TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco

Finally got a few seconds to breathe after an eventful week in San
Francisco for TechCrunch
Disrupt. I went out
there to participate in the hackathon and volunteer primarily, while
also listening to the intense lineup of Silicon Valley heavyweights and
networking with other hungry entrepreneurs. It was an escape from the
regular day-to-day life that I needed.

Volunteering again (as I did in the first Disrupt) was a great
experience, and I actually enjoy the process. It reminds me of the times
I spent running around for MasterClash events like this
one. The
hackathon was also fun, although I only really used the first hour or so
to build my app
(SongCupid.com). For the
next event like this that I participate in (most likely the Arts/Tech
version of Startup
Weekend), I’d like to
come into the event with a full plan and try to maximize the time period
to create something solid. The best example of this is what Tony
Casparro did with Deal
Pulse.

Angela And I presenting. Superman shirt was not intentional, I was just
cold.

The presentation of my hack didn’t go too well, with the audio link not
working as it should, but I think people got the point. Groupon enjoyed
the app and actually gave us an award for it. My partner Angela
Wang and I got to step on
stage to accept the award before the guys from
GroupMe got on to showcase their
newest iteration (watch out for them, they could go big!). There were a
ton of good apps, but I was most proud of J’aime Ohm with her app
WiseDame. She won the
hackathon
and ended up presenting on the final day, right after Kevin Rose spoke.
I’ve known J’aime for years now from collaborating on one of my startups
in college. I was so proud to see her command the stage for 6 minutes; I
felt like a proud uncle :-)

Angela and I receiving the award from Groupon’s Suneel Gupta. Flight
lessons!

There were some great talks, especially from Vinod Khosla and Mark
Pincus. The best part, though was in having some great small
conversations with speakers and other volunteers. Everyone at these
kinds of conferences have some insight to share. It was an honor meeting
everyone and I hope one day I can help you all as much as you have
helped me.

Hanging with Zivity.com founder Cyan
Banister.
Great woman with lots of insight and the pointiest shoes I have ever
seen.

Next Disrupt will be a different experience, though. By then I will have
something fully launched (or launching at the conference). Its time to
step up to the next level of the game :-)