South Florida Business Journal, May 25, 2013.
by Jane Teague
With the majority of communications taking place in cyberspace, one may wonder if there’s still a place for conferences and meetings with in-person, unscripted human interaction.
For entrepreneurs seeking to grow their companies, and investors and others looking to preview new opportunities and re-connect with partners and friends, nothing can replace the spontaneity that occurs when creative and talented people come together.
The Florida Venture Forum provided such a venue at its sixth annual Early Stage Conference held on May 15th in Orlando. The conference featured 18 emerging companies from around the state, with six hailing from South Florida. Selected for their high-growth potential, talented management teams and proprietary technology, each company made an eight-minute presentation to an audience of investors, service providers and entrepreneurs. Participating South Florida companies included:
• Arctico Holdings, LLC from Miami
• Bookigee from Miami
• LearnerNation! from Miami
• Maxx Technologies from Fort Lauderdale
• 71 Pounds from Fort Lauderdale
• Melanovus Oncology from Jensen Beach
The conference also featured a collegiate business plan competition geared towards graduate student entrepreneurs. The competition provided selected participants with valuable presentation experience and exposure.
However, what wasn’t on the agenda was the magic that happened when attendees came together during receptions and breaks to share ideas and brainstorm new ways to work together and grow their companies. In what only could be described as the business equivalent of a flash mob, one could hear the clicking of laptops and iPads opening and cell phones booting up to demo the latest applications to friends and passers-by. In a short time, crowds were at a fever pitch, eager to test drive the products themselves and offer real-time user feedback. For a moment, unlike during conference calls or email exchanges, participants nearly ceased multi-tasking so as not to miss out.
The great thing about bringing a group of like-minded entrepreneurial folks together is that anything can happen. Spontaneous brainstorming and the collision of ideas can lead to new ways of framing existing challenges and invaluable cross-pollination. Add in the elements of body language and human connection, and there’s arguably no substitute.
The Florida Venture Forum Early Stage Conference is one of many meetings that take place each year throughout the state, offering a great stage for “happy accidents” to occur. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to spawn creativity, collaboration and growth.