Startup Drinks Columbus
June 29th, 2008 by Nick Seguin
Better late than never right? Yes, Startup Drinks Columbus was last Wednesday night, but I’ve been meaning to post about it and damnit, I’m going to.
The event took place at Surly Girl Saloon in the Short North. Bobby and I both went and had a great time. Didn’t really know what to expect heading in, other than things to do with startups, right? The night brought some good beer(I had a Harpoon UFO – reminded me of being out in Providence with my sister – and a couple of Eliot Nesses), some great conversation, some faces to put with names and twitter handles and some new acquaintances. Many of the people there will also be attending Startup Weekend Columbus July 18-20 (which dynamIt is sponsoring), but Startup Drinks aren’t only for SU Weekend goers. The idea is that people interested in startups, entrepreneurship and business conversation get together and interact. In attendance were individuals with ideas for startups, developers, designers, local journalists and media people, marketing types, business types, lawyers, consultants and people I didn’t get to talk to that do something really cool that I might not even know about. Chris Anderson of TechColumbus was there as well, which I think is important. While a big part of what TC does is facilitating funding for companies who have at least solidified an idea, the seeds for those ideas, I believe, are more prevalent here in Columbus that many people are aware. 
I’m hoping that SU drinks continue to grow here in Columbus. While I’m not planning on a splinter company anytime soon (dynamIt was our startup!), the interaction with other designers, developers, creatives, marketers and entrepreneurial-minded people is stimulating. Needless to say, I don’t get enough of it in my life. While in school I knew and worked with many people heavily involved with the Miami University Page Center for Entrepreneurship. (I took a few classes, but could never engage as deeply as I would have liked because of this little thing called dynamIt). Little known fact – Ohio is home to 3 of the top 25 Entrepreneurship programs in the country.
*Note I’ve received word from Dr. Jay Kayne with the Page Center for Entrepreneurship at Miami University that the MU program will again be ranked in the top 25 undergraduate programs in the US out of over 700 schools. The official rankings come out in October in Entrepreneur Magazine
The energy, passion, creativity and cerebral environment surrounding startups in general has the ability to fuel everyday activities, work-tasks and life in general. It’s refreshing, especially the courage, and I think professionals bogged down in their day-to-day would benefit greatly from a night with some people who think differently.
Big thanks to Brian Jones of Jones Insight and Ashley Routson of Young Isaac/The Beer Wench for organizing the night.
A few other posts re: Startup Drinks Columbus -
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