Inno Approved: DC Tech Events To Know About This Week (6/23-7/6)

Like DC Inno Approved? A fresh version comes out every other Friday with new ideas of tech and networking events to check out. Here's a list of great tech, business and networking events in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, to hit up in the next two weeks. 

Friday, June 23

Event: Jazz in the Garden

"THE best outdoor jazz series in the DC area is back! This is always a great meet up after work with friends and or coworkers. It's a popular one so arrive early. I'll post up at 4:30pm to find some real estate for our group. Anyone else who is available early would be very helpful. Food and water is allowed on the premises, or can be purchased at the Pavillon. Beer, wine, and the very popular pitchers of sangria will be sold throughout the venue." 

Event: Story District Favorites

"The Torpedo Factory Art Center welcomes Story District for their first-ever Virginia event on June 23. Join us for a hilarious night with some of the finest storytellers to have performed on the Story District stage. Best for an 18+ audience." 

The Weekend, June 24-25

Event: ASAP + Up Top Acres Present: Veterans Comedy Show on a Roof

"Comedy on a roof? They said it couldn't be done. Well, they were wrong. Up Top Acres and the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) are joining forces to host a special Veterans Comedy Show at one of Up Top's rooftop farms, with beer thanks to DC Brau and cocktails from Misfit Juicery. This performance will feature comedians who have graduated from ASAP's Comedy Bootcamp program, the first stand-up comedy class in the country for veterans. The event will provide a platform for veteran comedians to showcase their talents and tell their hilarious stories in front of members of the DC community. More information on the event is detailed below:" 

Event: Summer Solstice Jammin Yoga

"Salute the arrival of Summer!! Join Down Dog Yoga, Athleta, & Jammin' Java for a special Summer Solstice edition of our rocking JAMMIN YOGA practice!!" 

Monday, June 26

Event: Drue Kataoka: Merging Art and Technology for Social Impact

"Named a Young Global Leader & Cultural Leader of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Drue was invited to give a solo exhibition in Davos. Drue has also been a featured speaker at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. She is currently a member of the WEF Steering Committee on VR/AR/AI for the Creative Economy. Drue is a 2017 Artist in Residence for Google VR (Tilt Brush)."  

Tuesday, June 27

Event: Design Thinking Lab Happy Hour: June

"Whether you're learning about Design Thinking or growing your professional community, join OpenIDEO DC Chapter for our monthly Design Thinking Lab Happy Hour featuring open networking and opportunities to test drive ideas, engage, ideate, prototype and develop your Design Thinking skills. Leave with new ways to apply DT in your life and work."

Event: Startup Grind DC: Adam Vitarello (Cofounder & President of Optoro)

"Adam Vitarello is the Co-founder & President of Optoro, the world's leading reverse logistics platform. Optoro is using innovative technology to solve a large and growing global problem. Every year, over 15% of goods are returned or deemed excess, costing retailers $500 billion nationwide. Optoro’s software platform helps retailers optimize the management of returned and excess inventory in a more efficient and cost-effective way, maximizing recovery value, enabling consumers to get great deals, and reducing environmental waste."

Event: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties: Beth Kobliner

"With more than 500,000 copies sold, the New York Times bestseller Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties (originally published in 1996) has served as the financial bible for young people, laying out in simple, no-nonsense terms, exactly what they need to know."

Wednesday, June 28

Event: DC Startup & Tech Expo 2017

"John Bafford will be presenting "Hiking and Hacking: Two Sides of the Same Coin." While hiking the 2,200-mile long Appalachian Trail, I realized that planning and executing a long-distance hike involves many of the same skills and challenges as developing software. In this talk, I’ll join these two disparate worlds you wouldn’t have thought have everything in common."

Event: Getting Started in Tech

"Thinking about changing your career and getting into the technical field? We’ll be talking about all the ways to start your career in tech and what you can do once you’ve started to learn how to code."

Event: Take Me Up to the Ballgame 

"We're combining baseball season and rooftop season into one classic summer night. Join us at the Up Top Acres urban rooftop farm overlooking Nationals Stadium for beer, bites from local favorite DGS Deli and an amazing sunset view of the Nats-Cubs game."

Event: Mappy Hour DC: Better Trip Photos

"On June 28th, photographer Lydia Thompson (www.instagram.com/lalalydia/) will share her tips and tricks for taking great photos outdoors. We'll cover the basics of photography, including light, composition, and moment, and talk about how to edit photos on the go, so you don't have to wait until you're out of the woods to share your adventures. We'll also discuss packing tips, and how to find the balance of good photo gear that doesn't break your budget or your back."

Thursday, June 29

Event: A Fireside Chat with Phone2Action

"Fresh off of their 1st Annual Good Tech Summit, the Founders of Phone2Action, the world's leading technology company for civic participation and stakeholder engagement, will be joining us on Thursday, June 29th, at WeWork White House to have a Fireside Chat."

Event: VR Pop-Up Party

"What better way to start the summer than with a special VR POP-UP PARTY at 1776 Crystal City?! Join us for some food, fun, and great music after a long day of work by playing up to a dozen of the newest Virtual Reality game titles. Hang out with DC’s movers and shakers and chat about work, learn more about virtual reality, or just chill. We will have the following platforms available: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, & Google Cardboard. Food will be catered by DC’s hottest new restaurant FALAFEL INC which works with the World Food Programme to support refugees. Let’s party for good!"

Event: Tech and Careers: Invest in Yourself!

"At this exclusive panel event, the United Women in Business Foundation (UWIB) and General Assembly will host local leaders to explore new intersections between entrepreneurship, negotiation, career development, and technology. Together, we discuss how their careers have been impacted by the rise of tech, ways they’ve adapted and innovated along the way, and what they expect to see in the future."

Event: Summer Pop-Up Party 

"Join us for a Pop Up Party with Shrub District Chups Condiments and Shop or Not Thurs! Specialty #shrub cocktail list!"

Friday, June 30

Event: June FinTech Fiesta Friday at Five

"Join the MPOWER Financing and Village Capital teams for our monthly FinTech happy hour! This is an informal event to connect FinTech startups with the broader ecosystem in the DC-area."

The Weekend, July 1-2

Event: Tunnel Vision DC

"From Dupont Underground and Escape The Routine comes Tunnel Vision DC, a unique experience combining live projection visualizers and a carefully curated line-up in an exceptional venue."

Event: Sunset for Dancers

"Sunset for Dancers is incredible, when its nice out over 100 people gather here each Sunday to enjoy music in the most beautiful outdoor setting. It's a great opportunity to learn practice or watch exciting Latin, Brazilian, French Caribbean and African partner dances. Here we #moveasone with #purapaixăo."

Monday, July 3–Tuesday, July 4

via GIPHY

Wednesday, July 5

Event: Perfect Liars Club

"Perfect Liars Club happens on the first Wednesday of every month!"

Thursday, July 6

Event: Web Development Immersive Info Session

"Are you curious about General Assembly’s upcoming Web Development Immersive Course? Of course you are. Whether you’re looking to cross-over into a role that requires you to know web programming, level up in your existing role, or you’re curious about programming, join us and figure out if this immersive course is a fit for you."

Image used via CC BY 2.0 - credit Matthew Straubmuller