Maggie Thurber in the Toledo area attended the event last night:

Billed as “enhancing opportunities for local entrepreneurial businesses,” Tech Connect is a quarterly event to provide entrepreneurs and small technology companies an opportunity to network and interact with each other, investors, and the business and academic communities. Their first event had about 40 participants. Last night, there were about 150.

This event is an on-going component of the RGP’s Launch program, which provides, at no cost, comprehensive business assistance services to accelerate tech-based business growth.

Her impression:

It was encouraging to see so many people participating in this event, especially companies like First Solar and Xunlight who were featured in a recent Newsweek article. While there were staff from several city and county economic development departments, the evening was driven and led by the private sector, in conjunction with banks and universities - the way successful economic development should be.

Anyone else go? Anyone else know (about the effort and how it’s working)?

From Mansfield (an early CC sneak peek):

But it is also about something more —the potential to use technology to change things in America. Quite simply the march on Jena would not have happened (or certainly would have been much, much smaller than the 30,000 Blacks and Whites that came from all parts of the country, in addition to the marches that were held in literally hundreds of cities and towns across the U.S.) if not for the Internet. I personally received dozens of emails in the months and weeks leading up to the march, and if I had not been previously committed to attending a critical meeting with a client of my consulting business, I would have at least covered the march as a journalist, if I didn’t put down my writing pad and tape recorder, donned a black shirt, and marched right along. This could very well be the dawning of a new Internet-driven civil rights era in America…

CoolCleveland.com - Straight Outta Mansfield The Power Of The Net

Kinda pathetic:

Much of the conversation about the ‘08 campaign online has revolved around things like voter-generated media (the 1984 video) or controversies brewing at the blurring edge between the blogosphere and campaigns (PhoneyFred.org). By and large these are controversies that wouldn’t have been possible last election cycle, which speaks to the medium’s rising viability as a place for anyone to get a message across. But when it comes to what the campaigns themselves are doing, I’m afraid the truth is far closer to Mark Cuban’s “The Internet is dead and boring.”

Take a gander at the ‘08 sites. Then look at where DeanforAmerica.com was at this point in the cycle. Or the Bush and Kerry sites three years ago today.

Can we seriously argue that we have evolved? Big images have replaced gobs of text. Video is now in Flash instead of Windows Media. We have Facebook and YouTube icons. But that’s pretty the only difference. Fresh content is still all too sparse; the blogs are if anything even less ambitious than they were in 2004. Do you get the sense from any of them there is a real, massive, always-on, press-the-flesh campaign?

If you look at the apples-to-apples comparison between Dean and any of the Democrat sites, then we are actually backsliding…

techPresident – From Meetup to MySpace: Are We Innovating?

From the GCP & MAGNET:

TechLift is dedicated to enhancing Northeast Ohio’s technology entrepreneurial companies by providing unique services, entrepreneurial mentorship and access to resources. If you are a technology entrepreneur in Northeast Ohio, you can benefit from TechLift at no cost to you. Meet the TechLift Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, learn about the programs being offered, and network with local business leaders and other like-minded entrepreneurs at this exciting rollout event.

In addition to learning about what the regional partners are doing to embrace this initiative, you’ll hear about IdeaCrossing – a free online community supporting entrepreneurship by connecting entrepreneurs with the investment capital, business assistance, and resources they need to build their business…

Greater Cleveland Partnership

Woke up this morning thinking about last night’s Midtown Brews Roundtable with Michael DeAloia. Big news is that Apple approached the CMSD with an idea that would train high school kids to do digital media production, and the school system had no idea what to do. At least they knew enough to introduce Apple to DeAloia. The bad news is, no one at the city had the where with all to say “yes, and…” Instead, they decreed the idea “not baked”. Fortunately for the City, Michael isn’t going to stop there. The audio will be up ASAP, so keep your eyes open on that, as well as more on that story.

I can’t think of anyone more qualified to lead SchoolOne’s push into business services. It is a win-win for 2 people and a company I really like (and examples of action over talk). Congrats Tech Czar (you deserve this after being “pushed” despite the value you added). Smart move Micki!

Cleveland “tech czar” Michael DeAloia is joining one of the companies he recruited to the city.

Mr. DeAloia told CrainsCleveland.com today that he has resigned as senior executive for technology development at the city of Cleveland to take a management position at SchoolOne LLC, a Cleveland-based software developer and information technology services provider.

“I like his energy,” Ms. Tubbs said. “And, I’ve seen that energy over and over again. He’s had success (telling) his message.”

Part of his new job will be to help the company expand its service offerings beyond schools and into the business community, she said.

A spokeswoman for the city of Cleveland did not immediately return a phone message left this morning.*

*Surprise, surprise!

Crain’s Cleveland Business: ‘Tech czar’ going back to School

Wow.

Turning Technologies on being named by Inc. magazine as the fastest growing privately-held software company in the country, with a 3,907% increase in revenue over the previous three years.

Can we get a few more of these in Northeast Ohio? Please?

MySpace.com - the Youngstown Business Incubator