Alexandria, VA (June 6, 2018) – In May, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP), in partnership with Arlington Economic Development (AED), joined several members from emerging startups in the NOVA tech community at one of the fastest growing tech conferences in the US: Collision. Collision, created by the team behind Web Summit, which took place April 30 – May 3, 2018 in New Orleans, attracted almost 20,000 attendees from 119 countries. Attendees and speakers included CEOs of both the world’s fastest growing startups and the world’s largest companies, alongside leading investors and media.
Earlier this year, AEDP and AED conducted an open submission process inviting Alexandria and Arlington-based startups to apply for the opportunity to attend the conference as a sponsored startup to showcase their innovative products and services on a national platform. Through the competitive call for submissions and match process, a final 10 startups were chosen from the region to join AEDP and AED in New Orleans.
Both Alexandria and Arlington are leaders in promoting regionalism and a mindset of collaboration within the DC area. To build on the momentum of past Collision attendance, and through the 2018 collaborative effort and campaign messaging theme “NOVA in NOLA”, Alexandria and Arlington made a concerted effort to engage the nation and the world with their best and brightest technology stars.
The 2018 Alexandria startups consisted of kweliTV (interactive streaming platform), Give365 (charity portal), The Mentor Method (workplace diversity & mentor matching application), and ENABLD (cybersecurity). One of the CEOs shared his experience about the event:
“The thing about cybersecurity is that it knows no geographic bounds, because hackers attack wherever, at whomever, whenever they feel the need,” said Matt Lembright, CEO & CoFounder, ENABLD Security. “As a veteran-owned cybersecurity startup from Northern Virginia looking to make cybersecurity easily accessible to DC-area small and medium businesses, we were really planning on Collision being a way to spread cybersecurity awareness for individuals and small businesses. That we did – Collision-ers (Colliders?) loved our iPhone and Facebook lockdown cheat sheets, our “nutrition facts for personal data,” and our mission to help protect our national assets by engaging businesses and citizens from the ground up. What we didn’t expect were all of the other great vendors and attendees with cybersecurity interest for smaller businesses. We’re thrilled about the partnership opportunities this provided us and we think they’ll prove pivotal for our growth. We’re so thankful for the AEDP who gave us the opportunity to attend because without their assistance, we would not have been able to attend. We look forward to building on the relationship with them, all of the other Alexandria-based companies we met at Collision as well as the Collisioners themselves.”
In addition to showcasing NOVA startups while at Collision, AEDP, in conjunction with regional partners, also met with other startups and established companies to discuss why Alexandria and Northern Virginia could be the right place to locate or grow their company. As Northern Virginia continues to diversify its economy, the Collision Conference offers a unique opportunity for economic development teams to promote their region’s assets and attract innovative, growing companies from around the world. During the conference, Governor Ralph Northam joined Alexandria and the Northern Virginia delegation in New Orleans, promoting Virginia’s large tech talent pool, favorable business climate, and high quality of life to technology companies in attendance.
AEDP will continue their presence at Collision next year and looks forward to working with our regional partners and a new cohort of Alexandria startups. Attending the Collision Conference alongside local startups is one program AEDP manages as part of a strategy to strengthen Alexandria’s vibrant startup community and support programs that help early stage founders accelerate the growth of their business. For more information, please visit our website: growALX.com or alexecon.org, and follow us on social media.
Social Media
@AlexandriaEcon
@AEDBizInvest
@CollisionHQ
#NOVAinNOLA
MEDIA CONTACTS
Alexandria:
Maurisa Turner Potts
Founder/CEO
Spotted MP (Marketing + Public Relations)
(703) 501-6289
maurisa@spottedmp.com
About Alexandria Economic Development Partnership
The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) promotes the City of Alexandria as a premier location for doing business. We support Alexandria business leaders’ and entrepreneurs’ growth by providing information, economic and demographic statistics, tax and financial incentives, and real estate market intelligence. AEDP is a public-private partnership led by an independent board of directors, and we work closely with the City of Alexandria and business and real estate communities to achieve our mission. For more information, visit alexecon.org.
About Arlington Economic Development
Arlington Economic Development (AED), part of Arlington County Government, is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of an economically competitive and sustainable community, and the creation of exciting, diverse and amenity-rich places. AED provides visionary leadership and superior services to Arlington’s business and arts community, its tourism industry and its real estate development. For more information, visit arlingtoneconomicdevelopment.com.