Having a one week break before the beginning of Spring semester is nice. Visiting DC during this break with friends is super cool. But the best part is attending a Techy networking event in DC while you are on break. That is what I did two weeks ago. It was the best way to kill two birds with one stone, visiting US’s capital and discovering DC’s tech scene. So before my journey I simply googled “DC”+”networking event” and in 3 more clicks I found TeckCocktail’s event. I booked my ticket, printed it and I was ready to go.

A new adventure for Frenchie :)

Of course the location of the bar(Slaviya) where the TechCocktail took place was not in my tiny tourist map. But I found it without difficulty after a 40 minute walk from the subway station. It was a nice and classy bar with demo tables all around it. I was there in advance but it became crowded quickly. It was time to meet people :) .

I was impressed to see how simple it was to meet people. I had no reason to feel uncomfortable, because people were so welcoming. You just have to take the first step and you can meet interesting people easily. It was a good opportunity to see that DC is not only a government city but also an entrepreneurial city with many good ideas.

I do not know if it is what we call the “American Dream”, but after this event I felt that everything is possible, you can a great idea and build it, and there is a community who can help you by giving you some advice and sharing their experiences.

The French tech scene is in expansion, and unfortunately I am not studing in a big city in France, but I hope we have events like TechCocktail to meet other entrepreneurs and demo products.

In my opinion it is the perfect place to be as a student. This kind of event helps you to develop your own entrepreneurial fiber and give you a showcase of what is going on around you. If you are a computer science major like me, that will broaden your mind on where you would like to work. Forget giants companies, your local tech scene has so much to offer ;)

Unfortunately good things come to an end; it was time for me to leave and go back to Minnesota for school. I will for sure attend another TechCocktail if I have the opportunity again.

PS : I add a new geek shirt to my collection :)

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Special Thanks to Kirsten Pertersen (St. Olaf 2011) who helped me with my english grammar