All the Awesome Things that Happened at DC TechDay 2015
This past Tuesday, TechDay hosted 150+ exhibitors and 3,000 attendees at The National Building Museum in Washington D.C for their second annual DC TechDay. With Corinthian columns that are among some of the biggest in the world, and a beautiful fountain that you can see right as you walk in, The National Building Museum was a great choice for a venue to host DC’s hottest startups. Its rich history and beautiful architecture made just walking into the event an experience that won’t be forgotten.
The night before the event, there was an exhibitor pre-party at OpenGov Hub that gave the startups an opportunity to mingle with one another to discuss all things tech. From the moment people arrived to the second the party ended, founders were engrossed with one another - making meaningful connections and having in depth conversations.
Exhibitors started to arrive at DC TechDay at 8AM. There was a palpable buzz from each booth as the startups set up their banners and displayed their giveaways. Everyone donned a big smile as they were ready to be a part of the DC’s biggest tech startup event.
The doors opened to the public at 10AM as press, investors, politicians, job seekers, and tech enthusiasts joined exhibitors to celebrate the DC tech and startup community. They walked around the stunning venue and chatted with the various startup founders and employees about their companies, possible job openings and any new innovative products they may have. The startups exhibiting ranged from big names like UberEats and Optoro to companies who were launching at the event. Booth after booth was crowded with attendees wanting to know more about these startups.
The sponsors of the event included big names like General Assembly, who hosted courses throughout the day. Hired, whom thousands of companies use to cultivate leads and the Washington DC Economic Partnership, an organization that helps support and promote economic development in DC also participated as sponsors. Each sponsor was instrumental in creating an exciting, affordable and impactful event.
Community partners, including The Washington Post, DMV Startups, and 1776 were a common stop for all attendees as they never seemed to have a quiet moment. They were instrumental in bringing the DC Tech community together.
This year’s event also included the launch of Accelerator Alley. A group of very impressive accelerators joined this new section, including Revolution, EatsPlace and Mach37. This new and unique addition excited the attendees and added a different dimension to TechDay that they hadn’t had previously. Accelerator Alley will definitely be back for their next event.
Nonstop from 10 AM to 5 PM, people wandered through the National Building Museum to soak in all the exciting things that were happening. Whether it was the selfie sticks from VideoBlocks, delicious food from Cater2.me or flowers from UrbanStems, no attendee left empty handed. Both exhibitors and attendees showed so much passion throughout the day that it was clear how special this event was. That passion and energy made this day a huge success.