Author: JD

Join us for this very special Tech Cocktail Sessions event as we launch the book Startup Mixology, by Tech Cocktail’s Founder and CEO, Frank Gruber.  Come enjoy another fun and informative Tech Cocktail Sessions event, enjoy some food and drinks, and get your book signed! We can’t wait to see you there.   Special Guest Speakers…   Jermaine Dupri – CEO of So So Def Recordings/Global14 @jermaindupri Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter, Jermaine Dupri – known for collaborating with artists from Jay-Z to Mariah Carey – is also the founder of a social networking community, Global14. JD launched the new website to challenge what Dupri labels “social notifying”, where people share bits of information with one another, as opposed to having a dialogue in a traditional social networking community. Global14 allows user, which Jermaine Dupri calls “Lifers”, to directly connect with other community members to network, socialize, and share information. “I’m not trying to take on Facebook or Mark Zuckerberg. I just created an environment where I can interact with my community and give people a place to chat about their passions.” Jermaine Dupri is an active member of his community, and have use the site to discover talents, collect data, to share his interests, and to give his “lifers” an exclusive insight to his life as a father, producer, DJ, mogul, and more. The site has secured over 30,000 subscribers and over 1,100 groups in the first year, since its launch, Global14 has attracted celebrities like Sean “Diddy” Combs, Nelly, Kelly Rowland, Mariah Carey, Kevin Hart, Anthony Hamilton, Monica, Bow Wow and many more.  Jermaine’ Dupri has spoken at numerous tech summit like: Social Media Week, Tech Cocktail Week, and most recently, SF Music Tech.   Matt Haggman – Miami Program Director at Knight Foundation @matthaggman Under his leadership, Knight launched a new initiative aimed at connecting and propelling Miami’s emerging entrepreneurs and startups as a way of building community. The effort, which was launched in 2012, has been cited by numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, BBC, USA Today, Le Monde and Washington Post. Highlights include launching Endeavor Miami, which is the first Endeavor affiliate to be launched in the US and the subject of a Harvard Business School case study.   Hugh McLeod- Cartoonist, Writer and Founder atGapingvoid @gapingvoid Hugh MacLeod has been drawing about life and business for over twenty years. HIs book “Ignore Everybody” made the Wall Street Journal’s best sellers list. Hugh has had social media presence worldwide since 2002 with his blog gapingvoid.com. Hugh has created work for some of the largest and smartest companies in the world including Intel, Microsoft, Roche, Zappos, and VW.  At the heart of Hugh’s work is one core belief: Art Transforms Businesses.   Art can express ideas, vision, beliefs, stories, culture, mission and purpose faster, better and more deeply than any other method of business communication…while also having a little fun!     Lori Anne Wardi – Vice President of Business Development at Neustar’s Registry Services Group Lori Anne Wardi is Vice President of Business Development at Neustar’s Registry Services Group, where she is currently overseeing the launch strategy of the .nyc domain. Previously, Lori Anne was a co-founder of the company behind the global launch and management of the .co domain extension, which was recently acquired by Neustar. As VP of Brand for .co, Lori Anne continues to be responsible for all matters involving brand strategy, business development, premium domain strategy and global communications. In the four years since its launch, .co has become the home to a thriving community of innovators, entrepreneurs, businesses and brands  who together are building the future of the Internet. Currently there are nearly 1.7 million .co domain names registered by individuals and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. In addition to running her own consulting practice, prior to her involvement in the domain space, Lori Anne spent two years as a Manager of Professional Development at Goldman Sachs and five years practicing employment law at Proskauer in New York City. She has a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, a Masters Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Relations from Muhlenberg College.   Who’s endorsing the Startup Mixology book? Gary Vaynerchuk, bestselling author and co-founder, VaynerMedia says: “Too many entrepreneurs these days are burning out, stressing out, and pretending they have no choice. Startup Mixology reminds us all to pause and celebrate the small victories – because the game is really a marathon.” Steve Case, chairman and CEO, Revolution, co-founder, AOL, and chairman, Case Foundation says: “Frank Gruber’s Startup Mixology is a clear and thoughtful distillation of what it takes to take an idea and turn it into a business. I encourage entrepreneurs of all backgrounds to read this book and apply its lessons.” Come enjoy another fun and informative Tech Cocktail Sessions event, enjoy some food and drinks, and get your book signed! We can’t wait to see you there.