Rendezvous: Mr. Ahmed R Ali, Founder, TISTA Science and Technology Corporation

This is the latest in the Rendezvous series appearing on the OPEN website where we introduce you to the people behind OPEN DC. Each new Rendezvous section provides a glimpse into the life of an OPEN DC member while weaving a compelling professional narrative to the budding and established entrepreneurs alike. This issue profiles Mr. Ahmed R. Ali, a member of OPEN DC and Founder of TISTA Science and Technology Corporation, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and SBA Certified 8(a) & SDB company (www.tistatech.com).

Meeting with BAP CEOs

Early this month we hosted a rewarding event that brought together three CEOs that won the Business Acceleration Program (BAP) competition held at OPEN's MIT chapter last year.   Due to Visa problems the third CEO was not able to attend the meeting.  In his place Mr. Shahid Mir CEO of TBaas spoke.

We had three interesting speakers. It was very valuable hearing from entrepreneurs running businesses in Pakistan and solving local problems by reaching out in their own regions as well as western markets for business opportunities.

A Letter from Our President

Dear OPEN Washington DC supporters and well-wishers,

As we welcome the New Year, the previous year has been a period of measurable growth and achievements for OPEN Washington.  We executed to our plan to make 2009 a memorable year for the chapter.  We increased our general membership by more than 100% to 170 by the end of the year. Our charter membership grew by about 40% to 30 during this period as well.
With this strong foundation, I am sure we will build on our successes of last year and with your help make 2010 another banner year for our community.

Meet three CEOs of MIT-OPEN awardees who won the OPEN - MIT BAP (Business Acceleration Program) 2009 competition attending the MIT EDP in Jan 2010.

Cost: Member $5.00, Non-members $10.00, at the door $15.00

When: February 4th, 2010 7:00pm – 9:00 pm

Where: The address is 850 N. Randolph Street  Arlington, VA 22203.
Please park in the garage attached to the Ballston Common Mall.  Parking is $1 for the entire evening and is located one block from the apartment complex.  Also, it is one block from the Ballston Metro (Orange Line)

Thriving in a Challenging Economy - OPEN DC Annual Event 2009

Panel 4 - Healing the healthcare divide - Moderator: Adnan Ahmed

Event Fee (includes breakfast and lunch)

OPEN DC Members (Early Bird - before September 30th, 2009) - $35
OPEN DC Members (After September 30th, 2009) - $45
OPEN DC Members (Walk-in) - $60

Click here to register.

Doing Business at DHS with Kevin Boshears (June 4, 2009)

Social and Business Networking Event at Lima (April 23, 2009)

This networking event was a great success - over 100 convened at Lima Restaurant & Lounge in downtown DC.  As an event for entrepreneurs and young professionals many solid business connections were formed; nevertheless, the relaxed environment resulted in many strong social relationships between the amicable attendees.  This event was a great success primarily because of the diverse attendance - sharp entrepreneurs represented several professional backgrounds and a wide variety of nationalities.

Imran Sayeed shares his experience with OPEN DC

The Fireside Chat event with Imran Sayeed was very successful with attendance just over 40 people.  The audience and the atmosphere was very vibrant and very participant and Imran provided some very insightful advice and personal experiences for people to learn from and apply to their particular scenarios.

Pictures from Annual Picnic 2009

We had over one hundred people attend the annual picnic on a bright summer day to enjoy delicious food and fun activities by the Potomac river. Click through to see the montage of pictures taken at the event...

Rendezvous: Altaf Khan, Chairman of OPEN DC