Friday, January 8, 2016
Monday, November 2, 2015
Local entrepreneur launches SURGE Accelerator
SURGE Launch, a new startup accelerator founded by Eli Moreno, will launch its first cohort in January 2016.
The SURGE Launch program is unique and will be the first of its kind in the Puget Sound; each company that is accepted into the program will receive between $20k to $80k in seed capital and over $100k in perks, in exchange for up to 9% equity stake.
What separates SURGE Launch from other accelerators is the mentor program and the network of resources available to program companies. “The SURGE mentor pool is a mix of seasoned entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists that will have a direct equity stake on each company that they mentor,” said Lee Reeves, Executive Director of SURGE. “Our mentors have built companies, sold companies and invested capital into companies; we have a very diverse mentor program.”
"The City of Tacoma applauds the efforts of Eli Moreno to start this Accelerator." shared
Ricardo Noguera, Community & Economic Development Director with the City of Tacoma
"Through the collaborative efforts of the Accelerator, local tech firms, real estate professionals, the University of Washington, and the Tacoma’s Institute of Technology, expect to see the launch of many new start-up tech firms" added Noguera.
SURGE Launch will help facilitate connections and maximize resources for startup entrepreneurs. “We’re all in this together,” says Eli Moreno. “We are in discussions with multiple stakeholders, across multiple disciplines, about the opportunity we have in front of us.
Having strong, working relationships with community partners is in the best interest of entrepreneurism and the greater community.” Moreno has had a successful career as a startup
CEO and early angel investor in numerous ventures. Moreno is currently the CEO of Premier
Residential, a Tacoma-based company that focuses on property investments, acquisitions and management. He also works closely with companies seeking to raise capital.
“This kind of hub of innovation and collaboration is vital to the growth of the startup and entrepreneurial growth of the Puget Sound. The time is right for Tacoma to participate and see a thriving Start up Ecosystem developed that will sustain the area into the future,” said Gary Rubens, Mentor and Strategic Advisor.
Gary Rubens is a private investor and entrepreneur. Rubens has more than 25 years of experience in launching startups, business acquisitions, commercial real estate investing and running large scale businesses. Rubens sold ATG Stores to Lowe’s in 2012; he is also the founder of the Rubens Family Foundation, an organization that provides scholarships to underprivileged youth. More recently, Rubens launched the 1plus1 Initiative with the mission to give back to the educational and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Mentors are important; community partnerships are equally important. "With a talented workforce and readily available pool of new engineers graduating from UWTacoma and area colleges, startups as well as expanding tech firms from the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle-King County, find this a great place to launch and expand their businesses and The City of Tacoma stands willing and ready to help" said Noguera.
SURGE has developed a series of sequenced elements that need to be in place before companies are accepted into the interview round. If all elements are met, the company will move onto the interview phase. Companies that are interested in applying to SURGE should apply at HERE. The deadline for companies interested in participating in the first cohort is December 31st. Every application will be reviewed upon submission and a response will be provided to each team within two weeks.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
CenturyLink Expands Broadband in Tacoma
“Reaching 36,000 homes marks a positive milestone in CenturyLink’s progress to become the next-generation technology provider for the South Sound,” said Sue Anderson, CenturyLink vice president of operations for Washington state. “This milestone builds on our ongoing commitment to provide this thriving city with the latest technology for communication, innovation and entertainment. We’re invested in the area and will continue to build out across Tacoma for quite some time.”
CenturyLink is using fiber-to-the-home technology to provide speeds up to 1 Gbps, equivalent to 1,000 Mbps, allowing users to stream high-definition video content with little to no delays and download movies, songs and TV shows in seconds. CenturyLink has also made fiber-enabled gigabit service available to thousands of business locations in the greater Tacoma area. Gigabit speeds are helping businesses increase productivity and efficiency while working in the cloud, sharing multimedia files, streaming video content and backing-up data in real-time. In addition, CenturyLink’s 1 Gbps service offers symmetrical speeds, allowing customers to upload information as fast as they download it.
CenturyLink has one of the largest fiber-enabled gigabit networks in the country and is an industry leader in the number of homes it has enabled with fiber technology capable of uploading and downloading information at speeds up to 1 Gbps. The company offers gigabit Internet service to residential and small business customers in parts of 17 states and expects to have more than 700,000 homes across the country enabled with gigabit service by the end of 2015.
The Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council recently presented CenturyLink with this year’s Chairman’s Award for deploying FTTH technology and making high-speed broadband service up to 1 gigabit per second available to communities throughout the U.S., including underserved areas.
Residential customers can purchase 1 Gbps service for a monthly recurring charge of $79.95 with a 12-month term commitment and when bundled with additional, qualifying CenturyLink services. In addition to speeds up to 1 Gbps, some customers may be eligible for speeds up to 40 and 100 Mbps. Customers should contact CenturyLink to see what speeds are available to them. They can also go to www.centurylink.com/gigabit to find out if broadband speeds up to 1 Gbps are available in their location and request an email notification once network upgrades are completed in their area.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
FBI Agent to Speak on Cybersecurity October 21
CyberDivision & White Collar Programs
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Presented by FBI Special Agent Norm Sanders
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Is your business prepared?
Join the Chamber at South County Connections, Wednesday, October 21 when FBI Special Agent Norm Sanders discusses current trends in Cybersecurity, including ID Theft in Business/Commerce, and a case study on fraud.
To register, visit the event webpage or call Janice Hutchins 253.627.2175.
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Presented by FBI Special Agent Norm Sanders
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Is your business prepared?
Join the Chamber at South County Connections, Wednesday, October 21 when FBI Special Agent Norm Sanders discusses current trends in Cybersecurity, including ID Theft in Business/Commerce, and a case study on fraud.
To register, visit the event webpage or call Janice Hutchins 253.627.2175.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
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