Well?  Have you caught up with your real jobs yet?  We’re nearly two weeks after the Showcase, and there are lots of things to cover still.  We’re still reviewing feedback and making improvements for the next one.  Which reminds me, if you haven’t filled out the survey, please do so!!  Pimp it out.  Send it to everyone you know.  As previously stated, we want to do it again, but we want to do it better. (Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9PSBBX3)

So far, so good

The good news is: 59DaysOfCode was a massive success.  People from all over are still calling asking about how they can be involved and what they can sponsor.  We wanted to answer the question: Does the Valley have the talent to sustain high-tech? And the resounding answer is a big, solid YES.  We wanted to bring the geeks out of the woodwork, and it worked.  We wanted to connect people and help business grow, and we did that.  More than anything, we wanted 59Days to be a catalyst and that’s exaclty what it’s been.

Committed to all teams

We know it’s not enough to simply hold a big event and then go about our merry way.  That’s the worst thing we could do. We want to make sure we follow up with the progress of ALL the teams.  We’re still working on the best way to do that, but there WILL be a follow-up-get-together-pizza-and-beer-type-gathering so that we can talk about that and some other things.  I will announce those details very shortly.

Bottom line: We want to support your project or venture.  We want you to be successful with your idea.  A win for you, is also a win for us, right?

Incubator Offer

The Central Valley Business Incubator was built for this, and they asked me to send you the following message:

Teams, you all deserve a huge pat on the back. Thanks to you, the event was a success; however, we are not done. We still want to help move the industry forward. Many of the comments I heard talked about talking several of the products to that proverbial “next level.” So what do you think? You ready for that?

The Incubator can be, and is, a huge resource to those just starting out.  I encourage you to take their invitation seriously.

postEcho helps you create  releases that discover the most influential people talking about your business. After all, 1% of your customers drive 20% of your traffic. Don’t you think it’s important to know your 1%?

When asked how they would use the prizes, they said:

“To bring the product to maturity”

Checkout postEcho on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Congratulations!

myNetworkFactory is a business building platform that promotes collaboration, competition, and increased referral exchange. At it’s core, it’s a solution for sending and receiving referrals.

When asked how they would use the prize awarded, they said:

We plan to utilize the funds in 5 key areas that will help us refine our software so that we are ready to launch state wide in 2010, and nationally in 2011. The majority of the of funds will be used for development and marketing. We have 3 equity partners in the company developing 100 percent of content in house while self funding all expenses. While we can launch without these additional winnings, having assistance will help us meet our milestones sooner and become cash-flow positive.

The break down of funding requirements are below.

• • Development (Further refinement and additional on-going feature additions)
  • Legal
  • Equipment
  • Marketing
  • Supplies

Check out MyNetworkFactory on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Congratulations!

May 24/25, 2010

Okay, you can develop it and you can talk about it, but can you sustain it or sell it? The Price It! session is instrumental to developing a realistic business model. The issues of market definition, purchase process and scalable deployment will also be addressed. If it doesn’t make much money, does it make much sense?

Download Price It! Powerpoint

59DaysOfCode – Workshop II – Price It! from 59DaysOfCode on Vimeo.

Workshop videos are posted here for your convenience!

To ensure proper progress and the highest caliber showcase, there are three mandatory check-in points. At least one representative from each team must participate in each workshop. All workshops will be held at the CVBI offices (1630 E. Shaw Ave, Ste 163, 93710) and multiple dates for each topic are offered for convenience. Follow the steps outlined below and you will give the competition and run for their money.

May 10/11, 2010

The last thing you want to do is develop an amazing solution and stumble over the presentation to a key audience. The Present It! workshop session is designed to introduce developers to a proven delivery format. Additionally, participants will learn ways to calm nerves, maintain composure and handle Q&A from a panel of experts.

Download Main Stage Presentation Guidelines | Download Present It! Powerpoint

59DaysOfCode – Workshop I – Present It! from 59DaysOfCode on Vimeo.