It’s official: there are only three days before GrepBeat’s inaugural Grep-a-palooza tech conference commences at the Durham Convention Center.
The event begins with coffee and networking at 8:30 a.m. before opening remarks kick off at 9:10 a.m. It is surely not an occasion to miss: the conference boasts a wide range of big names in Triangle tech. Pendo CEO Todd Olson will be delivering the opening keynote and Bandwidth CEO David Morken will be our closing keynote speaker.
In between, attendees will be able to see several panels: “Early-Stage VC Funding Outlook” moderated by CED’s Hunter Young, “Getting to Growth Stage and Beyond” moderated by Spiffy CEO Scot Wingo, and “Start the Presses!” (aka Getting Media Coverage For Your Startup) with GrepBeat’s own Pete McEntegart. We’ll also have a Shark Tank-style pitch competition that’s aptly titled GrepTank. (See the full agenda here.)
And of course, there will be an after party at Bull McCabe’s that begins at 4 p.m. Those who are unable to attend the day-long event can still come to the After-Party.
“It’s going to be a great event,” said Joe Colopy, the GrepBeat Godfather. “We’ve all been huddled in our houses for a long time over Covid, so it’s a nice way to meet with a lot of the who’s who in the Triangle tech scene in a very compressed way.”
Todd Olson’s Sneak Peek
Ahead of the event, Olson (Pendo’s CEO) joined the latest Friday Nooner, providing a sneak peek into what his keynote discussion might hold. He also liked the “Grep-a-palooza” name, which he said was akin to Pendo’s “Pendomonium” event.
Pendo has made its name as a product experience and digital solution company. It also happens to be one of a few tech unicorns in the Triangle.
“We’re in business to make software better for everyone,” Olson said. “Software is affecting all of our lives, whether it’s working with our bank, or healthcare provider, or at work, where most of us just basically sit in front of computers and use software all day. What Pendo does is we install ourselves in these applications, we collect a lot of analytics on what’s going on, and then we provide tools for individuals to help create better experiences.”
As some economists and market-watchers predict changing tides (for the worse) for the tech scene and the economy more broadly, Olson is not fazed by the hiring freezes—or even layoffs—that other companies have implemented or announced.
“The reality of it is, the way we keep score has just changed,” Olson said. “Now efficiency means a lot more. Given that the score’s changed, we need to adjust our models.”
In fact, tougher times in the financing markets, startup valuations and the economy in general could very well be a perfect time for Pendo to lean in and be more aggressive.
“We’re thinking a lot about how we play offense in this market,” Olson said. “Can we take advantage of this market?”
Don’t miss all of Olson’s insights during his keynote discussion at Grep-a-palooza, this Thursday at the Durham Convention Center.
