RSVPs

Responses to event invitations
RSVPed Attending IndieWeb Summit - June 29-30, 2019 - Portland, Oregon
The ninth annual gathering for independent web creators of all kinds, graphic artists, designers, UX engineers, coders, hackers, to share ideas, create and improve their personal websites, and build upon each others creations.

I’m still working out a conflict to figure out if I’ll physically be in Portland in person, but at the very worst, I’ll definitely attend remotely. This is my favorite event of the entire year, so I definitely won’t miss it.

There are still some tickets left so RSVP now! I hope you’ll join me.

RSVPed Unable to Attend Innovate Pasadena: Amara's Secret Sauce to Stay Inspired & Passionate in Business

Fri, May 24, 2019, 8:15 AM

Hi! My name is Amara Barroeta and I’m the owner of Amara Chocolate & Coffee in Old Town Pasadena. I’m not a restaurant business guru or a famous chef, so when I was invited to be a speaker at Friday Coffee Meet Up I was very honored and excited, and without hesitation I said: ‘yes I’d love to!’ And when I started developing today’s talk I got really scared and said: what can I offer these people, some of them entrepreneurs, maybe they have been in business longer than myself, or belong to different industries? And after digging for a while and inserting the crying emoji in my keyboard several times, the answer was plain and clear: the best I can share with them is my personal story, a story of Chocolate: with lots of bitter and sweet moments, but full of satisfactions. The story of transforming my life from what it was 10 years ago back in Venezuela where I worked in media and entertainment as a journalist while finishing my degree as a chemical engineer, to owning Amara Chocolate in Pasadena’s very competitive dining environment.

Amara’s have become a destination for locals, visitors and foodies alike; we have been featured in top publications and TV shows, and have been awarded as Best dessert, Best South American Food and Best Independent Coffee House for the last 7 years by Pasadena Weekly to name a few. Thus, looking back at my journey and seeing all the challenges that I have overcome being an immigrant and starting my own business has allowed me to stay passionate for what I do, developing a clear path to continue growing, and finding spaces to give back to my community.

So, is there a secret sauce for that? Let’s find out!

Bio:
Amara Barroeta is the owner of Amara Chocolate & Coffee Cafe in Pasadena, California. Originally from Venezuela, Amara emigrated to the United States to get her MBA at UCLA in 2010. Prior to leaving Venezuela, she was crowned first runner-up in the Miss Venezuela pageant in 2002. And not long after that, she graduated from university with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a specialization in food processing. Somewhat surprisingly though, it was her experience as a beauty queen that opened up a world of opportunities, including a chance to travel the world (and most often, to Hollywood) as a television newscaster.

Amara traveled to stay in the US when she began her studies at UCLA. She didn’t know then that Los Angeles would become her new home. But increasing political unrest and corruption in her home country, as well as a deep appreciation and love for America led Amara to decide to stay permanently in the United States, where she opened and successfully runs Amara Chocolate & Coffee Cafe.

Utilizing her background in chemical engineering, her MBA, and her the bright, friendly personality that served her well in her beauty queen days, Amara spends her days happily serving coffee, food, and chocolate to her steadfast customers and getting involved with local organizations helping the Venezuelan community in SoCal and abroad. In 2017 she spoke about her experience as an immigrant on the TEDxPasadena stage. In 2018 she was invited as the host/moderator of The Refugee Forum of Los Angeles.

Instagram: @amarachocolate
Speaker email: amarabarroeta@gmail.com
#amarachocolate #amaracafe

RSVPed Attending Mike Monteiro: "Let's Destroy Silicon Valley"

ABOUT THE TALK

For the past couple of decades, the tech companies of Silicon Valley (and beyond) have run unchecked, causing havoc, destroying civil discourse, democracy, ruining personal relationships, running marketplaces of harassment and abuse, all to line their pockets. The very worst part is that they did it with our labor.

This isn’t a talk, this is a union meeting.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Mike Monteiro is a designer and co-founder of Mule Design in San Francisco. He's been talking about design responsibility and ethics since before you were ready to listen. He’s written three books, including the just-released Ruined by Design.

A small number of books will be available for sale, which Mike will be able to sign after the talk. Otherwise, buy the book on Amazon. But really, just buy it and read it beforehand. It will help make the world better.

Follow him on Twitter, despite his feelings about Twitter: @monteiro

This was the event that touched off my idea to read Ruined by Design and start an IndieWeb Book club to discuss it.

RSVPed Attending Innovate Pasadena: Open Networking

Fri, May 10, 2019, 8:15 AM

After 7 years of weekly Friday Coffee Meetups, we're changing up the format a bit! As you FCM fans know, a big part of what happens each week is the community-- the people you meet. Put on a name tag, and introduce yourself. And it's AMAZING the people you meet, isn't it? You might be talking to a rocket scientist or a real estate broker. Last week I met someone who is creating a new and improved port a potty that is less offensive/ more enjoyable and environmentally friendly! That's what brings me in each week.

And it's a little bitter-sweet sometimes when you're in the middle of a fascinating conversation, and you have to stop, sit down and listen to a fascinating speaker instead. So NOW you don't have to.

Occassionally, we'll have an Open Networking Friday to mix things up. And that's what we're doing Friday, May 10th. Same great coffee, same great people. See you there!

RSVP Rocket Fund: Introducing a Non-Equity CleanTech Fund | Innovate Pasadena | Meetup

RSVPed Attending Rocket Fund: Introducing a Non-Equity CleanTech Fund

Fri, May 3, 2019, 8:15 AM

Learn about Cal-Tech’s Rocket Fund which awards non-equity grants from $25k-75k. FLOW's Rocket Fund is a granting pool that helps academic and garage innovators turn their technologies into commercial realities through financial support and entrepreneurial education.

We will be introducing you to an opportunity for CleanTech companies to obtain non-equity funding for commercial prototyping and connecting with customers. Supported by California’s six major utilities, industry and Caltech, the Rocket Fund http://flow.caltech.edu/rocket-fund provides non-equity grants to startups to design and build their first commercial prototype and start demonstrating with potential buyers.

RSVPed Attending WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, Mar 2019: It's a Spring Clean Thing

Tue, Apr 30, 2019, 7:00 PM
WordPress Pasadena is back in beautiful Old Town Pasadena at one of the first (and finest) Co-Workin' spaces in town, CrossCampus.

Bring your curiosity, your questions, your swell attitude and lots of potatoes. J/k, just bring your smiling faces. Please read the info below as it pertains to our meetup format and FAQs.

Didn’t get enough WordPress at WordCamp Orange County this weekend? Come join us!

RSVP Innovate Pasadena: Eat, Pray, Startup: An Entrepreneur’s Global Search For Creativity & Innovation | Meetup.com

RSVPed Attending Innovate Pasadena: Eat, Pray, Startup: An Entrepreneur’s Global Search For Creativity & Innovation
Fri, Apr 26, 2019, 8:15 AM

Entrepreneurship requires creativity and innovative thinking. Yet living and working in one location can feel like being trapped in an echo chamber, thereby limiting our creative potential.

In 2018, Jennifer Chang found herself at a crossroads. She had successfully sold a startup in 2017 and chased the rising tech pay into the job market, but felt her creativity was being stifled by job descriptions. After being fired from yet another job, she decided to embark on a six month journey around the world to revitalize her creative energy. Her trip took her across 5 continents, 20 countries, 35 flights, and 45,000 miles. Throughout her journey, she met with entrepreneurs, investors, and technologists, using a shared interest in startups as a way to connect with local people, places, and cultures.

In this presentation, Jennifer will share highlights from her journey, including the unique organizations and companies she came across as she travelled the globe, looking for entrepreneurial soulmates.

RSVPed Attending Innovate Pasadena Friday Coffee Meetup: How Lack of Opportunity Fuels Entrepreneurship, a talk by Shawna Bigby Davis

Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 8:15 AM at Cross Campus Pasadena

Topic: Expiration Dates as Turning Points -or- How Lack of Opportunity Fuels Entrepreneurship

Do you have a self-imposed expiration date for your working life? When opportunities run out, what’s next?

We have come to know entrepreneurship as people finding an opportunity in the business space by creating a product or service that solves a problem in a new way. But often times it comes from something bigger, and a little more basic: the entrepreneur just doesn’t fit the mold. How glass ceilings, expiration dates, lack of opportunity, and burn-out all fuel startups.

Bio: Shawna Bigby Davis

Former agency owner, stress-junkie, autoimmune awareness vigilante Shawna is an entrepreneurial, imaginative leader with expertise in both creative and business management. As former co-founder and Executive Creative Director of a successful a creative marketing agency, Shawna has a proven track record of building businesses using a design-focused mindset. Her recent startup focuses on autoimmune disease awareness, remission and management tools.Her work has been seen and used by millions of people and cited by numerous press outlets, including AdAge, Fast Company, Adweek, Creativity and AdCritic, in addition to all the major industry award shows including Cannes Lions, The One Show, Addys, Communication Arts and Clios.

I can’t wait to see my friend Shawna talk next week at Innovate Pasadena.

RSVPed Attending AnnotatED at OLC Innovate 2019
Join us 1–4pm MT Tuesday, 2 April 2019 at AnnotatED, a free annotation summit brought to you by Hypothesis in conjunction with OLC Innovate 2019. RSVP NOW to reserve your spot at this free event. Can't make it to Colorado? RSVP as a virtual participant. Learn more about all the annotation activities happening at #OLCInnovate! Attendees will include leaders from the annotation community like Marginal Syllabus co-founder Remi Kalir, Francisco Perez from CROWDLAAERS, Director of Education Jeremy Dean and Nate Angell from Hypothesis, and folks from institutions now piloting annotation like CSU Channel Islands and MSU Denver. The summit will feature a mini-keynote from Manuel Espinoza, Associate professor of Educational Foundations at CU Denver. Connect with your peers at other institutions working with annotation. Learn about and share annotation use cases. Explore existing and new research on the impact of annotation in education. Find out how you, your colleagues, and your institution can get started or expand annotation in partnership with Hypothesis. Help shape future annotation summits. Refreshments provided.

Attending remotely

RSVPed Attending Hathaway-Sycamores’ Celebrating Children Gala 2019
On Saturday April 13th, we’ll be hosting our annual Celebrating Children Gala. Join us for this intimate evening at the stunning Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles to support Hathaway-Sycamores’ critical efforts in providing homes and hope to hundreds of young adults facing homelessness across Los Angeles County.
RSVPed Attending Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Saturday, April 13th | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, April 14th | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.<

Since 1996, The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books has become a world renowned experience gathering writers, poets, artists, filmmakers, musicians and emerging storytellers like no other. Today over 150,000 people attend, making it the largest festival of its kind in the United States. Join us this year as we celebrate our literary culture and the Los Angeles Times’ passion for story.

RSVPed Attending IndieWebCamp New Haven 2019
IndieWebCamp New Haven is the first in Elm City, happening at Southern Connecticut State University, Participants are welcome to join the community to explore how owning your data and controlling the web helps to protect under-served communities.

Attending remotely.

📅 RSVP WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, Mar 2019: It’s a Spring Clean Thing | Meetup.com

RSVPed Attending WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, Mar 2019: It's a Spring Clean Thing
Tue, Mar 26, 2019, 7:00 PM

Welcome back everyone! We took off February and now we're back at it!

WordPress Pasadena is back in beautiful Old Town Pasadena at one of the first (and finest) Co-Workin' spaces in town, CrossCampus (http://www.crosscamp.us/).

My Fall/Winter math class will be over, so I can go back to attending the Pasadena WordPress Meetup!