I am asked often about where to find out about DC startup/tech events and groups, so I thought it would be useful to have an online list to point them to, instead of emailing whatever groups are fresh in my mind when they happen to ask me. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I will update the list from time to time, but it’s a good starting point for someone new to the city or the world of startups.

First of all, get used to hashing and following #dctech on Twitter. Its the go to hashtag for sharing #dctsartuplove.

For events, these are good sites to watch/follow.

• Kauffman’s http://startupdigest.com/washington-dc I think this is the current best summary of startup events in DC.
• PlanCast is hit or miss unfortunately, but I do sometimes find out about cool stuff through it by following folks who are active. You can see my list of subscriptions at http://plancast.com/studgeek.

Meetup.com is also very active here in DC. Despite how the name sounds, it isn’t a dating service. It’s also not strictly for tech. There are all kinds of social activities, but you can use group tags to quickly narrow your search to biz/tech meetups (or crocheting clubs – your call :).  These four are a good start. You can also see the ones I am in at I’m in at http://www.meetup.com/DC-Tech-Meetup/members/29001302, and the site does a good job of recommending groups as well.

• http://www.meetup.com/DC-Tech-Meetup – Run by iStrategyLabs.
• http://meetup.hackernewsdc.org
• http://www.meetup.com/Co-founders-DC
• http://www.meetup.com/DC-Lean-Startup-Circle

And there are two main Facebook groups depending which side of your brain you want tickled.

• DC Tech – The main forum for discussing DC startups (after Twitter of course :).
• Refresh DC – “web designers, developers, and other new media professionals”

Related articles

• Inside the World’s Biggest Tech Meetup (inc.com)