bigsight

Start-up tech companies are no longer confined to Silicon Valley, and cities like Nashville are proof. Marcus Whitney, Technical Director at Emma, an e-mail marketing and management company, is in the process of launching his own new venture and planning a BarCamp at the same time. “I have been at Emma for four years, and I have done everything that I can do there short of founding a company. Being at Emma has given me a passion of business that can only be satisfied by doing my own thing. (My company) is another Internet company…We support the many thriving companies that currently are driving the Internet industry, we help startups avoid mistakes and get launched on a sturdy technical foundation, and we have a few products of our own that we will be announcing in the future.”

Along with Dean Shortland and Dave Delaney, Marcus is also working to rally the city’s digital community together. “We decided that Nashville’s digital community needed a big-time boost and thought that a BarCamp was the best way to get it started.” The all-day event will be held August 18th and the planners have already procured sponsors to cover the costs of the free event. “I think being in a small tech city can have it’s advantages, but it is crucial to acknowledge that there are some things you will probably need to go outside of the city for. My advice to those in smaller tech cities is: If your city is not a tech haven, you have to make it one on what ever scale is possible. Only then will you have a truly successful tech community that can help each other rather than compete for a small pool of business. Links: BarCampNashville