Local entrepreneur launches SURGE Accelerator

The Puget Sound is getting a new accelerator and the City of Tacoma is getting a new tenant.

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.

UWT Part of Cyber P3i

The U.S. Army Reserve is creating the U.S. Army Reserve Cyber Public Private Partnership Initiative, or Cyber P3i, a center for enhanced cybersecurity training with six universities involved in the program.

Universities involved in the initial program include the Drexel University, University of Washington Tacoma, George Mason University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Norwich University and the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.

Jeffrey Talley, chief of the Army Reserve, said each of the schools were chosen for their "excellence in cybersecurity research, teaching and their experience in helping the public and private sectors address cybersecurity issues."

Seattle National Cybersecurity Summit Open House

The Seattle National Cybersecurity Summit Open House will be held on February 13 from 8:00 AM -­-2:00 PM at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, Cascade Building Auditorium, 19010 1^st Avenue South, Burien, WA 98148.

Parking is available on-­-site, follow the signs for the Cascade Building and proceed to the Lobby.

If you plan to attend please register at HERE by February 11.

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Crowdfunding Webinar Free

Are you interested in raising as much as $1 million a year in crowdfunding without having to do a public offering? To find out about opportunities like this and other ways crowdfunding rules are changing, sign up for a free webinar with the Small Business Administration.

You're invited to join Kim Peyser and Pravina Raghavan from the Office of Investment and Innovation at the Small Business Administration, for a conversation on the current state of the crowdfunding landscape as it applies to small business owners.

Kim and Pravina will outline the history of crowdfunding, give an update on Title III of the Jobs Act, and speak about how small businesses can take advantage of crowdfunding.

There will be a Q&A at the end of the webinar. You can send your questions in advance to @BusinessForward on Twitter #Crowdfund4Biz or by email.

Click here to register.

Here are the details:
What: Crowdfunding webinar with Kim Peyser and Pravina Raghavan, Small Business Administration
When: Thursday, April 24, from 4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. EST
Where: Webinar information will be sent to you when you register

Pierce County earns national recognition for Mobile App Internship

If you’re a local college student looking to jump start a high tech career, Pierce County has an app for that.

Thanks to a partnership between Pierce County and the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT), local students get real-world experience making mobile applications for smartphones. As one of the first programs of its kind in the nation, Pierce County’s mobile internship was honored this month by the widely respected Digital Government Achievement Awards.

"The internship program is a great success for the community and the university," said Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. "The county's Information Technology Department is providing enhanced services to citizens and staff, the university is offering practical learning opportunities, and interns are learning state-of-the-art programming skills that give them an edge in a competitive job market. I'm proud of the excellent work being done by sponsors and participants."

Interns work closely with a mentor to design, build, and launch a mobile app that works on Apple and Android devices. Students learn the latest software tools and gain skills that are in high demand with companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing.

Since the program began in 2011, interns have created seven apps for internal or public use. Here are three examples:
•    The MyVote app provides secure access to a citizen’s voter record as well as sample ballots and locations for ballot drop offs.
•    The Road Operations Active Response (ROAR) app enables Public Works and Utilities crews to instantly report mudslides, downed trees, etc. during emergencies. The app feeds Pierce County’s emergency databases with real-time road conditions.
•    The Emergency Shelter app helps residents find the locations and details of open emergency shelters during flooding, ice storms or other disasters.

More information about two of the public apps can be found here. Other public apps are in development.
Andrew Fry, assistant director of Industry Partnerships at UWT, praised the program as a “model” for how local government and universities can expand career opportunities. “I have worked with both large and small companies from Boeing and Microsoft to three-person startups. If I picked a model for how I would create an internship program with an industry partner, the one that has been developed with Pierce County is where I would start.”

The Digital Government Achievement Awards highlight outstanding agency and department websites and technology programs. View the complete list of DGAA awardees.

Preventing Cybercrime Workshop

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Cyber Monday Linkup: Tacoma's E-Commerce Forum
http://linkd.in/tUUElz
An opportunity to Explore E-Commerce in Tacoma

Join us for an exciting, engaging and educational Forum where an experienced panel of South Puget Sound E-Commerce leaders will lead a discussion on e-commerce and where it fits in local business today.

Whether you have an existing business or are a budding entrepreneur, you'll gain invaluable insights on how these companies grew their e-Commerce business, the challenges they've faced, lessons they've learned, and where they're going in the future.

The Forum will also explore what can be done to help incubate more e-business, e-jobs and e-educational resources in the Tacoma and South Sound area.

Sponsors include the Tacoma-Pierce Co. Chamber, Click! Network, and KLAY AM Radio. KLAY AM News/Talk Radio will broadcast and stream the discussion live.

E-commerce exhibitor displays will also be available during the Forum to help companies or entrepreneurs interested in ecomm with questions on security, logistics, connectivity, education, development, etc. The cost is just $300 and includes a significant radio promotion package the week prior (Thanksgiving week, including Black Friday!).

If you're interested in being an exhibitor, contact Bill Kaufmann at: Bill@KaufmannKreative.com or 253-572-5221

If you're interested in attending, please add a comment to this page or on Linkedin (see URL above) so we have a count.

Thanks, and we hope you can join us!

When: November 28, 2011 at 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Where: William Factory Business Incubator, Tacoma
1423 E 29th St,

Tacoma, WA 98404

http://williamfactory.com/events.php