Last week Scott Kirsner sent me an email reminding me that June is Innovation Month in New England and suggested that I write a post about it. I found that slogan a bit tough because I hope that we can innovate all year long :)
But I do appreicate the spirit and intention behind this effort.
As Scott points out in his post:
Why designate June as Innovation Month in New England?
“Great events happen here throughout the year, but June is especially jam-packed … and putting the focus on one month, we hope, will encourage people who don’t normally get out and mix it up to do just that. Learn about an emerging field, make new connections, share some advice with a young entrepreneur, or find your next job.”
Scott also lists a ton of events happening in Boston this month. You should absolutely check it out.
I’ll mention a few additional things that I’m directly involved with:
1. Right now there is a bill pending in the State’s House of Representatives that would create substantial restrictions on the use of employee non-compete agreements. I am completely opposed to employee non compete agreements (except as part of a M&A transaction). I am not a politician but I believe in fairness and right now we do not have a fair situation. Essentially employees in our state have less rights than those in other states like California. And our courts enforce these things big time as opposed to states like NY. That’s not right.
I encourage you to write your local elected official and tell them that you want to end employee non-compete agreements. I don’t believe the local version goes far enough but I am hoping it can improve and this is merely a start.
2. TechStars. This year marks the second year of TechStars Cambridge. This Tuesday is investor “Demo Night” and each startup will publicly share their product & plans with angel investors and VCs. I’m told that ~300 people will attend. It’s an exciting day after months of hard work. I always gets chills at YC Demo Day and TechStars Demo Day. It’s wonderful to see these passionate founders in action.
They say that June and the summer months are slow months in the VC business. I have been an investor for 5 years and we have never taken the summer off. In fact, I’m guessing we are going to make a few investments each month through the summer – maybe more.
So let’s enjoy the gorgeous summer weather and fully appreciate your weekends, but during the week, let’s kill it.