Published February 20 2018
Delegation will receive specialized coaching from business development experts prior to departure
The world’s largest conference dedicated to mobile technology is about to receive another game-changing delegation from Washington state. On Feb. 25, the Startup 425 delegation will arrive in Barcelona, Spain, for the region’s third annual business development trip to Mobile World Congress. Startup 425 is an initiative of five communities on Seattle’s Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond, and Renton), in partnership with the Port of Seattle.
Three Eastside startups will showcase their innovative and potentially disruptive products to the global community. Over the past two years, Startup 425 has enabled nearly a dozen local companies to present on the world stage to grow new revenue and relationships. This year’s delegation to Mobile World Congress includes virtual reality startups Doghead Simulations and Odd Atom, and mobile hardware startup DTOOR, makers of the Cyrcle Phone. These firms will work with technology innovators and business mentors like Lawrence I Lerner and Inigo Esteban to refine their business development strategies for the trade show.
“As part of our commitment to promoting the region’s startup culture, we brought in key consultants to mentor these young companies travelling to Mobile World Congress.,” said James Henderson, Director of Economic Development for the City of Bellevue. “Bringing in Lawrence’s experience as a tech entrepreneur coupled with hands-on mentoring with our CEOs on the nuances of product launch in a foreign setting has already been a big ‘win.’ Meanwhile, during the event, Inigo will focus on securing business development meetings and presentation opportunities with important audiences.”
In addition to the outbound delegation, this year’s trip will feature a greater emphasis on generating inbound business interest and investment in Seattle’s Eastside.
“Seattle’s Eastside is one of the world’s foremost innovation and technology centers,” said Cliff Long, Director of Economic Development for the City of Renton. “We want international businesses to see us as their first choice in the United States for locating an office.”
This year’s Global Passport program was made possible through partnerships with the Washington State Department of Commerce, which maintains a presence at Mobile World Congress, and the Port of Seattle, which seeks to grow entrepreneurship and export opportunities in King County.
About Startup 425
Home to Microsoft, Boeing, Unity, and dozens of other platform-defining companies, Seattle’s Eastside creates the industry standards on which the 21st century economy is built. Startup 425 supports that ecosystem with one-to-one mentoring, workshops and training courses, and programs designed for early- and mid-stage entrepreneurs.
Startup 425 is an initiative of five communities on Seattle’s Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Redmond, and Renton), in partnership with the Port of Seattle. Learn more at startup425.org.
About Lerner Consulting
Lawrence I Lerner’s style of revolutionary innovation has enabled edge technologies and made them into every day digital and physical products. Over the last 20 years he has enabled companies from early stage startups to blue chip leaders (The New York Times, Safeway, Discover Card) in New Product/Service Introductions. Mr. Lerner is also a cryptocurrency, blockchain thought leader and venture capitalist investing in making it another every day technology. He is published/quoted widely in the media (Wired) and routinely sells out venues as a speaker.
Learn more about Lawrence at linkedin.com/in/lawrencelerner and follow on Twitter at @RevInnovator.
About Esteban Consulting
Esteban Consulting’s mission is to promote economic development, facilitate investment, and generate business opportunities between USA-European companies. Mr. Esteban hosts trade delegations, promotes commercial missions to the USA and Europe, facilitates market entry in Europe and Washington State through local sales representation, and advises businesses on the topic of international sales at industry conferences across the globe. Esteban Consulting has represented clients in the fields of Government, Aerospace, Life Sciences, Energy and Technology including MTorres, Dragados, Elecnor, Industrial Neotex, Plain Concepts, and ICEX, the Spanish Trade Agency.
Learn more about Esteban Consulting at estebanconsulting.com.