A TwiistUp Disappointment…
by DotNetAllDay on Jul.18, 2008, under Events / Parties, Food and Drink, Web/Tech
Two days in a row for me? Wow, I really must be a on a roll. So I went to TwiistUp 4 last night. I had a good time, but I don’t think it was worth the money. I can’t help but think I was being ripped off the entire night. $8 for a beer, $15 for parking, and $50 for my ticket. What did I get? Nothing really. A few appetizers here and there. The least they could have done was give me a couple drink tickets for my $50. I would have been a lot happier. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all bad. I enjoy a party like the best of them, but the best parties are free. They had sponsors (and I’m sure they ponied up big time), so why did they make us all pay? Sounds like a scam to me.
I did get to meet a few interesting people, and it’s always good to see some familiar faces in the socal tech scene. Sean from Orgoo, Kurt from MOTM, Tyler from Mahalo, Efren and the TechZulu guys/gals, Allen from MySpace, and of course my friends Chris and Darren.
Here are some of highlights of my night:
- Adisn – An Interesting new Ad Network
- FreshBooks – A pretty cool app (quickbooks alternative) for independent consultants
- Orgoo – A really sexy app that aggregates your communication platforms (IM, email, etc.)
Oh yeah, I did get a tasty shake from a startup. Something to do with music. I can’t quite remember. But the shake was outstanding. 
July 23rd, 2008 on 4:04 PM
I was a bit disappointed as well. I am becoming frustrated with the types of companies that are being promoted as the next generation of Southern California technology companies. TwistUp seems to be run by people who don’t understand that most companies in Southern California don’t have access to endless amounts of venture capital unlike the Bay Area. We have to be scrappy in SoCal about making money and I don’t often hear this story coming from web 2.0 companies.
July 24th, 2008 on 2:04 PM
Yeah. I just wasn’t all that impressed with the companies that showed. SoCalTech is reporting that LA is again ranked #2 (of 3) for total venture capital investment this past quarter. San Diego, although having fewer deals, came out on top with $365M. Why does it seem so difficult to get investment deals in this town?