Startup DC

The Washington Post has run an article today about a young entreprenuer that is in the game to help college students keep on track. The entrepreneurs name is Fahad Hassan, a 21 year old from Maryland. The name of his company is daylert, and from what I have gathered so far is that the site is specialized for college students that are trying to keep there lives in order. I really love the concept behind this idea and it seems like its something that Blackboard (a key player in online classroom management software) will either take note of or gobble up for the right price eventually.

Either way, Hassan has quite a ride in front of him and we wish him the best of luck in this area!

WorthPoint, which was started in January of 2007 just reached a major milestone, their 2 millionth page view.  Like any great startup, your company needs to boil down to solving one simple problem, and solve it well.  The problem WorthPoint plans to answer is “how much is this stuff I have been collecting really worth?”.  The company seems to be in close ties with George Mason University, according to this article on the George Mason web site, WorthPoint donated over $250,000 dollars worth of art, common stock and cash to the school.  Dr. Klimoski, Dean of the George Mason University School of Management also sits on the Board of Advisors for this year old company.  Its great to see young companies working so closely with our area schools.  I feel we live in an area with such entrepreneurial spirits, but no training to learn how to properly utilize our entrepreneurial energy.  George Mason has done their fair share in recent years to help train our areas citizens on properly starting a company.

WorthPoint seems to be growing fast, bring with it (at the time of this writing) at least 8 open positions in the private sector to the Reston area (not that I am sick of this area only being filled with government contracting positions).

Based in Bethesda, Honesty Online has a laser like focus on a single issue facing online identities; how can we be sure you are honest about your identity. Their main focus at this point seems to be in the online dating area, with a secondary focus on social networking. This is a very interesting solution to the common belief (I only wish I could call it a common misconception) that the internet and dating sites are filled with creeps that are out to steal identities, or worse.

This is an interesting company to watch in the DC startup scene. Despite all the talk about “recession” and a sour economy, they seem to still be recruiting new talent through the Washington DC Craigslist jobs board.

HolaNeighbor.com, a Web site that allows communities of neighbors to connect with each other, has planned, built and deployed a complete and fully-functional product in only 54 hours. Executed by a group of seventy, many of which had just met on the first night of the event, this initiative unites tech and business talent across the DC-metro area in a way never attempted on such a scale.

In addition to connecting neighbors with each other, HolaNeighbor.com allows for communities to exchange information, share upcoming events, request services, and provide insights into the current state of the community, such as crime reports and neighborhood watch.

Helm Technology Solutions (Helm) is a Virginia-based limited-liability corporation founded to provide a solution to a common problem in the association and non-profit industry; How can small-to-medium sized associations and non-profit organizations afford the same quality technology consulting services that large organizations and private-sector corporations use while staying within the reach of a limited budget.