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Dear Chutze Chou,
The organization surveyed more than 1500 business leaders in late May and early June and only about 1 in 5 business leaders (19 percent) say they are optimistic about the national economy for the year ahead. This is down from 75 percent a year ago and represents the lowest percentage recorded in the 12 years of the survey. The global economic outlook is even worse with only 9 percent expressing optimism.
This undoubtedly reflects pricing pressures, boosted interest rates, supply chain and hiring issues. The cost of doing business is on the rise.
Last week I attended a small group discussion in Boston where various entrepreneurs, investors and local media discussed the local business status quo. What will draw business here? Or retain workers from the plethora of local colleges and universities - around 100 if you look regionally.
It was the usual range of topics: housing costs, transportation, nightlife, and weather. (Another recent study said you need to earn more than $180,000/year to afford to own an average house in Boston.) That was enough to give optimism a kick in the teeth.
So where is the enthusiasm and optimism? According to the JPM Chase survey, business leaders continue to feel optimistic about their own companies and their chances for growth and (less so) profitability.
It's all about control. What are things you can do something about? Where can you shift your strategies? Expand into a new market? Introduce a new product? Make a new connection or partnership?
What's YOUR plan for the second half of the year?
Bobbie & the MIN Team |
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LIONESS MAGAZINE: GREAT ARTICLES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
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Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Lioness gives entrepreneurs the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. Here are just a few of this week's features:
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Are you running events of interest to startups and entrepreneurs in the Boston area? Submit your events to the Mass Innovation Nights community calendar! For years we have been promoting local events to the community and now we have a better way to collect the information from you! Just fill out the form on our website, and we'll add your event to the community calendar on our website, and in our weekly newsletter! |
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Own Your Numbers: Create Financial Projections & Show Traction for Funding - July 12, 10:00 am
We get it. Numbers are not everyone’s fave. As much as you may not want to hear this, it’s crucial for you, the founder, to have a good understanding of your financials and be able to tell an enticing story of your business to get investors onboard. Join our ‘Own Your Numbers’ interactive bootcamp to create your financial projections for investment, and to learn about how to gain & show traction of your (pre-revenue) startup. Find out more and register here. |
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES |
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Tuesday July 5 Wednesday July 6 Thursday July 7 Friday July 8
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
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TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition TiE Boston Women are calling for Female Founders in the New England Area to apply for the TiE Boston Women Pitch Competition. Finalists will receive high-touch training in key areas of pitch readiness, prize money, and more. Applications are due TODAY, July 5. More information here. |
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Northstar Campus Grants and Pitch Day Competition UMLRI’s Northstar Campus Pitch Day returns for its 3d year to showcase some of the Boston startup ecosystem's most exciting, innovative and cutting-edge technology. This year’s first of two Pitch Day events will be taking place August 11th, 2022 at the Northstar Campus. The Northstar Campus goal is to remove barriers to engagement and accelerate defense innovation, serving as the center of gravity for the New England startup and venture communities, academia, and local and federal partners, to support the Department of Defense. Application deadline is August 4. More information here. |
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Looking for more featured accelerator information, pitch contests, design contests, funding sources, or other resources for local entrepreneurs? Head over to our blog page for an updated listing of the latest events and resources from organizations like:
- Techstars Boston Accelerator
- Techstars Crypto Boston
- The SCORE Northeast MA Women’s Business Summit
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU |
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We're hiring! Our group (5 companies - Carlton PR & Marketing, Innovation Nights, Innovation Women, My Speaker Leads and Lioness Magazines) has several positions open. Check out our careers page.
Learn more or send us a resume. Let's talk! (We are a flexible operation with a combination of full and part-time remote positions.) |
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MASS INNOVATION NIGHTS SOLUTION PARTNERS |
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JOIN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AMPLIFICATION PROGRAM TODAY |
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Have you joined our "gaggle" yet? MIN alum GaggleAMP helps us manage our social media amplification program. We send members content to share about startups, events and the innovation community. You choose what to share through your social networks. Join us! It's a great way to support the local community and get great content to share. Become a MINion too! |
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CONNECT WITH US
MASS INNOVATION NIGHTS |
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| June is EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MONTH |
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This month, we're sharing a series of tips to hone your communication skills. |
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Keep Your Message PRACTICAL |
There are four basic aspects of effective communication. The first is to keep your message practical.
Two things to consider when assessing your public speaking skills and presentations:
- Do you provide tangible takeaways that include realistic, timely goals?
- Are you offering advice/messaging that fits the audience? (Including expert vs. novice)
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Innovation Women offers practical first steps to take if you are interested in pursuing a career in public speaking.
This article reviews "Seven Questions to Ask Yourself" before you begin public speaking. This article provides insight for those just getting started. (Public speaking is for everyone, not just C-level executives.)
Beyond free articles like this, we offer a wide array of classes, small group sessions, and recorded material (asynchronous learning). Our members have access to even more. |
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Effective Communication Also Involves Being: |
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OUR SPEAKERS GET ACCESS TO EVEN MORE EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL |
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| By joining Innovation Women, you get access to resources beyond what you see on the external site. Our (new) Green Room keeps Knowledge Session recordings and articles in one convenient location on the platform. There are even more in-depth materials for choosing presentation format and getting started with public speaking. |
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| The Innovation Women platform was designed to archive all of your speaker materials, from your speaker biography to the abstracts of your signature talks, and attract event managers who invite you to speak. In addition, you can also browse our exclusive database of speakers yourself. Who do you want to share the stage with? |
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| Our Kickstart Cohort Program is a four-hour program spread out over a month. This program offers you a place to test your message, hone your brand and get feedback on your signature talk. Make sure your message makes sense in a room full of speaker friends. Next class starts September 7. |
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Visibility = Opportunity Visibility Bureau for Technical, Entrepreneurial & Professional Women. |
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Innovation Women Newsletter #356 May 27, 2022 |
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Hi, just a reminder that you receive this email because you are a member of the InnovationWomen.com community. Maybe it was a BrightTALK webinar. Maybe you signed up on our website. Add info@innovationwomen.com to your address book so we land in your inbox! No longer want to learn more about public speaking and/or get our sweet list of opportunities? Unsubscribe at the bottom. |
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THE GREEN ROOM IS OPEN - WELCOME SPEAKERS |
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Ta-da! Welcome to our new Green Room - a special place just for speakers! We've stocked it liberally with comfy sofas, hot tea with lemon and honey, and a 24-hour concierge who will cater to your every whim.
Not really.
The Innovation Women Green Room IS stocked with useful and educational content. We have articles. We have videos. We're sharing videos and articles like these:
- How to get started with public speaking
- How to build your signature talk
- How to build your speaker toolkit
- Exclusive content - backstage Q&A with event managers
- Getting paid to speak and How much should I charge
And we'll be adding more every week.
If you want to up your speaking game, or are just getting starting, we're here for you. Join us today! (We'll be hanging out in the Green Room during our weekly Zoom call. Join us for a tour.)
Join us today at 9:00 am Eastern for our weekly Friday Zoom. And, then join us on Clubhouse, today and every Friday at 3:00 pm Eastern.
Bobbie and the Innovation Women team
P.S. No one really knows why the backstage waiting room for speakers is called a "green room". (Although I have read all kinds of wild theories.) |
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NOW BOOKING JUNE KICKSTART COHORTS |
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Want to make the most of your Innovation Women membership and turbo-charge your speaking career? Join one of our Kickstart Cohorts! These 4-week programs are a great way to get started. You get:
- Live, small group guidance on maximizing your IW membership.
- Help increasing your speaker presence to gain more visibility and clinch speaking gigs.
- Recorded tutorials and bonus information in an email after every meeting.
- Book now for June. Our next cohorts for individuals will start in September.
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How to Use Discovery to Maximize Sales - Featuring Diane Helbig, June 1, 2022, 12-1 pm ET Sales is not about selling. Rather it is about learning. In this webinar we explore the importance of discovery as well as how to use it throughout the sales process. Getting out of sales mode and into curious mode is essential for business growth. Face it - no one likes a salesperson. However, everyone likes the person who is genuinely interested in learning about them, their successes, their challenges, their needs. Register here! |
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LIONESS MAGAZINE FEATURES |
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Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Get the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. This week you can read great articles like:
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED BOOK |
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If you’re an entrepreneur who isn’t trapped by an official company policy, you have the power to design your parental leave your way. Turn to “The Expecting Entrepreneur: A Guide to Parental Leave Planning for Self Employed Business Owners” to ensure that your plan is flawless. Arianna Taboada, author and founder of The Expecting Entrepreneur, is an expert in parental leave. Her book guides business owners to prepare for parenthood and keep their businesses from languishing in the background. Read the feature on Lioness! |
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Every week our speakers get brand new opportunities and there are even more on our website - more than 60 this week! Below are some of the NEW opportunities:
- American Chiropractic Association Engage 2023 January 25-28, 2023 Washington, D.C. Deadline 6/13/2022 - Alternative Medicine
- 2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting March 2-5, 2023 Washington, D.C., and Online Deadline 6/16/2022 - Information Technology and Services
- Special Event 2023 March 27–30, 2023 Orlando, FL Deadline 7/31/2022 - Events Services
- 2022 Drury University Nonprofit Leadership Conference 10/14/2022 Springfield, MO Deadline 7/15/2022 - Nonprofit Organization Management
- American Physiological Summit 2023 April 20-23, 2023 Long Beach, CA Deadline 6/3/2022 - Medical Practice
Become a Speaker - get opportunities like these, a profile on our site and more for only $100/year! |
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EVENTS & OTHER OPPORTUNITIES |
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The NFT Street Fair - May 28 The NFT Street Fair will bring together NFT artists, collectors, investors, brands, influencers, project founders and enthusiasts building the NFT, Blockchain, Crypto, Metaverse and next evolution of Web 3.0. More information here. |
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Also, check out events like these:
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ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES |
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FORGE, the nonprofit that helps bridge the gap between startups and manufacturing, announced the opening of a new grant for cleantech startups with female and non-binary leadership. The latest edition of the FORGE Product Development Grant program will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 in late June. The application deadline is June 3, 2022. More information here. |
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IFundWomen Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 IFundWomen Entrepreneur of the Year is their biggest annual funding program that rewards and celebrates extraordinary women entrepreneurs who have proven product-market fit, driven growth, and demonstrated a meaningful impact through their businesses. Through this one-of-a-kind funding program, qualified entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to win a $100,000 equity investment, access to premium educational resources, and cash grants! Applications due June 8. More information here. |
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Comcast RISE Comcast RISE was created to invest in the success of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Asian American, and woman-owned businesses by providing valuable and practical support. 42% of businesses in the U.S. are owned by women, with more than 1,800 new businesses being started every day. That’s nearly five times the national average. Comcast RISE will distribute 500 grants totaling $5 million. Applications due June 17. More information here. |
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Dear Innovator,
Kudos to the Startup Boston Week team for committing to a hybrid 2022 Startup Week!
September 19th - 23rd, SBW2022 is hosting more than 80 sessions and 250+ speakers and has said there will be both in-person and online options.
Hybrid (with the option to be there in person or remotely) is the way to go. It allows everyone to participate whether they are comfortable in-person or still limiting in-person interaction.
While registration has already started ( RSVP now), the event won't take place until the fall and who knows what we will be dealing with then.
But hybrid and online events options are about more than dealing with the latest plague - did someone say Monkeypox?
Not everyone can afford to take a few hours off to travel into Boston. Not everyone has access to transportation to get them there. Not everyone can cope with crowds, public transportation, and whatever else you have to manage to get to an in-person event. Online events and hybrid events allow us to be even more inclusive in the Boston Innovation and Startup ecosystem.
Thanks, Startup Boston Week!
Bobbie & the MIN Team |
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LIONESS MAGAZINE: GREAT ARTICLES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
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Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Lioness gives entrepreneurs the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. Here are just a few of this week's features:
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Are you running events of interest to startups and entrepreneurs in the Boston area? Submit your events to the Mass Innovation Nights community calendar! For years we have been promoting local events to the community and now we have a better way to collect the information from you! Just fill out the form on our website, and we'll add your event to the community calendar on our website, and in our weekly newsletter! |
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Entrepreneurship Is for You: A Conversation with Entrepreneur Danny Warshay - May 23, 5:30 pm ET
Join Innovation Studio for an evening conversation with entrepreneur, Brown professor, and author Danny Warshay moderated by Dan Gertrudes. Warshay will discuss his latest book SEE, SOLVE, SCALE, a proven and paradigm-shifting method to unlocking the power of entrepreneurship. Find out more and register here. |
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES |
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Monday May 23 Tuesday May 24 Wednesday May 25 Thursday May 26 Friday May 27
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
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FORGE, the nonprofit that helps bridge the gap between startups and manufacturing, announced the opening of a new grant for cleantech startups with female and non-binary leadership. The latest edition of the FORGE Product Development Grant program will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 in late June. The application deadline is June 3, 2022. More information here. |
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Looking for more featured accelerator information, pitch contests, design contests, funding sources, or other resources for local entrepreneurs? Head over to our blog page for an updated listing of the latest events and resources from organizations like:
- The InnovateMass program
- TECHSPO Boston
- The 10G Challenge
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU |
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We're hiring! Our group (5 companies - Carlton PR & Marketing, Innovation Nights, Innovation Women, My Speaker Leads and Lioness Magazines) has several positions open. Check out our careers page.
Learn more or send us a resume. Let's talk! (We are a flexible operation with a combination of full and part-time remote positions.) |
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MASS INNOVATION NIGHTS SOLUTION PARTNERS |
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Click here to share this newsletter! |
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Dear Innovator,
We're less than a month away from the next Maine Innovation Nights (see below for details), and we're looking into potential events for the Mass Innovation Nights community. We've also started to get out and about, in a limited fashion.
A few suggestions for in-person events, both for attendees and organizers. Remember, super-spreader is a bad look for anyone. This first batch is for organizers:
- Require vaccinations or testing. Check at the door. No waving anyone through. Use some of the great tools out there to collect vaccination verification. Be the hard a** and help the entire community stay safe.
- Hybrid allows people to participate even if they can't attend in person. Make sure you have a producer in charge of the online experience. This isn't a set it and forget it kind of thing.
- Some attendees are still nervous - help them out and be the example. Hand sanitizer readily available. Demonstrate the "wing bump" or whatever handshaking replacement you want to advocate for.
- Warmer weather is coming and there are a lot of great outdoor locations for events.
Event attendees? These are for you: - It may still be ingrained on your soul but remind yourself that there are handshake alternatives. Wave hello. Tip your hat. Tap your feet. Bow. Whatever works for you. I'm thinking that with the return of Netflix's Bridgerton, maybe curtseys will make a return appearance.
- Bring the vaccine card or whatever other evidence you need to reassure the event organizers. And your co-attendees.
- Don't feel so hot? Stay home. Seriously. I get COVID, the flu or a cold from you, I'll be coming for you. I've spent the last two years without a respiratory illness; can we keep it up?
- Be kind. No comments. If someone's wearing a mask or not coming in for the group hug, that's their right and they've got their reasons...which are none of your business.
Bobbie & the MIN Team |
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LIONESS MAGAZINE: GREAT ARTICLES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
|
Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Lioness gives entrepreneurs the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. Here are just a few of this week's features: |
|
Are you running events of interest to startups and entrepreneurs in the Boston area? Submit your events to the Mass Innovation Nights community calendar! For years we have been promoting local events to the community and now we have a better way to collect the information from you! Just fill out the form on our website, and we'll add your event to the community calendar on our website, and in our weekly newsletter! |
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MassTLC Virtual Career Fair - March 29, 4:00 pm ET
Looking for a job? MassTLC can help! Join their March 29th virtual career fair and meet with great companies such as NETSCOUT, Blinkforhome, Centric Consulting, InterSystems, Rapid7, Zipcar, and more. Find out more and register here. |
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES |
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Monday March 28 Tuesday March 29 Wednesday March 30 Thursday March 31 Friday April 1
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Are you a new or existing Maine business owner launching a new product or service? UpStart Maine Innovation Nights is coming up on April 26th at the Maine Challenger Center in Bangor and online! Apply to be a presenter here. |
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
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IMPACT from M2D2 is a 12-week accelerator program that uses a unique 1:1 approach and is created to connect startups with resources needed for commercialization. Selected companies will have the opportunity to engage with sponsors' specialized research calls to help advance their business. Application deadline extended to March 29. More information here. |
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Looking for more featured accelerator information, pitch contests, design contests, funding sources, or other resources for local entrepreneurs? Head over to our blog page for an updated listing of the latest events and resources from organizations like:
- MIT Hacking Medicine Grand Hack
- Boehringer Ingelheim’s Boston Innovation Prize
- 2022 Emerge MA Candidate and Campaign Manager Training
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU |
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We're hiring! Our group (5 companies - Carlton PR & Marketing, Innovation Nights, Innovation Women, My Speaker Leads and Lioness Magazines) has several positions open. Check out our careers page.
- Media relations
- Sales
- Social media marketing
- Interns
Learn more or send us a resume. Let's talk! (We are a flexible operation with a combination of full and part-time remote positions.) |
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March 14, 2022 |
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Click here to share this newsletter! |
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Dear Innovator,
Thirteen years ago, we started the run up to the first Mass Innovation Nights event. (Our official 13th anniversary will be in April.) We signed up for @MassInno on Twitter and started to connect with what would be our community. Over the years we did a lot of tweeting, and connecting!
Two years ago, we all abruptly went home to work. The Mass Innovation Nights event at Brandeis in March 2020 quickly became a virtual event. Not much of a run up. Not much of a plan but we had a great virtual event, one of many over the pandemic.
The next Innovation Nights event will be Maine Innovation Nights, April 26, 2022 in Bangor, Maine. You'll also be able to attend virtually. See below for more details.
Bobbie & the MIN Team |
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LIONESS MAGAZINE: GREAT ARTICLES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
|
Lioness for the Female Entrepreneur is our digital magazine for women who are starting (or thinking about starting) companies. Lioness gives entrepreneurs the latest news, tools and resources to launch and scale startups. Here are just a few of this week's features: |
|
Are you running events of interest to startups and entrepreneurs in the Boston area? Submit your events to the Mass Innovation Nights community calendar! For years we have been promoting local events to the community and now we have a better way to collect the information from you! Just fill out the form on our website, and we'll add your event to the community calendar on our website, and in our weekly newsletter! |
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Connected Things: Living on the Edge (#CT22Edge) - March 21, 10:00 am ET
The Connected Things Conference has always fostered connection, enabling the stakeholders in our ecosystem —technology executives, seasoned and early-stage entrepreneurs, investors, and members of the IoT ecosystem —to network and develop valuable business relationships and learn about new initiatives from leaders at IoT startups and established industry players. Find out more and register here. |
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES |
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Monday March 14 Tuesday March 15 Wednesday March 16 Thursday March 17 Friday March 18
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Are you a new or existing Maine business owner launching a new product or service? UpStart Maine Innovation Nights is coming up on April 26th at the Maine Challenger Center in Bangor and online! Apply to be a presenter here. |
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENTREPRENEURS |
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