2011 MITX: The aftermath
Yes, I’m almost a week late in writing this, and it’s for no other reason than I’ve been lazy :)
So, MITX Innovation Awards were last Thursday night. For those that don’t remember Accessible Places (the project started by Sam Bisbee and myself at the Boston.com Hack-a-thon) was a finalist in the ‘Best Doing Good’ category. The entire team was there including my wife who was the inspiration for the project.
The food was okay, first time I’ve ever seen ‘make your own take away’ boxes at an event like this. I got to see some friends I haven’t seen in a while and got to make a couple new ones. Also got introduced to Debi Kleiman, president of MITX which was very cool. Especially since she knew what AP was.
I was going to drag this out a little longer and go on abut the event and how exciting it was and all that but by now everyone already knows the results of the evening anyway. We didn’t win.
Anything.
I can understand not winning the category, especially considering what Gazelle has done since it launched, but I thought at least we’d get a ‘promise’ award since it was designed for companies that are under a year old and have a lot of *promise* (get it?) and potential. We have tons of potential. But it was not to be.
Was/am I disappointed? Of course. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. However there is one very important factor that almost got lost in all this.
The project.. no the idea is only 4 months old. 4 months. We were by far the youngest company there, hell we aren’t even a company yet and we were a finalist in the MITX awards.
Let me say that again for effect: AP is 4 months old and was a finalist for MITX.
That alone is a heck of an accomplishment and something to be proud of. And I am. Very proud.
It also means I didn’t have to attempt to get up and say anything in front of a ton or people (we all know the risks there). So I’ll say it here. Thank you to the judges and to all of MITX. Especially thanks to Project 11 and Boston.com for putting on the Hack day event.
Most important, thanks to my wife Becky. Without whom none of this would have been possible.