BNT Sunday Byte

Happy Sunday!

As we wrap up June, Shweta Agrawal Jason Kraus and I are super excited to see summer sizzling all around the startup community and innovation circles throughout the Commonwealth and New England as a whole.

Due to finals, many members of the BNT Crew took a temporary leave -- and we missed them terribly. With many of them now returning, it feels like it’s the perfect time to provide some special updates.

1. CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) and Mass Technology Leadership Council

• BNT was super fortunate to help out with CIC's Social Impact Cohort, and we're deeply grateful to Kathryn (Kat) Lazell , Samantha Garcia , the amazing founders who graduated from the 1st iteration of the program and the many partners, investors, and supporters we met at the event. This was also a chance for some of our newest crew like Dhruv Parth , Nabeel Khan , and Derek De La Cruz Pe?a to experience the culture and contributions of a key ecosystem partner like CIC.
• Earlier this month, we attended UnConference put on by our friends at MTLC. Sara Fraim and her amazing team built a coalition around fostering ideation, collaboration, and authentic connections. Important topics were discussed, many of which will be covered by our Marketing rockstars Mohit Ravindra Kamble , Harshita Nimbal and Hajira Kauser in the weeks ahead. We're above all grateful for the warm welcome which created so many opportunities to learn and grow.

2. Community Update

Here’s what’s happening in the BNT community:

• Upcoming Events: In addition to our stock + trade showcases, pitch practices, and topical discussions -- we're gearing up for Startup World Cup on August 28th with a super exciting pre-show sponsored by Prepare 4 VC and Founders N' Funders (more details TBA).
• Building On Programming: Speaking of Pitch Practice, we're enhancing it by leaps and bounds throughout the summer. We'll be releasing an official announcement once the finishing touches are implemented -- what I'm particularly excited about is the increase in resources for both technical specialists who need to break down their presentations and non-tech founders pitching to recruit technical talent.
• Volunteer Opportunities: We’re looking for volunteers for upcoming events. Get involved and make a difference! (you'll find forms at the bottom of this dispatch)

3. Educational Resources

Continuous learning is key to staying ahead. Here are some valuable resources:

• ORACULO: The BNT GPT. Filled with history, interesting facts, and up-to-date BNT Info.
• ROSARIO: For those wanting to improve their skills with Linux, and particularly those wanting to learn some great techniques/cli (command line interface) challenges. Dedicated to my dad.

4. Spotlight on Members

We’re proud of our members’ achievements. Make sure you check out Andrew Smith and Swapt . We'll be using SWAPT at a ton of upcoming BNT events.

5. Call to Action

We'd love to have you join us for further discussions and exceptional vibes.

We're also looking for your feedback on how we're doing.

• Engage: Join us virtually on EKOS or Slack, depending on your preference!
• Feedback: We'll be releasing some new surveys (with perks and rewards) soon.

Thanks for reading!