startup | ARLnow.com

Published April 29, 2015 at 3:30PM | Updated April 29, 2015 at 4:08PM

Students and a mentor at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (photo courtesy Arlington Chamber of Commerce)

(Updated at 4:00 p.m.) Some of Arlington’s most ambitious teenagers will go before a panel of judges, “Shark Tank”-style, to present business ideas they have cultivated for weeks.

The event is called the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Investor Panel, is May 7 at Marymount University’s Reinsch Library (2807 N. Glebe Road), from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. It’s hosted by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, which has taken a dozen students from ages 12 to 18 from Arlington schools and taught them the fundamentals of starting a business, every Wednesday evening since Jan. 7.

News

D.C.’s 1776 Incubator Expanding Into Crystal City

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 16, 2015 at 4:15PM

Today, on the roof of 220 20th Street S., Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes, Vornado CEO Mitchell Shear, 1776 co-founders Evan Burfield and Donna Harris and former Disruption Corporation CEO, and now 1776 Managing Director, Paul Singh joined forces to make the announcement.

“We’re proud that this new partnership will be anchored in Crystal City, which is increasingly becoming a globally-recognized home for world-changing startups,” McAuliffe said. “This new, unprecedented level of regional collaboration removes the traditional regional boundaries, creating tremendous opportunity for broad-based economic growth that benefits the entire region, and offering a model for future, long-term economic growth throughout Virginia and the D.C. Metro area.”

News

Can a Tech Startup Save Artisphere?

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 10, 2015 at 10:35AM

While the Arlington County Board enters their final deliberations surrounding the potential closing of the Artisphere, one local entrepreneur is trying to save it.

Pete Erickson is the founder of MoDev, which organizes conferences for mobile software developers. Erickson has hosted a handful of conferences at Artisphere and is planning his latest — MVP (minimum viable product) Conference — for May 18 and 19.

Around Town

Rosslyn ‘Shark Tank’ Startup Teams with Arlington Libraries

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 8, 2015 at 2:00PM | Updated September 3, 2018 at 10:11PM

Felix Brandon Lloyd of Zoobean, alongside co-founder Jordan Lloyd Bookey (file photo)

ZooBean, based in Rosslyn’s ÜberOffices, has launched Beanstack with the library. The program takes the preferences of each child — “like ninjas, princess or even math and science,” the app’s promotional video explains — and the child’s reading level, and an Arlington librarian recommends books in the catalog that apply.

Each book recommendation also comes with a brief learning tip, ZooBean co-founder Felix Lloyd told ARLnow.com. This could be culling a few vocabulary words from the book to review.

News

Arlington Startup Founder Testifies Before Congress About Patent Trolls

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 27, 2015 at 10:30AM | Updated March 27, 2015 at 10:56AM

Todd Moore, inventor of the White Noise app and founder of app development company TMSoft, testified before Congress this week (his testimony begins at 1:06:40), advocating for a bill that would curb “patent trolling.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 10, 2015 at 9:30AM

Pasha Cafe Changes Name — Pasha Cafe, at 3911 Lee Highway, has changed its name to Bistro 29. Owner Bill Hamrock tells ARLnow.com that “75% of the menu is the same,” but there have been some changes. “Some of our new items include: Fried Green Tomatoes, Shrimp ‘Tempura,’ Shrimp and Crab Potstickers, Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Balsamic Glazed Chicken and a Grilled Chicken Salad with Fried Brie and Mango Buttermilk Vinaigrette.” [Bistro 29]

Cigar Connection Closes — The Cigar Connection store across from the Ballston Metro station has closed after 12 years in business. [Facebook]

Around Town

Flower Delivery Startups Preparing for Valentine’s Day

By Ethan Rothstein

Published February 10, 2015 at 11:00AM

According to the National Retail Federation, 37.8 percent of Americans will buy flowers for Valentine’s Day this year, spending $2.1 billion.

Crystal City-based Bloompop launched in September 2013, and it’s currently gearing up for its second Valentine’s Day this Saturday. The company offers $10 delivery of flower bouquets from $50 to $150 from local florists. To become a Bloompop partner, a florist must have four- or five-star reviews on a combination of online review websites.

Arlington Startups Continued to Grow in 2014

Published December 29, 2014 at 5:00PM

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

In the startup world, change is rarely slow and steady. For many of the businesses ARLnow.com has profiled this year, change has already come, and it came fast.

Events

Crystal City Hosting Tech Cocktail Startup Awards Tomorrow

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 15, 2014 at 3:45PM | Updated December 15, 2014 at 4:13PM

The party will start at 6:00 p.m., end at 8:30 and costs $25 to attend ($35.99 if the guest wants a copy of Startup Mixology by Tech Cocktail’s Frank Gruber). All guests are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate to the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

Hundreds from the D.C. startup scene are expected to be in attendance, and awaiting the announcement of the annual awards. Winners will be named in the following categories:

Local Startup Offers Artfully-Designed Gifts (Promoted)

Published November 13, 2014 at 6:00AM | Updated November 13, 2014 at 10:17AM

Two local, female entrepreneurs have transformed their love of gifting into a business. The Trendy Ribbon, an online gift company in Arlington, offers a fresh and stylish take on the traditional gift basket — turning it into something you can confidently give and happily receive.

The creative owners of the one-year old company focus on providing customers high-quality products (no fillers) and unique packaging and presentation. For example, instead of traditional wicker baskets, they use rustic and modern crates designed to be reused or displayed.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 15, 2014 at 9:20AM

Halloween Bar Crawl Begins Discounting — Tickets for the Nov. 1 Halloween bar crawl in Clarendon are being discounted from $15 to $9 on LivingSocial. So far, 63 tickets have been purchased on the site. A police source tells ARLnow.com that ACPD is planning on having “a number of officers specifically detailed to Clarendon for the crawl and throughout the night until a little after closing time.” [LivingSocial]

APS Finds Ways to Make Kids Want Veggies — The Arlington School Board was flabbergasted to learn that the school system’s food services division has apparently found a way to make kids want to eat their veggies. The secret: creatively pairing veggies with other foods. For instance, while spinach alone had an anemic 8 percent selection rate, a spinach and strawberry salad was selected by 78 percent of elementary students. [InsideNova]

News

McAuliffe Discusses Startup Economy in Rosslyn

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 13, 2014 at 11:00AM

Gov. Terry McAuliffe meets with companies in Tandem NSI program in Rosslyn

Gov. Terry McAuliffe met with founders and executives from the Tandem NSI initiative in Rosslyn on Friday, discussing ideas for how the state government can help startups grow.

Six companies from Tandem NSI — a public-private partnership between Arlington Economic Development and investment firm Amplifier Ventures focusing on turning national security innovations into private sector businesses– were on hand to demonstrate their products for McAuliffe.