Where did January go?

It is hard to fathom that January is already at an end!  Wasn't it just yesterday that we all celebrated New Year's Eve?

This has been a busy month of getting everything ready for 2013 and with two of our ZINO Society team members just moving up into new positions within the organization, we have all been really focused on a smooth transition.  I am happy to announce that Meg Landies has stepped into the position of Dealflow & Operations Manager and that Claire Dillow has stepped into the position of Events & Marketing Manager!

We are all hard at work getting ready for our first ZINO Society investment event of the year, the Angels & Demons Roundtable Investment Meeting, coming up on Tuesday evening, January 29th at the newly remodeled Columbia Tower Club.  I'm looking forward to hearing the five ZINOpreneur Select members pitch their companies and also hearing from our expert Angels and Demons panel, who have each seen at least 500 investment pitches in order to qualify for the halo and/or pitchfork, which includes John Otter, Jan Hendrickson, Brian Vowinkel and Daniel Rossi.

Other highlights this month included attending "An Evening Out" with enterpriseSeattle, now known once again as the Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County.  As Board members, we were invited to Bake's Place in Bellevue to hear Patricia Lee and the Soul Mates perform classic Motown and R&B hits.  Patricia's husband, David Allen of McKinstry, is the new Chairman of the Board for the EDC of Seattle & King County.  Patricia Lee is an amazing and talented performer.  Ken and I can't wait to hear her again!

JJ McKay and I enjoyed attending the current Seattle Opera production of Cinderella together this month.  The music by Rossini was exquisite and the costumes and sets were fun and colorful and playful as if we had happened into a Dr. Seuss book.  The whimsical mice who helped move the furniture and sets throughout the performance were my favorites. We laughed throughout the whole opera and of course as you know, Cinderella has a happy ending, so there were no tears at this performance.

Alka Badshah with sons Akash, Aseem and Cathi Hatch

2012 TechStars Class

I also attended the TechStars Demo Day mid-month which featured their class of 2012, an impressive group of ten companies that had been selected from hundreds of applicants.  Congratulations to Matt Dyor, new Managing Director of Microsoft Accelerator, and Dave Malcolm, outgoing Managing Director of Microsoft Accelerator, who were both key leaders in producing this group of presenting companies and a great and well-attended event.

Aseem Badshah on stage pitching Socedo.

Though many of the companies were fascinating, I was especially interested in hearing the pitch from Socedo, co-founded by Aseem Badshah, the son of friends, Alka Badshah & Akhtar Badshah.  Socedo helps sales and business development professionals leverage the social web to discover leads and build relationships more effectively.

Wishing all these nascent companies success as they go about their business of raising funds in order to grow and thrive!

Countdown to 2013

Our hosts, Sue & Jim Bianco

On New Year's Eve, Ken and I attended a lovely party at the home of Sue & Jim Bianco.  Their house was festive and sparkling with red Glassy Babies lining the windows and extensive holiday decorations throughout.  I loved the Christmas tree in their dining room which had the most unusual sphere-type colored LED lights that transformed from one color to another as you watched.  Much more fun that the static white lights on our Christmas trees at home!

Ken Hatch, Connie Blumenthal, Kevin & Cindy Swett

Tia Higano, John Bauer, Jack Singer, Maryel Duzan

Once again this year, the featured Chef was William Belickis of Mistral Kitchen, along with his team, and it is always so much fun to see what culinary treats he has in store.  One of my favorites this time was a slice of roasted guinea hen served atop creamy, al dente risotto with shaved black truffle.  A close favorite was the velvety squash soup and the seared scallop course.

William Belickis (center) and Mistral team

Once again Jim selected excellent wines to complement the food courses:
Crug Grand Cuvee
Staglin Estate Chardonnay 2010
Merry Edwards Olivet Lane Pinot Noir 2010
Domaine Serene Etoile Vineyard Chardonnay 2007
Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

Sue Bianco with son Lucho and his friend, Magda

Sue and Jim both looked stunning and elegant antique aquamarine earrings dangled from Sue's ears; a recent gift from Jim.  It was a treat to see their sons Lucho and Julio, both of whom had grown up since the last time I saw either of them a few years ago.

We saw and talked with many old and new friends at the party including Gene Juarez who was there with both Alex and Connie Blumenthal, Mike Kunath & Kate Harrison, John Bauer & Maryel Duzan, Tia Higano & Jack Singer, and we enjoyed meeting a recent addition to the CTI management team, Monique Greer, and her husband, Charles.

Mike Kunath, Alex, Kate Harrison, Gene Juarez

Jim had put together a competition for the guests to name the music he was playing from the 80's and 90's including several which were either named after an animal or a city.  Luckily, Kate Harrison has a memory for music and was able to help us with enough answers to place in the competition, so we received a celebratory bottle of wine as a prize which we have promised to share with her when we open it.

Happy New Year everyone!

Jim Bianco, Ken Hatch, Connie Blumenthal