Caught up in the whirlwind of start-up life in San Francisco, it’s easy to forget that not every city in the US is a tech hub. My trip to Washington DC last week was a pleasant reminder that policy makers are also working hard to ensure that the tech industry continues to thrive.
1 Minute Pitch at mHealth Summit 2014 Venture+ Forum
First stop in DC was at the mHealth Summit, where I gave a 60 second pitch of our healthcare solution in the Venture+ Forum Pitch Competition.
Social Code was amongst 22 passionate entrepreneurs at the cutting edge of mobile health. It was such an honor to be among these exciting health start-ups! The best part of the event was meeting fellow presenters as well as the members of the audience, talking all things mhealth and innovation.
Congratulations to Prima-Temp who was chosen by the judges as the winner of the Venture+ Forum Pitch Competition!
Mobile Future, AHIP and Being Camera Shy
Thanks to the team at Mobile Future, the three winners of this year’s Mobileys Awards received a VIP welcome in DC. Our app, Code Blue was the winner, followed by First Derm in second place and Volunteer Mark in third place. We were kindly chauffered around town, to meet with the country’s leaders in mobile and communications policy.
We first met with lawyers from Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP to discuss matters relating to data privacy and security and telecommunications. We then visited the AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans), to meet with Rahul Dubey, Managing Director of Innovation and Solutions.
It was then a quick stop at the Mobile Future office to film an interview for an upcoming video on the Mobileys winners. The thought of watching myself on video makes me cringe, so I can’t say I am looking forward to seeing the final product! I’m sure the production team will do a great job though, so we will be sharing the video on social media once it’s published.
Mobileys Awards Party
We are delighted to be crowned the winner of the Mobileys Awards. Our winning app, Code Blue, seems to have struck a chord with the mobile health community, and we look forward to launching the app in early 2015! Thank you again to Mobile Future and this year’s judges.
The awards ceremony was also a fun holiday party for Mobile Future. With great food, funky venue and wonderful company, I had a great time chatting to DC’s mobile and media community.
The White House and Meeting Commissioner Pai
The next morning we headed straight to the White House to meet with the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Going through the security check points and walking through the historical buildings was an experience in itself. I’m sure I’ll still be talking about it for many years to come.
Another highlight of the day was meeting Commissioner Ajit Pai of the FCC. He was extremely friendly and was eager to hear about each of our projects.
Regulatory Affairs at Samsung, AT&T and Verizon
I also met with leading telecom companies to talk about Code Blue and how it utilizes mobile technology to help young people in distress. The teams based in DC for Samsung, AT&T and Verizon are focused on regulatory affairs, working closely with policy makers.
Back to Hoodies and Sneakers
And here I am, back home in San Francisco, with my high heels (and down jacket) back in storage. As you can see, my week in DC was incredibly exciting. Whilst Silicon Valley is THE place to connect with innovators, entrepreneurs and seasoned tech investors, I’ve learned that DC is another important city for young companies. In DC, you meet people who are viewing the tech industry with a broader perspective. They seemed excited to see our mobile health solutions – proof that their hard work in enabling mobile innovation to flourish is working.
