This was a big week for Triangle tech, and here as always to regale you in an enticing 30-minute episode are The Friday Nooner hosts, Joe and Pete. (Or, as Pete prefers, “Pete and Joe.”) Here are some of the highlights from today’s episode:
- Google announced they will be opening a new cloud-computing engineering hub based in downtown Durham. [3:30] This will be Google Cloud’s fifth hub, with other locations in Silicon Valley, New York, and two in Seattle. The new office is slated to bring over 1,000 engineering jobs to the Triangle over time, and with tech companies both large and small already pining for talent, the competition is about to get even fiercer. Says Joe, “It’s a competitive market, but Google rightly recognizes it’s a good source for engineering talent, which often means connection to tech-savvy universities. UNC, Duke, NC State and NC Central all being in a relatively tight area continues to pay dividends for this area.” [11:40]
- Jay Bigelow, Vice President of Entrepreneurship for the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), stopped by to give a rundown of what’s happening behind the scenes as CED and participating investors, companies, and participants alike prepare for the virtual Venture Connect summit next Tuesday-Thursday (March 23-25). For another two weeks, a platform will be open that allows investors or anyone interested to listen to five-minute intro videos from companies and immediately schedule a meeting. To hear more inside information and tips on how to prepare from Jay himself, watch starting at the 20:40 mark, and go to the Venture Connect site for more.
- March Madness? More like March Mugness! If you’ve been following GrepBeat’s inaugural March Mugness competition, then you’ll know that it is currently in the Sweet 16 round, and after today, only eight “teams” will be left. [14:00] Follow GrepBeat on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter (and of course make sure you are subscribed to the newsletter) to see who will be crowned winner. And make your voice heard by voting! The Sweet 16 “games” are open until 5pm today.
Watch the full recording of the episode on Facebook here:
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