Memphis Startup Weekend was recently featured in the Memphis Business Journal.  Check it out here . . . Memphis Business Journal Friday, February 22, 2008 Next great company could be in Memphis After beating out such cities as San Diego and Indianapolis, the city of Memphis was selected to be the next site for Startup Weekend — an event that aims to bring together local entrepreneurs with the goal of creating a real company in just 54 hours. Memphis will join cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., which have all hosted Startup Weekend events. “Over 600 people in Memphis have said we want Startup Weekend here,” says Eric Matthews, Mercury Technology Labs founder, who is helping organize the event. “It is a real testimony to what people want here as far as building an entrepreneurial community.” Matthews says Memphis Startup Weekend will be held May 30-June 1 and will be hosted at EmergeMemphis at 516 Tennessee St. EmergeMemphis is helping organize the event along with Matthews and Harry Brown, a local entrepreneur. At the event, participants will decide on an idea for a company the first night. After a decision has been made on a company, participants will split up and work on all the issues that come with starting a company — from branding to public relations. Participants will be rewarded with shares of the company, which ideally could become operational in the future. Matthews says five of the original Startup Weekend businesses are still around

Memphis Startup Weekend was recently featured in the Daily News.  Check it out here . . . Thursday, March 06, 2008 Biz Startup Event Slated for Late May ROSALIND GUY | The Daily News | The possibilities are endless. With a group of 100 people, experts in various fields and many different visions, there’s no telling what ideas will come out of the weekend event that br…. Read The Full Story

LaunchMemphis was recently established by Memphis area leaders to grow an entrepreneurial community. By undertaking a series of events throughout the year all designed to bring focus to entrepreneurial activities in Memphis, TN, we hope to deliver new technology business startups to our economy. While we will be working to expand LaunchMemphis activities to be year round, our present focus is on a series of activities to occur in late Spring and early Summer of 2008.  We will kick off the activities with a networking event focused on technology and startups and end with an investor forum where startup companies at the seed or venture stage can pitch for funding to move forward. This year, we have the privilege of hosting Startup Weekend in Memphis, a national program in which a new startup business is created in 52 hours by Memphians. For more information visit our Events Page.

LaunchMemphis is moving forward with a series of events to stimulate entrepreneurship in the Mid-South. We hope you will join us in growing a rich startup community and building new business ventures.   LaunchMemphis Kick-off: Tech Fuel Technology and Startup Networking Event May 8th, 2008, 5pm-7pm Location: Fox and Hound (5101 Sanderlin Ave) Sponsors: Pending Inspired by other networking events occurring across the country like Tech Cocktail, the LaunchMemphis Kick-off is designed for technologists, entrepreneurs, media (bloggers), and other business professionals to meet, and share ideas in a fun and open atmosphere. The event is open to the public. With the LaunchMemphis Kick-off we hope to see the Memphis tech community better connected. These networking events we hope to continue quarterly. Innova/Bioworks LaunchLunch with Speaker Dr. Kevin Boggs on Technology Transfer Spin-Off Companies May 13th, 2008, 11:30am Networking begins, 12:00pm Program begins Location: Bioworks Sponsors: Innova RSVP if Attending to Courdria Pointer — cpointer@memphisbioworks.org The purpose of this program is to connect audience members with others drawn to a speaker by similar interests, while providing the benefits of an educational forum on a critical topic. Startup Weekend Participant Gathering in conjunction with FedEx Institute May 22nd, 2008, 5:30pm to 7:30pm Location: FedEx Institute of Technology Sponsors: FedEx Institute of Technology, Boscos Beer For the those participants that have registered for Startup Weekend in Memphis, this event will provide an opportunity for the founders to network and get familiar with knowledge, skills, and backgrounds of fellow founders. This is to directly address

Chris is currently marketing director of the Mercury Launchpad, where he is engaged in helping early-stage entrepreneurs realize their full potential. He is in the process of earning his MBA from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. Chris graduated from Lambuth University in 2004 with a BBA in Marketing.

Dave Barger has been a leading pioneer in Memphis when it comes to the Web, its capabilities, creativity, and promise since he started LunaWeb in 1995. When LunaWeb began many people thought email was a fringe phenomenon and the web was just a novelty—yet we now know that both are an indispensable part of 21st century business and the world economy. A University of Memphis graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, who spent time in the Navy and working for major corporations, Barger understands the operating nuances of Corporate America, as well as the impact ‘the voice of the customer’ has on any organization. Now, he wants to spread the word in Memphis about a new revolution in the field of online communication—Social Networking. “Social networking is the realization of a promise the web made in the early 90’s—that the people would have a voice. That promise is finally coming to life with the progression of social networking sites,” Barger said. One must only look at the crucial role social media is playing in the current election to understand the significance it has on communications and networking.

Spencer Dillard is the owner of Spencer Dillard Consulting (SDC), a technology consulting organization that provides outsourced product management capabilities for the financial services industry.  SDC works with the complete software lifecycle — from strategy and requirements to system design, development, and testing.  Spencer was formerly the Director of Product Design for netDecide Corporation, where he was part of the team responsible for raising more than $17 million dollars from a combination of individuals, angel investors, and venture capitalists.  As part of the management team, he was also involved in multiple negotiations around potential mergers and acquisitions that the company evaluated and was directly involved in the sale of the company to Informa Investment Solutions (“IIS”), a division of Informa PLC.  After a brief stint with Thomson Financial, Spencer returned to IIS as the Chief Product Officer and had responsibility for the AdvisorDecide Wealth Management System.  Having been involved with 3 different startups, he brings to the Mercury Alpha Fund a deep understanding of the realities of a startup, as well as competence in both technology and finance.  With a fundamental belief that technology can be used to create value for business while empowering customers, Spencer brings a unique perspective to developing solutions by effectively mixing business and technological innovations.  With a B.S. in Finance and German from the University of Richmond, Spencer has presented on topics ranging from Wealth Forecasting and Asset Allocation to Systems Design and Computational Mathematics.

Dr. Douglas Scarboro is the Director of Community Engagement at The Leadership Academy.  He develops programming and events in partnership with The Leadership Academy alumni and community partners, which provides innovative opportunities for alumni to engage with one another.  Additionally in this capacity, he guides Fellows from idea to creation of a successful Community Action Project through interaction with The Leadership Academy alumni, facilitated classes and partnerships with area corporations and non-profits.  Douglas has a B.A. in political science from Morehouse College, an M.B.A. from Campbell University and Ed. D in Higher and Adult Education from the University of Memphis.  Douglas’ current scholarly research focuses on the use of cultural competency training in pharmacy pre-professionals and evaluating leadership development programs in Memphis and Shelby County.  Douglas is also a board member of Lantana Projects, a non-profit (501c3) dedicated to making Memphis, TN a leader in the global contemporary arts community.