

The DC Startup Community - skevvis
http://proudlymadeindc.com/

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bullcity
This is great. We created a similar site earlier this year for Durham, NC
startups at <http://downtowndurhamstartups.com>

I think it's helpful in these areas for startups to see who is around and
create a community.

~~~
mindcrime
You guys should put a link to <http://www.meetup.com/RTP-Hackers-Founders/> on
downtowndurhamstartups.com! :-)

Also, note that RTP Hackers & Founders has a meeting coming up this Friday in
Raleigh.

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RKlophaus
If you live in the DC metro area, remember to join the Hacker News Readers
Meetup Group!

<http://www.meetup.com/JoinHNDC/>

~~~
skevvis
Definitely do this. Rusty had put together an awesome group.

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kevindication
As a DC area coder interested in startups, I thought I would map this to see
where the hot spots are. I was not surprised to learn that there were several
along the Dulles Toll road, but I didn't know that downtown DC was a favorite.

My map: <http://bit.ly/fO9gyL>

~~~
portman
Out of curiosity, where did you get the addresses? I didn't see them on the
site.

~~~
kevindication
I followed the links to each startup's site. If they didn't provide an address
on the site, I checked their whois. If that was private, then I didn't add
them to the map. So there are definitely a few that didn't make the cut
because they're being extra stealthy.

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thorpus
We've been using this FB group as a central point for community discussion.
Join if you're interested. -
[http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_144795392232569...](http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_144795392232569&ap=1)

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iamelgringo
As an aside. I just update some of the contact info for the Hacker News meetup
in DC on the HN Meetups Google Doc:
[https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmQExXr67OcTdDBZZl9...](https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmQExXr67OcTdDBZZl93MXZwaE4tWlQwTENVMnVQalE&hl=en#gid=0)

We have 3 meetup pages, a Facebook page and a Google group listed. Anyone care
to consolidate?

We're working on setting up a public website for Hackers and Founders Silicon
Valley and link to all these meetup groups. If you guys can update your info,
that would be awesome.

Update: I know it's off topic, but I started a separate discussion for other
meetups around the globe here: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2004370>

~~~
RKlophaus
The two meetup groups are actually the same. (Changed/simplified the web
address a while back.) I updated with contact information and a better
description.

The Facebook group and Google group still need updating.

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JimboOmega
I can't upvote this enough.

I've been really struggling to find something for me in the DC area. I spent a
few years at a contractor job... after trying, and failing to launch my own
startup, I'm back with another contractor, and it just isn't for me.

I've been struggling with the desire to stay with family and my SO in the
area, and the apparent need to move to CA if I really want to be part of the
startup community. It's a really tough decision I've been trying to avoid
making. I've tried looking on "conventional" job boards like Monster and on
more niche ones like 37signals, and only got a few hits, none of which worked
out.

Anything that gets me in touch with more startups, especially ones that are
hiring, is gold.

~~~
nlavezzo
What type of development do you do? We're looking for strong systems
developers.

~~~
JimboOmega
Primarily do rails and ruby development. In working on my failed startup, I
wound up doing a lot of stuff on some level, from backend ruby stuff where I
did nearly all of the work, to JS on the front end (and lots in between). My
SO helped me a lot on the front end with CSS, graphics, layout, and general
design... and is in about the same job situation as me.

~~~
thorpus
@JimboOmega - Of interest? - [http://www.clearspring.com/about/careers/senior-
ui-javascrip...](http://www.clearspring.com/about/careers/senior-ui-
javascript-developer)

~~~
JimboOmega
@thorpus - That job shows up as being in New York - is that not a requirement?

~~~
digerati9
My company has an opening also, it's still a company, but I need someone I can
work with to do rapid prototypes, very entrepreneurial environment. Let me
know if that's something you're interested in.

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nbd
Great site! Thanks for putting it together. It's great to have one common site
for all of this information.

Something I've been looking for but didn't see either on the site or the wiki
was a list of local legal/accounting resources for startups. Can anyone
recommend good DC people/firms that are familiar with the tech scene and can
help with things like incorporating, trademark/IP issues, etc.?

~~~
skevvis
working on it!

Pillsbury is a good start, they are awesome. Email us at the main contact
address (ambassadors@proudlymadeindc.com) and we'll refer you to some poeple

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jtnt
This is an awesome site that I am proud to have helped with.

There is also a community-edited wiki that will be an ongoing resource and
feeder system for the ProudlyMadeInDC.com site at <http://dcstartupwiki.com>.
Please update this with any relevant info on companies, people, events,
resources, etc.

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prestia
I've lived in the District for years and was oblivious to half of this
activity. I really love the new site and hope this will encourage others--like
myself--to step out of the garage and into the community.

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tansey
This is really great. Where have all these companies been? I've been in DC for
almost 3 months now and I was preparing to move to SV because the startup
community seemed non-existent and I hate working in a void. If I can find a
startup that has a desk to rent so I can focus on my own project, or at least
an enjoyable part-time gig, I might stick around.

~~~
jtnt
This is precisely one reason why this site was built. To make sure people both
inside and outside of the DC area knew of the entrepreneurial activity going
on here and to encourage participation in the community.

I'd recommend checking any/all of the groups and events listed in the
Community Guide: <http://proudlymadeindc.com/community-guide/>

You might also want to check out some of the stuff at
<http://dcstartupwiki.com>

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tocomment
Slightly offtopic - Anyone in DC looking for a programming job? It's at a
company I used to work at. Email me.

~~~
RDDavies
Specifics? I'm a Web Dev, systems? Not so much.

~~~
tocomment
That might work. Shoot me an email and I'll fill you in.

It's basically creating and maintaining internal applications for a small-
medium sized company. Some examples of the type of work are automating product
ordering, automating sales lead generation, automating billing, and lots of
web development too.

It's mostly in Python right now, but they just want a good person and are OK
if he/she learns Python on the job.

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bigsassy
I was aware of a few startups in the area, but I had no idea there were this
many. If you work at one of these startups I have a question.

Are you guys feeling the talent shortage reported in Silicon Valley and New
York, or have you had little trouble hiring the right people?

~~~
mmayernick
From talking to the founders of some of the biggest local startups, most seem
to prefer recruiting in the DC region though it remains a challenge to find
the right people. I've heard from a few people that hires in DC are much more
"loyal" than they are in the valley and there is much less turnover.

One of the main advantages DC has is there is a huge supply of engineers and
developers working for major defense and government contractors just waiting
to be poached by a hot new startup.

~~~
caseysoftware
Careful of the golden handcuffs though.

Like it or not, many of the government contractors are in pretty stable multi-
year contracts and are making north of 100-150k. Unless they have their
finances in excellent condition, many of them can't afford to join a startup
part time.

Though almost everyone is looking for side projects and something interesting
to do in their spare time, so recruiting someone for 10-20 hrs/week is
relatively easy.

~~~
mikebike
This might be changing... The Secretary of Defense announced a few months ago
that he wants to cut contractors by 10 percent a year for 3 years:
[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/08/th...](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/08/the_northern_virginia_technolo.html)

~~~
aidenn0
Even if that does happen, all it means is that you can hire the bottom 30
percent

~~~
cheriot
You assume the government (and contractors) are good at spotting talent and
understanding its value.

3 morons can look more productive than 1 talented techie to someone that
doesn't understand what any of them are doing

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moge
DC Week was a big eye opener for me. I thought that DC was mostly govies, it
was great to see so many startups. ProudlyMade is awesome. Cannot wait to add
a tag to the footer of my site.

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SRSimko
Nice to see the DC community coming together

~~~
robotchampion
I know it is exciting. I hope to blog about it and would love to meet the we
are ny tech people too

steve - <http://1x57.com>

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Kalob
How come Goodzer is not on the list? They've been in the news just recently.
It's a Reston-based company I believe.

~~~
skevvis
We didn't know they were DC based until post launch. They've submitted their
information and we'll be adding them soon.

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sucuri2
Nice :) We are part DC-based and part CA-based and I will definetely get more
involved...

thanks,

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brianbreslin
love seeing sites like this showcasing local startups. will need to use this
as inspiration for south florida.

