Continuous Web draws startups, inspiration and high energy to showcase event

A community of web tech, design and startup entrepreneurs came together last Saturday to share ideas and creative energy at meetup group Continuous Web's second annual Startup Showcase. More than 50 participants, ranging from experienced startup veterans and marketing and design pros to individuals with rough ideas for pursuing new ventures, gathered at Crossroads Community Church in Oakley for a day of seminars and presentations by the people behind some of the area's most innovative web startups.

"Our major objective is to build energy around startups in this community," said Continuous Web co-organizer Joshua Johnson. "It's about inspiration, energy and building a network [participants] wouldn't have had prior to the event."

The day kicked off with a presentation by keynote speaker Todd Henry, creator of Accidental Creative. After offering ideas for finding balance in the busy, overwhelming life of a startup founder, he turned the stage over to speakers from some of the day's featured startups, who updated the audience on their progress.

A series of breakout sessions followed the presentations. Metro Innovation founder Elizabeth Edwards led a session on startup funding, while multiple startup founder Tony Alexander discussed the concept of creating ideas based on one's lifestyle. Johnson led an ideation session, in which participants shared their startup ideas and received feedback from other Continuous Web members. And Queen City Angels member Brian Beeler shared insight on identifying the stages of a startup's life cycle, including exit strategies.

The event's namesake Startup Showcase took place in the afternoon: a group of 10 startup founders presented their projects, and received feedback from the gathered group of like-minded creatives.

Continuous Web co-organizer Chris Costanza said the event was a huge expansion of the previous year's two-hour event. "It's been really great," he said of the meetup initiative's growth. "We're building awareness of, and energy around, the growing startup community in Cincinnati."

Johnson agreed, adding that he's optimistic about what events like the Startup Showcase will do for the startup community.

"We have such good inertia, and it's nice to have this encouragement in a good direction," he said.

Writer: Matt Cunningham