Well it’s that time of the quarter again, and this Web Innovators Group (WebInno) is going to rock! Started back in 2005 as a small networking event , WebInno is now the biggest quarterly tech event in the Greater Boston Area. Not only is this event a great place to learn about new companies and technologies but when it comes to networking it’s a venerable who’s who of the Boston tech scene.
The popularity and growth of WebInno over the past few years can be attributed to the Boston startup community. Without the enthusiasm, determination and passion of this community, events like WebInno would just be another ‘boring’ networking event. As creator David Beisel has said, “WebInno has been a reflection of what’s been happening in the area.”
Tonight’s WebInno features a tremendous list of local companies and an outstanding panel discussion. The format remains unchanged, with doors officially opening at 6:30 pm at the Grand Ballroom in the Cambridge Royal Sonesta, with the ‘main dish’ presentations starting at 7 pm, and an optional breakout session entitled ‘Self-funded Success Stories’ at 8pm. Throughout the entire evening the ‘side dish’ demonstrators will be showcasing in the skyline suites just down the hall from the Grand Ballroom.
Here is what you can expect from tonight’s WebInno:
Main Dishes:
In the past the main dishes have been a little hit or miss, but tonight’s three presentations should absolutely keep the crowd in check.
Play140 – Recently founded by TechStars veteran Shawn Broderick, play140 builds text-based social games on Twitter and SMS. The company has been operating rather stealthy lately and we are excited to learn more about why ‘text is sexy.’
TurningArt – Think of Netflix for your wall. The company offers subscriptions for artwork. Jason Gracilieri will be presenting for TurningArt.
AisleBuyer – Mobile shopping platform aimed to improve in-store retail shopping experiences, and recent PepsiCo10 winner. Andrew Paradise will be presenting to AisleBuyer.
Side Dishes:
Personally, this is my favorite part of WebInno, a chance to interact and ask the tough questions to the companies founders. After the ‘main dish’ presentations are complete the side dishes get 15 seconds of fame on the big stage to pitch their company. In the past some of these pitches go much better than the ‘main dishes.’
Discovir – Follow anything – keep up with your interests by following pages on the internet and things in real life. Jawad Laraqui & Joe Presbrey will be there representing Discovir.
HuddleHub – Manage all of your fantasy sports teams in one application. James Bassett, Adan Gutierrez, & Patrick Hereford will be there representing HuddleHub.
Webiva – A performance inbound marketing platform with a new version lunching in September designed to ‘pimp’ your website. Pascal Rettig & Martha Rettig will be there representing Webiva.
Custommade – “CustomMade is the first online marketplace to focus on connecting buyers of custom made furniture, fine décor and other products with the skilled artisans who create them.” Matt Goldstein will be there representing Custommade.
Brass Monkey – Imagine using your iPhone as a controller for a web based action game. Chris Allen, Jim Bull, & Jon Leach will be there representing Brass Monkey. Check out this exclusive video.
Athleague – A platform designed for college intramural league management. Ravi Mishra will be there representing Athleague.
Zazu – The smartest damn alarm clock and recent PepsiCo10 winner. Punit Shah & Marc Held will be there representing Zazu.
Episend – “Episend lets you create rich media messages with pictures, videos, large files, and MP3 audio. You can then send these messages to anyone with an email address, other Episend users or share them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Delicious.” Rich DiBona will be there representing Episend.
Breakout Session:
Last but certainly not least is a panel discussing self funded success stories being moderated by Laura Fitton, Founder & CEO of oneforty. The guest of the panel will be Steve Conine, Co-Founder of CSN Stores, David Hauser, Co-Founder of Grasshopper, and Todd Garland, Founder of BuySellAds.
To learn more about WebInno, be sure to follow them on Twitter. Make sure to register for tonight’s event here.
