2021 Annual Vermont Tech Jam
Bluehouse Group attended the annual Vermont Tech Jam this past Saturday at Hula Lakeside, organized by Seven Days Newspaper and supported by the Vermont Technology Alliance. Over the course of the event, about 1,000 job seekers, college students, entrepreneurs, and FIRST robotics participants and coaches roamed the booths and events scattered throughout Hula.
The first session was hosted from 9 am-1 pm with the job fair/expo filled with over fifty exhibitors.
The second session was hosted from 1 pm-6 pm with a continuation of the job fair/expo and ended with the keynote speakers. This year’s incredible keynote speakers were BETA technologies Martine Rothblatt and Kyle Clark.
Clark and Rothblatt sat side by side in front of a sold-out room full of attendees, eager to hear the BETA story. The presentation began with an inspirational five-minute film of Rothblatt and Clark flying Beta’s Alia aircraft.
After the presentation, Seven Days Chelsea Edgar interviewed Clark and Rothblatt, gathering stories of how they met, and the story of their professional relationship and friendship that has led to the success of a billion-dollar company based in Vermont.
Kyle Clark and Martine Rothblatt at Tech Jam
The first Vermont Tech Jam was held in 2008, bringing attendees of all ages, interested in the tech industry. A common question local Vermonter’s ask is “why are all the young people leaving?” There are many answers to this question, but a major one is the economy. Many young people leave the state thinking that there are no jobs in the industry they are interested in. This state of mind led to the creation of the Vermont Tech Jam, shedding light on the high-tech job opportunities in Vermont to entice young individuals to stay.
Cathy Resmer of Seven Days was asked “why highlight tech?” in an interview with WCAX and she replied,
“I think what we’re highlighting is innovation. It’s really about these different companies that are using technology in new and different ways. I think one of the really interesting things for me this year is that there are a lot of companies that are using tech to help address the problem of climate change. How are we going to transition into a renewable energy world? And there are a lot of companies here including Beta, Resident Link, Dynapower, and others that are energy storage companies that are figuring out how do we build these batteries that are going to restore renewable energy and how do we optimize our systems so that we make the energy we are using more efficient.”
We were honored to be a part of an event that highlighted all the incredible Vermont tech companies, giving each and every one of them a chance to network with local Vermonters and other businesses. We can’t wait to be back next year!
