Professional Development

Columbia is getting a Startup Grind chapter

The event series is set to kick off Jan. 31. We talked to chapter director Chris Haug about connecting the “mid-Maryland” tech community.

At a 2017 event at 1776 in D.C. (Photo by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier)

The area between Baltimore and D.C. can feel the pull of both cities. As a longtime entrepreneur in Howard County, however, Chris Haug sees lots of activity in the area in its own right.
“There’s a lot of stuff going on here, and I’d like to do my part to help pull it all together in a mid-Maryland node,” said Haug, who runs 360 Strategy Solutions Group.
To provide a chance for entrepreneurs to connect, Haug is taking the lead in forming the Columbia chapter of Startup Grind, the global group of local chapters that feature fireside-chat events on building businesses.
It’s set to launch with its first event on Jan. 31 at Ellicott Mills Brewing Company in Ellicott City (where tech is part of the town’s post-flood recovery).
The featured speaker for the first edition is Tien Wong, CEO of Silver Spring-based Lore Systems and Opus8. Wong also cofounded CRM company CyberRep in 1991, which was acquired in 2003, and is an angel investor.
While it’s called the Columbia chapter, Haug said he saw the need to connect what’s happening in that “mid-Maryland” area more generally. He added that holding the event in Old Town Ellicott City will also help bring business to the area following last summer’s flooding.
Get tickets

Companies: Startup Grind

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

The person charged in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting had a ton of tech connections

From rejection to innovation: How I built a tool to beat AI hiring algorithms at their own game

Where are the country’s most vibrant tech and startup communities?

The looming TikTok ban doesn’t strike financial fear into the hearts of creators — it’s community they’re worried about

Technically Media