Very cool - I was about to post that I wish this directory existed when I was living in DC. Glad to have something similar now that I'm living in Raleigh!
As a DC area coder interested in startups, I thought I would map this to see where the hot spots are. I was not surprised to learn that there were several along the Dulles Toll road, but I didn't know that downtown DC was a favorite.
I followed the links to each startup's site. If they didn't provide an address on the site, I checked their whois. If that was private, then I didn't add them to the map. So there are definitely a few that didn't make the cut because they're being extra stealthy.
We have 3 meetup pages, a Facebook page and a Google group listed. Anyone care to consolidate?
We're working on setting up a public website for Hackers and Founders Silicon Valley and link to all these meetup groups. If you guys can update your info, that would be awesome.
The two meetup groups are actually the same. (Changed/simplified the web address a while back.) I updated with contact information and a better description.
The Facebook group and Google group still need updating.
I've been really struggling to find something for me in the DC area. I spent a few years at a contractor job... after trying, and failing to launch my own startup, I'm back with another contractor, and it just isn't for me.
I've been struggling with the desire to stay with family and my SO in the area, and the apparent need to move to CA if I really want to be part of the startup community. It's a really tough decision I've been trying to avoid making. I've tried looking on "conventional" job boards like Monster and on more niche ones like 37signals, and only got a few hits, none of which worked out.
Anything that gets me in touch with more startups, especially ones that are hiring, is gold.
Primarily do rails and ruby development. In working on my failed startup, I wound up doing a lot of stuff on some level, from backend ruby stuff where I did nearly all of the work, to JS on the front end (and lots in between). My SO helped me a lot on the front end with CSS, graphics, layout, and general design... and is in about the same job situation as me.
My company has an opening also, it's still a company, but I need someone I can work with to do rapid prototypes, very entrepreneurial environment. Let me know if that's something you're interested in.
Great site! Thanks for putting it together. It's great to have one common site for all of this information.
Something I've been looking for but didn't see either on the site or the wiki was a list of local legal/accounting resources for startups. Can anyone recommend good DC people/firms that are familiar with the tech scene and can help with things like incorporating, trademark/IP issues, etc.?
This is an awesome site that I am proud to have helped with.
There is also a community-edited wiki that will be an ongoing resource and feeder system for the ProudlyMadeInDC.com site at http://dcstartupwiki.com. Please update this with any relevant info on companies, people, events, resources, etc.
I've lived in the District for years and was oblivious to half of this activity. I really love the new site and hope this will encourage others--like myself--to step out of the garage and into the community.
This is really great. Where have all these companies been? I've been in DC for almost 3 months now and I was preparing to move to SV because the startup community seemed non-existent and I hate working in a void. If I can find a startup that has a desk to rent so I can focus on my own project, or at least an enjoyable part-time gig, I might stick around.
This is precisely one reason why this site was built. To make sure people both inside and outside of the DC area knew of the entrepreneurial activity going on here and to encourage participation in the community.
That might work. Shoot me an email and I'll fill you in.
It's basically creating and maintaining internal applications for a small-medium sized company. Some examples of the type of work are automating product ordering, automating sales lead generation, automating billing, and lots of web development too.
It's mostly in Python right now, but they just want a good person and are OK if he/she learns Python on the job.
From talking to the founders of some of the biggest local startups, most seem to prefer recruiting in the DC region though it remains a challenge to find the right people. I've heard from a few people that hires in DC are much more "loyal" than they are in the valley and there is much less turnover.
One of the main advantages DC has is there is a huge supply of engineers and developers working for major defense and government contractors just waiting to be poached by a hot new startup.
Like it or not, many of the government contractors are in pretty stable multi-year contracts and are making north of 100-150k. Unless they have their finances in excellent condition, many of them can't afford to join a startup part time.
Though almost everyone is looking for side projects and something interesting to do in their spare time, so recruiting someone for 10-20 hrs/week is relatively easy.
I just moved out of the DC area, but it is probably one of the fastest growing areas for startups in the country.
There is a whole bunch of technical talent there working for the government and military, but a lot are getting bored with the work. However, I didn't know the community was this organized, and it's good to see them trying to collectively make their names heard.
DC Week was a big eye opener for me. I thought that DC was mostly govies, it was great to see so many startups.
ProudlyMade is awesome. Cannot wait to add a tag to the footer of my site.
I think it's helpful in these areas for startups to see who is around and create a community.