Pitch N Pour recap

[keithinstone]

What did you think of the Pitch N Pour? I thought it was GREAT! Sure, a few things here and there to do better next time, but nothing major. The key aspects of the event to me:

* Good crowd, a mix of suits and t-shirts. Some buzz, to a point of being rude a few times (people talking in the back instead of listening to the show).

* Showed off the new space. Several people asked me if the space was new, because they did not remember seeing it before. And they liked it.

* Education and inspiration for the audience to push ahead on their entrepreneurial ideas. Joe Gough gave some tips. If an 11-year old can do it, then so can I. Etc. I also liked talking about the business models with smart people like Tim Varner - arguing with him why one idea or plan was better than another.

* Practice and feedback for the groups that pitched. And of course, some financial support and connections for them.

* Twine.it as a demo of a business that is farther along. More of that in the future.

* Lindsey & Joe as the "front men". UT was the gracious host and had its chance to tout itself, but it was more about / by the community than about UT.

* First one DONE (whew!): now to figure out how to keep it going.

The ultimate comment that summed it all up to me, by a woman with an official UT badge (I think it was Mary Jo Waldock, Senior Executive Director, Innovation Enterprises, but I could be wrong):

"This was the best Tech Connect ever"

In case you do not remember, Tech Connect were the Rocket Venture-led events that were part of their "community service" required by the state of Ohio. They were OK: Stuart and I got a free table to promote TechToledo there. But they were not very "techy" nor that "connecty" in my opinion. I suspect one of the black marks RV got from the state was the effectiveness of Tech Connects, but I have no inside info.

So congrats to all! It was great. Proud to have played a teeny tiny part in it. Please share your thoughts here about how the first Pitch N Pour went. Then later we can talk about what comes next.

Keith

[Stuart]

Great Crowd.  Very good showing for Toledo.  Congrats to everyone involved and happy to be a part of it.

New space looked great.  Functioned well -- maybe put the bar in outer room to keep noise down/doors closed while pitching.

Agree with all the rest that you said Keith -- especially the Tech Connect comparison...a far cry from the last Tech Connect I attended at a country club in Findlay.

-Stuart