First Look Forum: Why Bellingham?

Why Have First Look Forum in Bellingham?

First Look Forum was originally created by the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN) and has been an essential part of the Seattle startup ecosystem for nearly a decade. The original

CC image courtesy of Josh Parrish on Flickr

intent was to bring entrepreneurs from the entire Pacific Northwest to compete, collaborate, learn and grow in Seattle.

Now that First Look Forum is run and operated by the WTIA, we wanted to bring this successful program to other parts of the state where there is already a strong startup ecosystem in place.

By chance, the team at NW Innovation Resource Center (NWIRC) in Bellingham reached out to us last year for help in mentoring some of their startups. While we were visiting Bellingham, we met with the Mayor, the president of WCC, the Dean of Engineering at WWU, and several board members at TAG. It became clear that Bellingham had a really strong community and a that there was a need for ways to spotlight the region as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. Thus, WTIA began exploring how we could be of value as a partner organization and bring awareness to startups in the region.

As a result, we are thrilled to be co-hosting this great event with NWIRC and to sponsor the $10k grand prize. The outpouring of support and enthusiasm from the investors and support organizations in Bellingham (and Lower BC) gives WTIA a wonderful opportunity to contribute and extend this successful program beyond the borders of King County for the first time. The great State of Washington has so much to offer. We are proud to serve.

For more information and to apply, click here. Deadline for applications is October 18th. *The only disqualification is that the applicant has not officially presented to a full Angel group or Venture Group.*

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Author

Michael Schutzler
Michael Schutzler is an entrepreneur, engineer, science geek, and first generation immigrant. He is the CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA). Before joining the WTIA, Michael led the merger of Livemocha – a community of 17 million language learners – with the popular education software company Rosetta Stone. He also built Classmates.com into the first profitable social media application, transformed online marketing at Monster.com, and grew the online gaming business at RealNetworks to become a global leader. He teaches part time at the University Of Washington Foster School of Business, serves on several boards, and is an investor in Flowplay, YouSolar, Koru, Moment, 9 Mile Labs, Alliance of Angels, Keiretsu Forum, and Social Venture Partners. As a successful Internet entrepreneur, lead angel investor, and veteran executive coach, Michael has personally invested in twenty-four companies, served as coach and advisor to more than 100 executives, and has raised over $50M in private financing.
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