With innovation on the tips of everyone's tongues in the D.C. region, Ballston may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of our recent technology revolution. But in a way, it's a hidden gem, often overlooked by the greater Arlington area and the attention-grabbing Washington. Since February, though, Tina Leone and the Ballston BID have set out with the goal to show the region that their neighborhood is not just another neighborhood another pocket outside of Arlington, but a thriving hub of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. And they've accomplished that with their LaunchPad Challenge.
Ballston's identity is one of "research, discovery, creativity, imagination," Leone, the BID's CEO, explained. "I mean the satellite was developed here at DARPA." The whole region, including Arlington and other smaller neighborhoods, is now "being seen as this hub for technology and science and healthcare. When people start to make choices about where to go, there's a choice between downtown D.C., or is Arlington just as good or better?"
During an annual meeting for the BID, Leone said influential Washington businessman and Capitals and Wizards Owner Ted Leonsis sparked the idea. "He challenged us to support entrepreneurship, innovation, startups and etc., because we were already heading in this direction, but having him say it to us and the board really solidified it for us," she said. Thus, they came up with the idea to create "public displays of innovation" through the LaunchPad, a localized accelerator for Ballston-based tech startups.
Ballston has long been a thriving economy, but since the downturn of the economy during the Great Recession, a lot of people have turned to entrepreneurship and Leone wanted to capitalize on that. "Here's a great place for you to do that," she said. "Come to Ballston, because we're not only going to give support through a program to develop your great ideas, we're also going to give you a network of people to help you finalize that business plan and get you to a point where it's sustainable and fundable." That's the idea of the accelerator in the heart of Ballston.
Currently the LaunchPad operates out of a remodeled restaurant space in the Ballston Mall. But since the mall is going through a major rehaul in the near future, they're in search of a new home. "We're probably going to have to leave this space, because the mall is redeveloping," Leone said. "We'll look for other space – there'll be other space around, or we'll partner with another group who has space and use space that way."
[image via Ballston BID]
Funded through a commercial tax that comes from 119 commercial properties, the Ballston BID generates about $1.5 million a year used for "marketing and promotion, beautification, maintenance in the are, other types of improvement, public art, etc.," Leone explained. The LaunchPad, though, is mostly supported through in-kind sponsorships. Otherwise, the program hasn't cost much.
During its planning, the accelerator had more than 200 people apply, from those with ideas in their infancy to up-and-running companies with revenue. The leadership set out to pick 10, but it was too hard. Eventually, they settled on 14. The hope is that these entrepreneurs launching their startups in Ballston will foster a community that they will want to stay in and prosper in, keeping the cycle of business development moving forward. As Leone said, "It takes a whole community to support an entrepreneur."
The 14 startups finalists are all over the place as far as their focuses, except that "every one in some form is using technology or creating some kind of technology to do what they need to do," the BID CEO said. For instance, E-Mow is an energy-focused startup that produced an automatic lawnmower like a Roomba. "It's an about 35 lb. mower that is GPS guided and self powered," Leone said. "It creates pellets out of the grass and then fuels itself." Another is Changecause, a social giving platform that matches users' micro-donations to sponsors for nonprofit causes, and then amplifies your actions throughout social media. Then, there's even an 8-year-old CEO for Tomorrow's Lemonade Stand, which Leone said is "creating a Girl Scouts for the new economy. They're taking grade schoolers and letting them be entrepreneurs and giving them guidance. And they're starting their own companies."
Now at the end of the program, on November 19 Ted Leonsis and three other judges will pick the top three companies from the LaunchPad, along with another social media favorite. Among them, only one will win the Ballston LaunchPad Challenge, which will come with $15,000 cash, sponsorships, office space in Ballston and legal time. "But we're not going to abandon anybody," Leone qualified. "We're going to continue to support all the Challengers and our goal is to get them all to start up here and stay here in Ballston and keep growing. Every one of these challengers – all 14 of them – has comes a long in the last six months from where they started."
As far as his role after the LaunchPad concludes, Leonsis really doesn't have one. However, Leone said she hopes he will mentor and stay and touch with the winners, which would perhaps be more valuable than any other prize that comes with their victory.
While the specific future of the accelerator is up in the air – they hope to sign off on next year's plans sometime in the next few months – Leone said it has "generated so much support and excitement that I don't think we cannot do it again next year in some form."
