Baltimore Magazine goes inside Startup Soiree

Since its launch in January 2015, Startup Soiree has become one of the go-to events for entrepreneurs on the monthly calendar.
But what about the event founders themselves? What are their entrepreneurial stories? Baltimore Magazine wrote a profile to find out.
It turns out, both duos behind the Soiree were working in the events and weddings space — that’s how they met. And all involved — Pixilated Photobooth’s Patrick Rife and Nic China as well as Intrinsic Events’ Rachel Robinson and Jessica Gignac — thought networking events could be better. Hence the Soiree.
Read the full story
The event they created doesn’t have the sales feel of some networking events, writes Megan Isennock:

Though the events are sponsored by big names like Smartlogic and InvestEd, the corporate sponsors are not offered carte blanche access to the attendees. The model exists around the belief that by quietly showing their support of local startups, the community will turn to those sponsors if their services are required.

Along with being fun, the format also has a lot of room to expand and challenge what we think about at such events, from events at Shake and Bake skating rink, to an interview with Baltimore club queen TT the Artist.
This week, there’s beer. Startup Soiree is set for Tuesday at the new Diamondback Brewing HQ in Locust Point, and will feature a panel of brew entrepreneurs.