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May 28, 2009
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WASHINGTONIAN'S
TECH TITANS
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Well, the electronic age usually lets us send our material quickly, but today some servers were down, so we're a bit late. Our apologies.
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Last night, we were on hand as Washingtonian held an intimate gala honoring DC's Top 100 Tech Titans in the elegant courtyard of the Mall's Freer Gallery. Calling this event A-list would be selling it short.
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Three honorees and an entrepreneur who doubles as a pretty girl: Social Times founder Nick O'Neill, Tech Cocktail's Frank Gruber, Shiny Heart Ventures Jen Consalvo, and some guy named Ted Leonsis (who we think snuck in). We're still bummed about the Caps second round loss to the Pens (Crosby: grrrrr), but Ted seems to be taking it in stride. Frank, an AOL employee by day, runs tech events nationwide for entrepreneurs to network, while Nick is busy beefing up a program that counts fans on Facebook.
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Former CapitalOne COO Nigel Morris and MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor. Nigel co-founded the McLean-based company that revolutionized the credit card industry and is now investing in companies like Clearspring. His former company also once sent our tech reporter's cat a pre-approved credit card (seriously).
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The venue was so nice, we expected a swan to offer hors d'oeuvres
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Lincoln Holdings Randy Boe, Revolution co-founder Tige Savage, Mixx founder Chris McGill and wife Camille Watson. Chris says his company, which lets users recommend the best Internet content for people with similar interests, just launched a new platform called Sifter that lets users vote on different creatives they'd like to see on the site. Part of Chris and Camille's wedding vows included accepting each others pennants (Chris likes the Red Sox; Camille the A's) and leaving the alter to Take Me Out To The Ballgame.
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Venture Philanthropy Partners CEO Carol Thompson Cole and husband Curtis, the founder of Curtex Construction. We love Carol's job: She gives venture money to help non-profits get off the ground, especially if it improves the lives of children in low-income families.
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iStrategy Labs CEO Peter Corbett, Sunlight Foundation founder Ellen Miller, Washingtonian's Garrett Graff, Joe Trippi's Eva Barboni, and AFP's Alex Ogle. Peter will be doing some on-campus guerilla marketing for American Eagle at the end of this summer and just signed on with NASDAQ to help with social media offerings. If that's not enough, the fourth installment of Peter and the NVTC's Twin Tech parties is tonight.
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Webs founder Haroon Mokhtarzada and Network Solutions Shashi Bellamkonda. Haroon's company, which allows users to create free websites, just passed 30 million unique users, and he's busy creating ways for members to create social platforms connecting like interests instead of just hosting static sites. Haroon tells us he's planning a trip to the Caribbean but hasn't picked an island yet.
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McLean Capital's Dendy Young and Computer & Communications Industry Association CEO Ed Black. As head of one of the most powerful Internet associations, Ed helps companies like Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo play nice in the digital space and lately take advantage of the Obama administration's technology push.
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The things we learn at tech networking events! IBM System Z chief Anne Altman met husband Xavier Alire when both worked on the FBI account at J Edgar Hoover Building in 1982 as system engineers. She commutes to work in Somers, NY these days, but on weekends can be found on her appendix quarter horse (we think we got that term right) in South Riding, while Xavier does mountain biking on the cross-county trail. Of course, that doesn't include the time they run around to kids' soccer games.
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Lawyer to the stars Mike Lincoln of Cooley Godward and stars themselves: Microstrategy co-founder Sanju Bansal and Korn/Ferry's Steve Winings.
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GeniusRocket CEO Mark Walsh, InflectionPoint Media co-founder Paul Bremer, and philanthropist-about-town (and former AOLer) Jack Davies. Mark's also become a Sirius/XM and CNBC political pundit (of the liberal variety) and a member of Paul's advisory board; Jack's busy raising dough for Venture Philanthropy Partners.
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Hats off Washingtonian publisher Cathy Merrill Williams, second from right, with special events director Jennifer Haber, for pulling off a beautiful spring function and assembling the Washington tech elite; and to Cathy's husband Paul, center, for his newly minted PhD in Information Technology. Moreover, only four days after it was conferred September 25, he was named head of Strayer's online division, which has 5000 students (10% of its enrollment). Rounding out the group: LaunchBox CEO Sean Greene and wife Tamara Belt; Sean is closing his eyes either to take in the exhilaration of being named a Tech Titan or the exasperation of our annoying flash photography.
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New Vantage managing partner John May, right, with daughter Courtney, who works at Questex in Old Town and handles digital products relating recently to music. Factoid: She's recently back from visiting her boyfriend in Rwanda and Uganda but off again tomorrow to "work remotely" for a week from Dublin (she got a free ticket from JetBlue to use on Aer Lingus). John tells us his well known angel investing is increasingly focused on international. With them, our own Elliott Bisnow, whose father was mistakenly recognized instead of him.
Times it took David Stegon to correctly spell hors d'oeuvre? Six. Send story ideas to David@Bisnow.com
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This newsletter is a journalistic news source which accepts no payment for featured interviews. It is supported by conventional advertisers clearly identified in the right hand column. You have been selected to receive it either through prior contact or professional association. If you have received it in error, please accept our apologies and unsubscribe below. © 2009, Bisnow on Business, Inc., 1323 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036. All rights reserved.
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