Just over a month ago, ARLnow held a discussion about Arlington’s tech industry, in what is perhaps the epicenter of the county’s tech scene: Crystal City.
The event, sponsored by Vornado and the Crystal City BID, featured host Sarah Fraser and the following local innovators.
- Viyas Sundaram, SVP of Sales for Snagajob
- Allison Phillips, D.C. General Manager of Shift Technologies
- Geoff Orazem, Co-Founder of Eastern Foundry
- Dominick Fuccillio, VP of Finance for Distil Networks
- Shavanna Miller, Founder of Bloompop
Above is the video from the event, courtesy of Arlington Independent Media.
So what did we learn? Here are just a few of the questions and answers.
Tell us a bit about your company.
Phillips: “Shift is a two-year-old startup that makes car resale easier. We handle all the paperwork, and take the stress out of it.”
Why do your companies choose Arlington?
Sundaram: “For us Arlington was a natural choice. Arlington offered a large residential piece and retail… [for] our employees who live nearby. It worked out geographically.”
What are some of the best opportunities for local tech?
Sundaram: “I think that there are a lot of high-tech companies but also lots of startups, so we get a balanced ecosystem. We are also in the D.C. area, this area has access to lots of political conversation.
What is your company working on right now?
Orazem: “We are creating a forum for people to ask questions about government cuts and revenue.”
You have offices all over the world, how do you keep everyone on the same page?
Fuccillo: “Big business problems in a small business is never good, we have to have really good communication. Webinar-based meetings with webcams definitely helps us connect a little bit better.”
Quotes compiled by Justin Funkhouser