Inside VT KnowledgeWorks

Two VT KnowledgeWorks Company Leaders Named to 20 Under 40 List

Allan Tsang, co-founder or 88owls, and Michael Fleming, CEO of TORC Technologies, were named to the Blue Ridge Business Journal's 2009 20 Under 40 List of young entreprenenrs.

The stories are currently online in the BRBJ's booklet format.  Allan Tsang's story is featured on page 7 and Michael Fleming's on page 12.

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VT KnowledgeWorks is a unique growth enhancement program open to entrepreneurs in the New River Valley of Virginia and beyond.  Acceleration center and incubation facilities are located in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg, Virginia. 

VT KnowledgeWorks sponsors include Attaain, Inc., BB&T, Handshake 2.0, Harris Office Furniture, Hodges, Jones & Mabry, P.C., Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LeClairRyan, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and The Becher Agency (TBA).

BlackBerry Workshop Offered by VT KnowledgeWorks Company Founder

Gotta BlackBerry?  Use it for email and Internet and wish you knew how to do more?  Wanna BlackBerry?  Been thinking about getting one but wanted someone knowledgeable around when you got stuck?
 
Bring your charged up BlackBerry to the free BlackBerry workshop by Allan Tsang, founder of 88owls, a VT KnowledgeWorks member company.
 
Open to Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center residents, VT KnowledgeWorks member companies, and their associates, the workshop has room for 12 people.  We’ll take the first 12 who send an email to anne@handshake20.com.
 
The workshop is sponsored by Handshake Media, Incorporated, a digital public relations firm and VT KnowledgeWorks member company.
 
Details:

BlackBerry Workshop
Allan Tsang, Presenter
Monday, July 27, 2009
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Lakeview Conference Room
VT KnowledgeWorks Building
Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center
Blacksburg, Virginia
 
Questions?  Please email Anne Clelland, anne@handshake20.com.

Another Consultation with 88owls

In response to VT KnowledgeWorks YouTube Video Stars - 88owls.com and BecomeAlum.com, I received this question in an e-mail:

"I thought 88owls placed high-powered consultants in businesses. Is 88owls a business consulting company, not a headhunter company?"

I asked Allan Tsang for a follow-up - a consultation - and he kindly replied:

Think of 88owls as working much like a dating service, except we match businesses with consultants.

The 88owls Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) includes a database of very experienced consultants, business advisors and coaches. Businesses can find the ideal consultant for their needs within seconds by using the interactive search page to select the exact functions, skills and experience of the consultant they need. This is done using a user-friendly online guided questionnaire. 

The list of consultants narrows to fit the customer’s exact needs based upon the search criteria the customer has selected.  Once the interactive search portion has narrowed the list of consultants to a small, targeted group of potential consultants, the businesses can then review the selected consultants’ profiles, including a narrative biography and, in some cases, a video recorded by the consultant. 

The business can then select the consultant that best fits its needs from the selective list.  After a business enters some basic information in a guided questionnaire, the consultant is sent a lead by email with the expectation that the business is awaiting their contact. Through a strategic partnership, a wealth of up-to-the-minute business intelligence is sent along with each lead to help the potential consultants prepare and address problems and plan strategies in advance.
 
We just select consultants with 10+ years of experience and companies with 300K+ revenues.

Behind the scenes, we provide competitive intelligence, resources, marketplace, (a forum/wiki) etc.

For the 88owls service, there is no cost to the businesses.  They get to request a consultant for free without paying a $300 - $500 job post or talking to a consulting firm and get charged for initial consultation.  This way, their first hour is free and there is no obligation to sign any contract.

I hope that helps clarify how 88owls brings businesses and consultants together in an expert, efficient way.

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88owls is a Rising Star nominee for the NewVa Corridor Technology Council, NCTC TechNite Awards and a member company of VT KnowledgeWorks.