What's Working in Washington

The region has a wealth of innovators and inventors. In both private and federal labs, it's easy to imagine thousands of fantastic inventions ready to be part of the next big company, but the transition isn't always easy, and not all inventions are created equal. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Fosterly is once again conducting a startup census, with a form that is now easier to use, according to Adam Zuckerman, founder of Fosterly. Fosterly collaborated with research experts from Virginia Tech to increase the scientific rigor of the 2017 census. The census report is a collaborative effort with commentary and analysis provided by some of our region's leading subject matter experts. See P...

Ross Baird, founder of Village Capital, believes that venture capital isn't doing a good job of getting new ideas to society. In his new book, The Innovation Blind Spot, Baird explains that the industry could do more to spur innovation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Michell Clark says the public can tell 1) if someone is getting paid to talk about something, 2) if they actually care about it and 3) if this is actually the full story. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

"If were not trying to get somebody to enroll in a coding school, or trying to get them to take a job somewhere, were pure. We can actually offer them information, content, network, all these things that benefit them and their careers, without being conflicted, without needing to sell them anything," said Erickson. Instead, Modev is funded by sponsors. Thus, its seen as a trusted resource, and is...

Despite being one of the wealthiest areas in the United States, the D.C. region is still a tough place for startups to raise growth capital. Crowdsourcing might be able to fix that. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Inspiration comes in surprising forms when one looks at progress in the Washington region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People spend a lot of time worrying about whos managing them, but less about managing up. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Three of the region's experts on cybersecurity and its effect on the economy: Michael Hoffman, director of marketing at GovernmentCIO Media; Mike Simon, president and CEO of cyber defense firm CryptoniteNXT; and Ron Gula, investor and founder of Gula Tech Adventures. Topics: how investment trends shape cybersecurity, the transition from public to private sector, how cyber talent flourishes in the...

Rob Terry, senior writer with the Washington Business Journal and expert in current contracting trends, says many companies are looking to scale upward to increase profits. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

More proof that entrepreneurs come to Washington to start something, and to have a real impact. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Many smart people have no real plan for their retirement, according to Anne McCabe Triana, president and CEO of Curo Private Wealth, and an expert in helping people manage and grow their own wealth. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

DC's entrepreneurial community is strong and present in the region, but doesn't always do a good job of showing itself. "The culture here in D.C. is not a money culture or necessarily a venture capital culture. It is becoming an innovation culture," says Warren Getler. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

While telecom as an industry peaked in the late 90s, new software is ensuring that voice communication is still necessary, according to Jim Kenefick, CEO of Better World Telecom. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The source of a region's growth is a subject of much debate, but is usually the result of intelligent decisions made by policymakers and leaders. One of those leaders is Jerry Gordon, president and CEO of Fairfax County Economic Development Agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Bob London, CEO of marketing firm Chief Listening Officers, believes in a more effective way of influencing people. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

How local conscious capitalists are doing business with the Vatican See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

An initiative with programs in over 100 cities around the world is seeing success in the chapter covering the DMV area. "The Founder Institute is a program based out of Silicon Valley, with a mission to bring Silicon Valley to the rest of the world," said Rosemarie Truman, founder and CEO for the Center of Advancing Innovation, as well as the director of the Founder Institute, a program working to...

"The critical issue right now is the big gap we have between a high school diploma and a university diploma," said Oliver Schlake, clinical professor at the Smith School of Business in Maryland. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Trust is a key point for Axios, DC's newest media entity. Building that trust over a digital medium is tricky. "I think the advantage of this day and age is that you get an opportunity to. It's easier than ever to launch a media company, because technology has enabled it," said co-founder Roy Schwartz. "They'll give you a chance. And then you have to prove that you're truly worthy of their time an...

Almost every sphere of American life, from the press to entrepreneurship, has been caught off guard by the inconsistent and sometimes inflammatory nature of Donald Trump's administration. For this week's Whats Working in Washington EXTRA episode, Ray Locker, enterprise editor for USA Today; Richard Latendresse, member of the White House Foreign Press Group; and Richard Levick, founder of Levick, d...

New startup Phone2Action focuses on advocacy and the importance of amplifying individual voices. The technology matches people with their elected officials at every level, said co-founder Ximena Hartsock. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

After growing and selling a successful tech company, Chris Parker founded New Horizon Wines by turning his passion into an international business. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

One area company is working hard to bring more jobs back into the greater Washington region. There are ample jobs in Virginia, but access to them is low since they're centralized in specific areas, so they're not being filled, says the company founder. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .