weather here in DC today! I apologize for the typos in yesterday’s blog entry ’“ my spell checker must not have been running properly and I have become a lazy writer as I have become more and more busy. From this point forward for anyone who points out blatant misspellings or typos I will highlight a website of your choice and hopefully drive a little traffic that way. This does not apply to past entries however. I just got back from lunch with a friend and figured I’d pop into Kramer Books, a famous DC bookstore. I ran into ...
  
  
• 12.10.06
  Marketing, Rain Makers & Reindeer. Starbucks Does Holidays Right.
  Brands and Marketing

  As I arrived at class the other day I heard from a classmate about an interesting marketing ploy. Starbucks in Washington, DC is apparently paying an individual to drive around with a latte on the roof of his car (undoubtedly permanently affixed). As he drives around Dupont Circle, na??ve pedestrians and other drivers yell at him, ’Mr., you have a coffee on your hood!’ The jolly driver emphatically responds with a big smile, ’Yes, I know! Happy Holidays from Starbucks!’ Here is a photo of the same ploy used in San Francisco: Hmmm cool idea, but I’m not sure about the ROI. Although, the ROMA ...
  
  

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