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CONNECT
A Weekend for Difference Makers & Disruptors
March 13-16, 2014

Join us in celebrating innovation in the Greater Pasadena area for an inaugural citywide weekend of talks, panels, hack and code events, open-houses and mixers. This is a unique opportunity to explore and learn more about the key institutions, companies and people in the vibrant tech and design ecosystem in the Northeast side of Los Angeles.

You’ll have the opportunity to connect with movers and shakers in Pasadena’s rich density of innovation and creativity, including entrepreneurs as well as the business, academic, civic and professional communities.

The CONNECT Weekend launches with a kickoff party on Thursday night and concludes with a closing event on Sunday. In between, collaborator events will showcase the inventors, scientists, and reachers that make the Greater Pasadena area a prime place for difference makers and disruptors.

CONNECT Weekend Events

TechSparks Pre-Weekend Fast Pitch & Mixer
Wednesday, March 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Get ready for CONNECT Weekend with a warm-up event sponsored by TechSparks. Fast Pitch winner will get a meeting with a local influencer AND the opportunity to give their pitch at the #GeekNight closing event.
Visit Eventbrite for more information.
CONNECT Weekend Kickoff Mixer
Thursday, March 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Join the innovators, difference-makers, and disruptors from the Greater Pasadena area and beyond for a kickoff mixer celebrating the launch of CONNECT Weekend.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration
Innovate Pasadena Friday Morning Coffee Meetup – CONNECT Weekend Edition
Friday, March 14 from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
A panel discussion on “Startups and the Crowd: Perspectives on the Future of Crowdfunding and Potential Opportunities for Entrepreneurs” and a special celebration of the weekly group reaching 500 members. Sponsored by Pasadena Convention Center, Rising Realty, and Socius Insurance Services.
Visit Meetup for details.

Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative Open House
Friday, March 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative will open the doors to its main wet lab to allow visitors to meet entrepreneurs behind innovative research happening at PBC and see science in action.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Oak Crest Institute of Science Open House
Friday, March 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Open House and informal tours of the Oak Crest working chemistry and biotech lab.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Government Business – Is It for Me & How?
Friday, March 14 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County and Sachs Management will offer a free  workshop on local tech startups partnering with government. Topics will include how to market and offer services to government agencies.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Big Ideas – Connect Weekend Edition
Friday, March 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Calling all entrepreneurs, educators and students interested in the intersection of arts, science and technology.  Have we got an event for you!  Register for the CONNECT Weekend Edition of Big Ideas for panel discussions and networking. Presented by Innovate Pasadena, OpenX and Viking Digital Media and Sponsored by Goldstar.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Future Process: Artists and Designers Reflect on Ray Eames at the Art Center College of Design
Friday, March 14 from  7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The dynamic working processes of Ray Eames inspires invited panelists–all women working in the fields of art, design, science, technology and architecture–to consider the diversity of design and its current interests, sparking a multifaceted conversation about the state of working/making/creating today.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Hack for Pasadena
Saturday, March 15 & Sunday, March 16
Hack for Pasadena is two days of open-sourced talks and hands-on problem solving, to re-imagine the way the web, applications, technology, and community participation will shape the future of the City of Pasadena. Sponsored by City of Pasadena, esri, Pasadena City College, and TW Telecom.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Rails Girls LA
Saturday, March 15 & Sunday, March 16
Free two-day Ruby on Rails workshop for women of any age with basic knowledge of working with a computer. (This event is free but registration is required)
Visit here for more info.

Cleantech Fast Pitch
Saturday, March 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Cleantech Fastpitch, hosted by Caltech’s Resnick Institute, LACI and iHUB.la will feature a two-track fast pitch event: track one for post incubation/money with four LACI teams, track two for pre-incubation student teams from FLOW. The event will conclude with a public pitch session.  Winners of each track will present their pitch at CONNECT Weekend’s closing event, #GeekNight at the Ice House on Sunday, March 18.
Visit Eventbrite for details.

FabLab Opening
Saturday, March 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Pasadena City College will showcase their Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) which will support digital fabrication, rapid prototyping, additive manufacturing and coding technologies to innovate ideas for personal use or entrepreneurial measures. Demonstrations and seminars of the technologies and signup for future training sessions. See how you can design and create your ideas in your local community and be part of a creative supportive community to launch your potential.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Digital Media Pitchfest
Saturday, March 15 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Coming up with an idea for a cool new tech or social media company is one thing. Getting investors to believe in your idea enough to give you money toward it is another thing entirely. Is your pitch refined and ready to go? Join Techsparks for a collaborative session where entrepreneurs can practice their pitch in front of a live audience. Each startup will give a 5-minute pitch, followed by 15-minutes in Q&A and feedback from mentors and advisors. Sponsored by Barney’s Beanery, Bolton & Company, Domains90210, and Morrison & Foerster.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

Innovation Mixer
Saturday, March 15 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Interact with the best and the brightest of today’s innovators, from CEO’s and founders, engineers, developers and designers. Motivated to redefine networking events, the mixer fosters an environment of authentic and fun connection with live music, where participants can interact with the innovators and talents of Pasadena. Sponsored by Barney’s Beanery, Bolton & Company, Domains90210, and Morrison & Foerster.
Visit Eventbrite for details and registration.

#GeekNight at the Ice House
Sunday, March 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Join us in wrapping up our weekend of Innovation with a night of geek fun at the Ice House! Electrical engineer turned stand-up comedian, Don McMillan will be performing, and the winners of all pitch fests and events will be featured.
Visit Eventbrite for Details

Become a Sponsor! There are several sponsorship opportunities available for our CONNECT Weekend. Please contact us at sponsor@innovatepasadena.org for details.