Tech Cocktail Conversations Podcast

Since beginning my work for Tech Cocktail, I’ve learned a lot about various tech startups and the inspiring entrepreneurs behind them. More notably, though, is the amount I’ve learned about the entire startup ecosystem. Being based in DC, I’ve inevitably learned about Evan Burfield and his role in cultivating DC’s startup environment. With roots in the... The post Evan Burfield: DC’s Potential to Be a Top Startup Community appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Design is the most important aspect of a user’s experience. Whether you’re browsing a website, navigating a mobile app, or checking out an advertisement, it is the design that sucks you in (whether you’re aware of it or not). Chuck Longanecker is the founder and CEO of Digital Telepathy, a user experience design company. For... The post Chuck Longanecker Talks Successful Design Strategy and the Future of Websites appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Sloane Davidson has spent over 10 years in various fields like social media strategy, community development, and fundraising. Her volunteer work showed her that she could bring large-scale positive change to the world community. Her experiences also lead her to She’s the First, a nonprofit that focuses on girls’ education and mentorship in developing worlds,... The post Sloane Davidson Shows Us How to Make a Positive Impact appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Have you ever found yourself sitting in a poorly-lit bedroom, on a cold winter’s night, glaring at pictures of your Beanie Babies collection on a laptop, crying over the fair value depreciation of precious, little, Tabasco? Oh…no? I guess that’s just a single-gay-Millennial-dude-eating-his-Cheetos-and-pretending-to-do-late-night-work-from-his-computer kind of thing. Various stimuli in our environment can have lasting effects... The post Lighting’s Effects on Your Health: Lorena Egan Offers Tips for Working at Night appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Let’s pretend, for a minute, that we’re living in the state of nature. I’m 5’5″ (ugh, fine, I’m 5’4.5″), so, naturally, I would invariably try to compete and survive in this land of giants. If you’re a small guy, you’re obviously going to try to make use of all the resources available to help you survive; otherwise, you... The post Phil Simon: What Startups Can Learn from Large Companies About Big Data appeared first on Tech Cocktail

In seventh grade, Matt Dorey was already learning about technology shifts and markets, but not from any classroom. After a $500 loan from his parents, which he had to pay back, Dorey purchased his first CD burner. Seventh grade was sweet: he paid back the loan by selling CDs for $20 each. But eighth grade... The post Small Goals Can Lead You to Big Success, Says Matt Dorey appeared first on Tech Cocktail

I never fit in with the other people in my marathon training group. They cultivated this high-pressure culture that was dependent on immediate results, something that inevitably led to my not training as hard and eventually quitting. Of course, this is merely a tale (since, I mean, LOL what is “running?” Food marathon, maybe…). Nonetheless,... The post Natalie Baumgartner: Cultivating Company Culture appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Although still in my mid-20s, I’m slowly starting to accept that the only “30 Under 30″ list on I’ll ever make it is the “30 Under 30 Who Consume the Most Popeyes and Chipotle Per Week.” Actually, on second thought, I would love to be on that list. For General Assembly cofounder Matt Brimer, his placement on... The post Matt Brimer: How General Assembly is Innovating Education for the Future appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Sarah Austin has made it her goal to expose the world of tech startups to the rest of America through Internet and television. That was one of the major motivations that drove her to create her own D7TV series, Party Crashers. However, after crashing countless Silicon Valley parties, Austin decided to go one step further.... The post Sarah Austin Dishes about “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley” [VIDEO] appeared first on Tech Cocktail

“It’s all about the people,” said someone important, at one point, in humanity’s history. While I’m too lazy to delve into whether someone of actual, historical relevance made any such proclamation (although, I’m sure someone has – right?), there’s no denying the truth behind such a statement. For Tim Wolters, this is an essential truth... The post Tim Wolters: Company Culture is All About the People appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Saul Kaplan is an innovation junkie, and to somebody like him, there is always a better way to do things. Big or small, change is inevitable, and the best thing we can do is make it work for us rather than against us. Businesses in the 21st century find themselves vulnerable to disruption brought on... The post Saul Kaplan: How to Stay Relevant as a Business [VIDEO] appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Bluntly speaking, Michael Tchong is a master at analyzing trends. As the founder of MacWeek in 1987, he predicted that Macintosh, now Apple, would be the go-to platform for graphic designers. That was the first in a long line of decisions that brought him to his current role as a public speaker who can help... The post Michael Tchong Wants You to Analyze Ubertrends, Not Normal Trends appeared first on Tech Cocktail

I seldom come across a person in my life who does not recognize Jermaine Dupri as a rapper, producer, and CEO. “I Think They Like Me” is one of my all-time favorite songs to jam to. However, what a lot of people do not know about JD is that he is also an entrepreneur. Dupri... The post Jermaine Dupri: Before Anything, Understand Your Beliefs appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Elizabeth Stark, a born and bred East Coaster, took her years of past experience teaching about the future of the Internet at Yale and decided to come to the West Coast. A passion for the Open Web led her to a major crossroads in the Silicon Valley tech startup scene: Stanford University. While she was not... The post Elizabeth Stark Is Working For Technological Solutions to Real Problems appeared first on Tech Cocktail

Brittany Laughlin was born a geek. No dolls for Laughlin; she delighted in blowing stuff up with chemistry sets and analyzing critters under microscopes. That sense of curiosity did not abandon her as she got older. In fact, she applied it to the technology industry. Inspired by Laughlin’s analysis of the military population returning from war, Laughlin... The post Brittany Laughlin: Bringing Military Talent to the Tech Community With Incline appeared first on Tech Cocktail