Last night’s TechFlash BBQ & Ping-Pong Tournament was a winner for all involved. Valeri Kim of Akvelon provided an example of true athleticism at the table (photo below), barely edging out Silicon Valley Bank’s Lim to take the inaugural trophy. I suspect this is going to be a recurring event, and I’m already looking forward to donning a headband and taking a few techies down before the brackets really heat up next year.
There was a great turnout for the event: I was able to catch up with at least a dozen VCs and entrepreneurs I hadn’t seen in a while, and I met a lot of new folks who were out doing interesting some interesting things. From social networks for physicians to democracy-focused candidate video ballots, entrepreneurs are continuing to take their ideas to market. And in spite of continued economic challenges, the vibe at the event was very positive.
Microsoft played a major sponsorship role in the event: in addition to BizSpark’s continued support of TechFlash, Microsoft’s Bing team came out in force, providing some swanky paddles, balls, and tables for the match. As one guest commented to me, “it’s great to see the Bing team using their marketing dollars on something this cool!” So congrats to the folks at Bing for sponsoring a terrific event.
TechFlash’s John Cook laying down the tournament rules (note the rockin’ old-school headband in foreground):
The party quickly spilled out into the courtyard of the Georgetown Ballroom:
Some serious athleticism by the finalists—this was more fun to watch than I ever could have imagined:
