All Posts Tagged ‘entrepreneurs’

David Bolton

Q&A: Cort Johnson: Not Easy to Poke Holes in

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Cort Johnson is Co-Founder of DartBoston

Every scene needs a face — the guy or gal who becomes synonymous with what the community is trying to achieve. That person is normally passionate, and always has conviction to make a difference by articulating complex concepts whilst coming across as someone you could sit and watch sports with.

Cortlandt Johnson of DartBoston is one of those people.

Cort Johnson

Cort Johnson

When you meet him, he smiles broadly and shakes your hand, pressing the flesh with as much enthusiasm as he puts into the various factions that make up DartBoston. His community of ambitious entrepreneurs and professionals have become part of the tech networking scene in Boston, putting on events all over town and ensuring that those under thirty have full access to individuals with similar drives and ambitions.

Recently, Johnson was named to the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) Future Leaders Group for 2010. It’s the first time the local trade organization and non-profit has assembled a crack team of young entrepreneurs, and they certainly picked a distinguished bunch.

A few days ago, Cort agreed to give me some of his valuable time so that I could get an insight into what makes him tick. We met outside Barnes and Noble, grabbed a coffee and tried to find somewhere quiet for a chinwag — not the easiest thing to do in a mall. Settling into a comfy chair at the Sheraton, he looked the consummate young professional in a button down shirt, slacks, and polished brown shoes. As the sights and sounds of a busy hotel rushed around him, he was fully committed to giving me his complete attention. (more…)

Sarah Merion

TechStars: Bootcamp for Boston Start-Ups

TechStars' Shawn Broderick checks in with BostInno to talk about the process

TechStars' Shawn Broderick checks in with BostInno to talk about the process

BostInnovation recently wrote about the most active VC’s on Twitter. One of those was Shawn Broderick, Managing Director of TechStars in Boston. We snagged an interview with him to get the inside scoop on the most coveted start-up opportunity in Boston.

What is TechStars?

TechStars is a 13-week program that provides seed funding and mentorship to start-ups. It operates in Boston in the spring, Boulder in the summer, and will soon launch in Seattle in the fall.

If a founder is lucky enough to get accepted into the program (last year they had over 600 applicants), Broderick says they’ll “build sustainable lifelong relationships.” TechStars is not for the faint of heart though. Broderick says that these entrepreneurs work “8 days a week, 25 hours a day.” (more…)

Jennie White

5 Tips for Building an iPhone App Like a High-Schooler

Haptic Pixels is owned and operated by some of Boston's youngest entrepreneurs

Haptic Pixels is owned and operated by some of Boston's youngest entrepreneurs

While other kids their age were worrying about what to wear to prom and if they were going to make the varsity football team, Greg Rosen and Charles Connell were doing some hardcore coding, networking and company-building. Greg attends Bedford High School and Charles is in his first year at Northeastern University. I was lucky enough to sit down with these guys to talk about their company, Haptic Pixels.

These two superstars developed their first game, Castle Defense, at ages 17 and 18, respectively. Let me say, it’s an insanely addicting iPhone application. Greg and Charles developed and launched Castle Defense in June. (more…)

Kyle Psaty

Gov. Patrick has the right idea, but Juan’s still waiting

Juan Figuera

Juan Figuera

Meet Juan Figuera. I just did. He’s a Venezuelan who, after being kidnapped for ransom, fled to Massachusetts in 2005 in pursuit of the American Dream. He found it, too, completing an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at UMass Lowell in 2007 and landing a gig at Tyco. But Juan didn’t stop there. He’s finishing a master’s in mechanical engineering next spring (also at UMass Lowell), so he’ll be even more of an asset to the local economy soon.

His dream is expanding; he’s already worked up a killer website, Golcio.com, which I had a look at (though it’s not available to the public quite yet). He wants to help his well-educated friends in Venezuela start companies, so Golcio.com will broker contracts between U.S. companies and Central and South American ones.

When Juan arrived at the Communispace Corp. offices on Monday to hear Governor Deval Patrick speak about the findings put together in a $150,000 report compiled by UMass’ Michael Goodman, he hoped to hear what the Bay State has planned to make starting his company and realizing his dream easier. He was disappointed. Here’s why. (more…)