Wednesday, March 15, 2017
What can Charlotte's start-up community learn from other start-up hubs? What can Wharton Alumni do to help the start-up community thrive here?
So, Charlotte now self-identifies as a #fintech hub, and we've learned that the "#" is silent. The idea of co-working spaces has caught on in the last several years, and some of us have discovered that open-plan seating isn't the cube farm we pictured when we heard about it. We have startup meetups, startup hangouts, entrepreneur groups, pitch practices and pitch breakfasts. Charlotte is becoming a magnet for millenials wanting to be part of the startup scene, some willing to risk everything if they can work on an idea they believe in, especially if they can do it over a flight of craft brews with some friends, after their company-sponsored heat yoga class.
Not so fast, #fintech rangers. We have activity, but is Charlotte as much of a thriving startup scene as we'd like to think? We think we know what Charlotte's strengths are, but what does Charlotte need for the "scene" to get real?
On March 15, join us at HQ Charlotte for a lunch-and-learn to hear from Paul Tyma about his startup experience in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. Paul Tyma moved to Charlotte from the Bay area in May 2016 to become LendingTree's CTO. Since that time he has also kept an office at HQ Charlotte, where you can find him most Saturday mornings. This is an opportunity to hear from a veteran about the startup experience, from ideation to sale.
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Time: 11:30 – 1:00pm
Location:
The Garage at HQ Charlotte (formally Packard Place)
222 S. Church Street
Charlotte, NC
Cost:
- $15 for Wharton Club Members
- $25 for Non-members
- $1 for Joseph Wharton Members
About our Speaker: 
Paul Tyma, LendingTree’s CTO, is based in Charlotte, NC. Prior to joining LendingTree Paul started and sold several companies in NY and the Bay area and also worked at tech powerhouses, Google and LinkedIn. Paul is a frequent speaker, writer and author, including writing of one of the original Java books, "Java Primer Plus." Paul received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Toledo, M.S. in Computer Science from Central Michigan University and his PhD in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University.
