DC mayor |

DC Technology Business Innovation recommendations – Presentation Transcript

December 9, 2011 by Elias Shams Leave a comment

The pretty one is me, Jamey is the other one

A few month after Vincent Gray, our new mayor was elected last year, one of the most awesome Washingtonian entrepreneurs, Jamey Harvey, founder of the DC based startup, Sponto and Marullus Williams, President and CEO of Limbic Systems, the DC based IT solution provider led a group of civic minded, entrepreneurial technologists and investors in a conversation about what we could do to make DC more awesome for Startups. The group included Peter Corbett, Jonathan Aberman, Doug Humphrey, Susan Banta, Julie Silard Kantor, Adam Rubinson, Wolf Ruzicka, Dutch Dunham and me, the awesomizer.

The mayor has declared this to be the technology startup month and he’s hosting a group of tech CEO’s soon to continue this conversation face-to-face.

Thanks to Jamey who put this slide together, here is the summary of what we did. Feel free to share it with those in your network. Read more of this post

Filed under About DC, Tech Tagged with Business Innovation, DC, DC mayor, elias shams, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, Jamey Harvey, technology, Technology Business Innovation, Vincent Gray, washington

The New Sheriff of Washington DC Is In, So Are the Washingtonian Entrepreneurs

January 9, 2011 by Elias Shams 1 Comment

The Good looking one is me, Jamey is the other one

I am very excited to announce my involvement with the Technology Business Innovation Taskforce of the incoming DC mayor, Vince Gray. The task force is being co-chaired by my awesome entrepreneur friend, Jamey Harvey, CEO of another exciting DC startup, Sponto.

I think that this will be a good opportunity for me as I try to help tackle some of the problems that I’ve been bitching about, from an entrepreneur’s perspective for the DC area. I hope my participation to the team brings me closer to my goal in positioning Awesome Washington, DC as a technology hub.

The Technology Business Innovation Taskforce will focus on attracting and retaining technology companies from these and other high growth industries:

Alternative Energy
Health Care
Cyber Security
Internet/Software/Social Media
Optics
Mobile
Gov 2.0 service providers
Read more of this post

Filed under Tech Tagged with Alternative Energy, Capital availability, cyber security, DC, DC mayor, District of Columbia, entrepreneurship, Gov 2.0, Gov 2.0 service providers, health care, Higher Education technology transfer, internet, Jamey Harvey, Leveraging proximity to federal customers, mobile, Optics, Reducing regulatory burden, social media, Software, Sponto, Startup incubation, Tax incentives, Technology Business Innovation, Technology Business Innovation Taskforce, Technology workforce development, Vince Gray, washington

Michelle Rhee Kicking Ass Taking Names

July 24, 2010 by Elias Shams 7 Comments

Looks like our school Chancellor, Michelle Rhee supported by Mayor Fenty are gone in a firing rampage. They are about to fire 241 teachers who did not meet standards set forth by a new district-wide evaluation system.

The new system, known as IMPACT, for the first time ties D.C. teachers’ job performance to their students’ performance on standardized tests.

According to a statement on the D.C. Public Schools website, IMPACT “seeks to create a culture in which all school-based personnel have a clear understanding of what defines excellence in their work, are provided with constructive and data-based feedback about their performance, and receive support to increase their effectiveness.” Read more of this post

Filed under About DC, Education Tagged with Adrian Fenty, d.c, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, D.C. Public Schools website, DC mayor, DC schools Chancellor, Firing rampage, firing teachers, Impact, Mayor Fenty, michelle rhee, Washington DC, Washington Teachers' Union

Washington DC in the List of Medical Marijuana Jurisdictions

May 5, 2010 by Elias Shams Leave a comment

by Kamran Abdi
D.C. Council finally approved the medical marijuana law yesterday. With this vote, Washington DC joins 14 states across the country in allowing qualified patients to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest.

The original legislation only allowed for patients to possess no more than two ounces of the drug for a 30 day period. The approved amendment will increase the possession limit to four ounces a month if there’s a medical need, according to The NYTimes. see more…

Filed under About DC, Health Tagged with Adrian Fenty, D.C. council, D.C. medical grass, DC mayor, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, legalizing Marijana, Marijana, marijuana policy, Marijuana Policy Project, medical Marijana, Medical Marijuana Jurisdictions, washington, Washington DC

Washington DC Is Blanketed With Our First Snow Of The Year

December 20, 2009 by Elias Shams Leave a comment

The snowstorm that started on Friday night finally left us But, she left us with spectacular view of the town Everyone is out enjoying themselves – particularly kids. I wonder their schools will be closed tomorrow.

Indeed, it was the largest recorded snowstorms in D.C. since mid 90’s when everything was shut down for 4 days. I think we got a little bit over two feet this time. Accumulating snow ended around 2 a.m this morning. Looking through my apartment window, it looks like we’re now in the icebox with lows mainly in the lower 20s. Still a little bit windy which is causing blowing and drifting of snow.

I do realize two feet of snow is nothing compare to Bufallo, NY or other part of our nation, or compare to other countries in Northern Europe or Russia that closes down the entire city for days. What is the point of having tons of snow and your town gets completely dysfunctional? Unlike other cities, DC continued to stay partially functional which means you can still come out to go to your local walking distance coffee shops, bars, bookstores, etc.

And, that’s exactly what I did Saturday morning. I packed up my laptops, my Android, phone, and my digital camera headed towards my favorite coffee shop in Dupont Circle. Thanks to our Mayor, Adrian Fenty making sure the major streets in DC stayed clean and open.

Here are a couple random pictures I took around Georgetown and Dupont Circle: