Recently, Tech in Motion: Los Angeles hosted their one-of-a-kind meet-up: a startup-based event that focused on the business and entrepreneurial side of tech start-ups. Hosted at nearby Loyola Marymount University, the evening consisted of a Q&A style panel featuring four successful start-ups in the LA area: Surf Air, CARD.com, Valarm Corp and Sendify! The moderator, a professional from the LMU staff, introduced a few general questions for the panelists to answer. The questions were relevant to marketing, business strategy, finding a business partner, and overall successful tips regarding their experience in their own start-ups.
The night kicked off with mixing and mingling amongst the Tech in Motion guests. Networking was on the minds of many who attended, and the space allowed for an easy flow for meeting fellow attendees. The large display of catered food was also a huge hit!
The panelists, not knowing one another prior to the event, were very charismatic and cohesive throughout the night. They seemed to be on the same page and they all offered similar advice, while agreeing with each other during the open dialogue. Ron Lin of CARD.com provided the audience with a unique strategy called the “Bad Idea Friend." Here, he recommended bouncing an idea off a friend who generally has bad ideas to see whether they approve or not. This humorous approach put the audience at ease, and allowed for a dynamic discussion between panelists and audience members. Their passion for the start-up community was very evident in their thoughtful answers. The most important insight that the panelists agreed on was to make sure you have a thorough and complete business plan - including ample funding - BEFORE finding a business partner and/or team. Wade Eyerly, co- founder and CEO of Surf Air shared his enthusiasm and optimism with the guests in regards to finding an able and willing team.
At the end of the evening, all four panelists were very popular with the Tech in Motion members, who were eager to introduce themselves and bounce ideas off of one another. This was a very successful and unique event for Tech in Motion LA!