We had our first annual New England VC Association (NEVCA) awards ceremony (called The NEVYs, about which I wrote previously). It was insanely joyous. I have a hangover but am still smiling.
I love working with people on ideas that matter. It’s awesome to see teamwork originate and execute such a fantastic event.
I remember a brainstorm session during which C.A. Webb, Chris Sheehan, Stephen Kraus and I discussed what events we could do for the start-up ecosystem. Frankly, I didn’t do much. But, I did voice a strong opinion that it would be lame to do anything formal, stuffy or boring. I was hoping we could do something really unifying, energizing and fun.
So, Stephen came up with the idea for an awards ceremony and a team comprised of C.A., entrepreneurs and VCs worked together. Here’s what C.A. wrote earlier today to the NEVCA Board:
Thanks to Steve for developing and pushing for the idea and leading the committee over these last 4 months. To [Mike Troiano] for his expert crafting of the message, design and strategy. And to [David Beisel] for contributing great thinking to our committee. These guys put in some serious time to make it great–as did Fred Destin, Michelle Dipp and Bob Hower in particular so please thank them when you see them. And I continue to marvel that [Casey Hogan] is just 21 and in college…we could not have pulled off this even without her.
I’m sure dozens of people worked on this project, and I’m sorry that I don’t know everyone by name. And, amazing sponsors helped support this event (see below).
I love this town. I love our start-up community. Last night, we as a group of entrepreneurs, VCs and service providers, truly were One Team.
Great time, Jo! Thanks for your leadership on this, great to have you on the team.