Mital Patel

The American Underground@Raleigh officially opens its doors tonight with a launch party that means more than just another coworking space in the Triangle. The third American Underground location is perhaps the most unique of the trio and its opening is a meaningful milestone for the Triangle entrepreneurial community. I have to admit, one of AU@Raleigh’s selling points starts before you even walk in. It’s literally above one of Raleigh’s favorite bars, Foundation. For years, we’ve known our entrepreneurial community is based on our region, larger than any single city or university affiliation. For the first time, there’s a common...

A Community EventOne of the unique aspects of NC Datapalooza was that it was a truly community event, engaging and bringing together parts of the ecosystem we don’t see together quite enough. There were new entrepreneurs (2 of the 3 final teams were mostly new to the startup scene), experienced entrepreneurs and investors, mentors and support groups (Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network), larger corporations (Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC), universities and state and city government, of course. Triangle Emerging As An Open Data HubWhile the City of Raleigh was the first to pass an Open Data Resolution early in 2012,...

Beyond being a regular contributor to ExitEvent, Mital Patel is the lead organizer and facilitator of Triangle Startup Weekend (a volunteer position). His day job is as a startup attorney in Raleigh. On Friday, July 12, the Triangle’s newest entrepreneurial coworking space, American Underground @ Main St, will be packed and buzzing with the energy of 150+ of the Triangle’s veteran and new entrepreneurs. The 6th Triangle Startup Weekend (TSW) will have VCs, angels, entrepreneurs with multiple successful exits under their belts, college students, first time entrepreneurs, and even some teenagers just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey. There’s...

It’s easy to get distracted by what seems to be important in the world of entrepreneurship. We find ourselves talking about what we’re doing when we should be talking about, and acting on, why we’re doing it. And that’s exactly why I was intrigued when I got an email with the subject line “Act with Love” this weekend. What surprised me more was that it came from Buystand’s Joe Davy. I knew all about what Buystand does, but I had no real idea why they’re doing it. Joe Davy’s a smart guy. I don’t think that’s news. What you...

I’ve learned a lot in my 3 short years of organizing Triangle Startup Weekend (TSW). For one, you can get a lot done in 54 hours if you just focus on doing things rather than talking about what you plan to do. All of the Triangle Startup Weekends we’ve organized have been successes, each building on the previous and becoming a more efficient and impactful event for the startup community. This past weekend, we hosted TSW EDU, North Carolina’s first Startup Weekend focused on spurring innovation and reform in the education space. Based on feedback from attendees, coaches, judges,...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the upcoming Triangle Startup Weekend EDU has to spur innovation in the education space. Since then, we’ve had an exciting mix of educators and entrepreneurs sign up to participate in Triangle Startup Weekend EDU this weekend at HUB Raleigh. They’ll spend 54 hours pitching ideas, forming teams and, most importantly, building what could be the next big thing in Ed Tech. They’ll be joined by expert coaches to help them and have an endless supply of caffiene and food to fuel their work. I’ve helped organize two Triangle Startup Weekends before, but...