The Big Idea
CONNECTpreneur Forum
In Conversation with Tien Wong, CEO, Opus8, and
Founder & Host, CONNECTpreneur
Get to know CONNECTpreneur, a unique forum which attracts the region's top entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and game changers. Organizers of the top tech and investor networking events in the region.
Why is it important to make connections between business leaders of all stripes – CEOs, VCs and angels – to early stage companies?
Not just for early stage companies, but all businesses of all sizes, the old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know," still applies very relevantly. People want to do business with people. Early stage companies, in particular, have many needs: capital, talent, customers, vendors, partners, product development, marketing, etc. and having a large and deep network gives an entrepreneur a huge advantage in the marketplace, for obvious reasons. There is a proven correlation between the size and quality of one's network, and one's overall success — in entrepreneurship and most endeavors.
What is the secret sauce that makes CONNECTpreneur a top tech networking event in the region?
It's our ability to attract the region's top entrepreneurs, investors, innovators and game changers. We pride ourselves on organizing the top tech and investor networking events in Montgomery County and the Washington region as a whole. We think that is the reason that over 70% of our surveyed attendees rate CONNECTpreneur as the "number one" tech and networking event in the Mid-Atlantic region is because of the high quality and seniority of our attendees, which is unprecedented. Over 20% of our attendees are accredited angel investors or VCs, over half are CEOs and founders, and we intentionally keep the ratio of service providers as low as possible. This makes for more meaningful connectivity among the participants.
How does CONNECTpreneur support female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color?
CONNECTpreneur is very intentional about providing a diverse set of presenters and speakers in our programming. Our community of entrepreneurs and investors is highly diverse, and our selection committee is very tuned in to the benefits of gender and cultural diversity. We actively work with and partner with local, regional, and national players who share our values of "double bottom line" ethics which value social impact as well as financial gain. Some of our partners include Maryland Tech Council, TEDCO, Startup Grind, Founder Institute, Halcyon and Conscious Venture Labs to name a few.
Why is Montgomery County a good location for an innovative startup company? And, what’s your best advice for success?
Montgomery County is a top tier County nationally for startups, and that's evidenced by numerous awesome success stories. MoCo has a tremendously educated talent base, world class government institutions, top schools, and a large base of angel and high net worth private investors who can provide seed funding. The best advice for success is to understand thoroughly your customer and their needs and pain points very deeply. That way you can get to "product market fit" more quickly, de-risk your opportunity, and be more capital efficient. Too many companies get enamored with their product and design, or culture, or getting media coverage whereas the true essence of any successful business is to provide excellent products and solutions to its customers and sell into their markets like crazy.
What are some unique characteristics of an early stage company that spark your interest to extend an invite to participate in the forum?
We are looking for presenting companies which have truly disruptive ideas, products and/or solutions which could be sold into huge markets. And of course, the most important criteria are the quality, expertise, and coachability of the founding team. We have had presenters from all kinds of sectors including life sciences, cyber, telecom, blockchain, wireless, mobility, e-commerce, marketplaces, fintech, medical devices, IoT, etc.