Lean Startup

Pitch your idea, get feedback, give feedback, meet with a mentor and most importantly, take action. Come to the meetup with a specific issue you are stuck with. **10:30 am Introductions:** 2-minute pitches tell us who you are? What you're working on? and what you need help with? **11:00 am Problem Solving:** Let's figure out how we can help, and what action you can take today to move forward. **12:00 pm** Open Networking: Keep the discussion going and connect with other attendees. Bring yourself, notebooks, laptops and anything else you need to pitch your idea and get work done. Interested in joining the Studio? [APPLY NOW](https://unstucklabs.com)

​Welcome to DC's after hours community of bright minded self starters working on interesting projects (and important boring tasks). ​BYOProject, your brilliant creative minds, and your willingness to help your peers. Also, don't forget your laptops, notebooks, tools, or art supplies. Short, capped introductions will occur at 8:00pm to 8:15pm. We'll work on our own projects or converse about them with others with the remainder of our time. ​For those of you who are a student or an early career serious builder, please seek out Lucy Chen for some like minded peer group breakout time after intros. Also be sure to follow DC Young Builders Circle and take part in conceptualizing a DC Hacker House space over at Forge202 ([https://forge202.com/](https://forge202.com/)).

Welcome to our new home at the historic Tivoli Theater! Please check our details for access to the space on [our website](https://www.hacdc.org/visit/). Join the discord for questions / help getting in (use channel #let-me-in) [https://discord.gg/dNjuNhNmeT](https://discord.gg/dNjuNhNmeT)

Please join us every week for power networking! Our Chapter Passed $1,666,736 USD in the past 12 months! BNI members, on average, increase their business 20% the first year. Our chapter is a dynamic, committed group of business people who know how to refer business to each other. Come for our meeting -- stay for the referrals!!! We have open categories for individuals who will bring enthusiasm and integrity to our meeting. Just one person per professional specialty is allowed in each chapter. Visit a meeting to find out more and lock out your competition! Register Here: https://bninovanorth.com/va-nova-north-bni-mclean-business-connection--n136/en-US/visitorregistration?chapterId=16988

Come connect with fellow Startup founders over complimentary appetizers and great conversation at our monthly Startup Grind DC Founders Dinner. Quick heads-up: Your ticket gets you into the event and covers appetizers. Entrées and drinks will be on individual tabs. We’re also looking for sponsors who want to support the DC founder community. Whether that’s hosting us, covering food, or contributing financially, sponsors get the chance to connect directly with founders, get shoutouts in our promotions, speak at events, and reach our 10,000+ Pre-seed to Series A founders across the DMV. Agenda --- Hosted By Mia Orantes, Chapter Director I'm a dynamic speaker, angel investor, serial entrepreneur, the host of the celebrated Founders Only podcast, and the CEO & founder of the award-winning agency that automates online growth and profitability engines, Creative Analytics. As a lifelong entrepreneur, I am devoted to serving founders by showing them the road map for rapid online growth and helping them navigate that journey. A native Washingtonian, I hold several designations, including a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, an MBA & MS in Information Technology with a concentration in Project Management, and an in-progress certificate in Digital Transformation & AI from Cornell University. --- Partner Creative Analytics (https://creativeanalyticsdc.com/) Creative Analytics is a B2B growth marketing agency that leverages data-driven strategies and creative design to optimize digital performance and boost conversions for innovative brands. Specializing in SaaS, tech, and professional services, their services include conversion rate optimization, HubSpot implementation, content marketing, and web development. The agency combines deep expertise in CRO and product messaging with automation, helping clients scale faster with less time and effort. --- Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind. --- Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-washington-dc-presents-january-2026-startup-founders-dinner/.

AI has changed the World fast. It has created opportunities for all. Let's meet with the tech ecosystem to learn from AI leaders and startup founders as we hear different use cases. At this event, attendees will have the opportunity to meet mentors, advisors and investors to ask them questions about their business strategy, key decisions, next steps, and more. Don't miss this opportunity to learn how experienced entrepreneurs would tackle the problems you or others are facing and learn from various use cases. This event will be set as a panel discussing various AI use cases, solutions from all across industries. Guest Speakers include: * Guc Ozenci (Program Director, FI Washington DC) * Catherine Mc Millan (Founding Director, AI Collective) **❯** **Who should Attend?** * Anyone who wants to learn from AI leaders * Anyone curious about AI opportunities * Anyone who has a pre-seed company or a startup idea * Anyone who wants to learn about entrepreneurship **❯ What is the Agenda?** * Welcome and Socializing * Panel with Startup Founders and Local Ecosystem Leaders * Q&A Session * Conclusion and Networking **❯ Panel Speakers:** * Catherine McMillan, AI Collective * Andrew Tsintsiruk, Rohic.com * more to come... **❯❯ This is an in-person event, so be sure to RSVP at https://fi.co/e/384682/meetup to secure your spot and receive further details.**

**The Test Tribe 2nd Washington Meetup – Designing a Modern QA Organization: Structure, Skills, and Shared Ownership** AI is accelerating software delivery at an unprecedented pace-but speed without structure introduces serious risk. In today’s landscape, the traditional “testing bottleneck” isn’t just a delay-it’s a business liability. This session explores how Quality Engineering must evolve from a siloed function into a strategic, distributed capability-one that balances rapid AI adoption with strong human oversight. Moving beyond basic automation, this talk introduces the concept of Distributed Quality Governance, where quality becomes a shared responsibility across engineering, product, and leadership. Expect a practical, leadership-focused discussion that cuts through AI hype and addresses the real challenges of testing complex, AI-assisted systems-while ensuring accountability, trust, and long-term resilience. **Event Details** * **Date: 21st January 2026 (Wednesday)** * **Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT** * **Location: 1501 Langston Blvd. Arlington, Virginia** **Session: Designing a Modern QA Organization: Structure, Skills, and Shared Ownership** **Speaker: Alekhya Guduri** **About the Session** In an era where AI-generated code is accelerating delivery, quality can no longer be treated as a final checkpoint. Instead, it must be embedded, intentional, and governed. In this session, Alekhya Guduri presents a blueprint for building a modern QA organization that operates as a strategic business function. You’ll learn how to shift from centralized testing teams to shared ownership models, while introducing guardrails that ensure responsible AI use across the delivery pipeline. From defining a Materiality Matrix to identify where AI risks are too high to ignore, to implementing Human-in-the-Loop frameworks, this talk provides actionable guidance for leaders navigating AI-driven engineering environments. **Key Takeaways** * The Materiality Matrix: How to objectively prioritize AI risks based on business impact and technical complexity * Distributed Governance: Transitioning from centralized QA to shared ownership in AI-driven CI/CD pipelines * Responsible AI Guardrails: Practical Human-in-the-Loop frameworks to prevent bias, hallucinations, and silent failures **About the Speaker** Alekhya Guduri is a seasoned technology leader whose career sits at the intersection of engineering execution, operational excellence, and innovation. As Director of Engineering at Indeed, she focuses on building high-performing organizations that treat quality as a strategic advantage, not a last-mile activity. With deep experience scaling complex systems and leading cross-functional teams, Alekhya works at the forefront of shaping how AI and human judgment coexist within modern software delivery. She is a strong advocate for distributed governance, responsible AI practices, and the evolution of Quality Engineering into a trusted business partnership. **Why You Should Attend** * Learn how to design QA organizations for AI-driven delivery * Understand how to balance speed with responsibility in modern pipelines * Gain leadership frameworks for shared ownership of quality * Move beyond AI hype to practical, defensible testing strategies * Connect with Washington-area QA, engineering, and tech leaders **About The Test Tribe** **The Test Tribe** is the world’s largest software testing community, empowering testers globally since 2018. With 7**00+ events** and **150K+ members** across **130+ countries**, we bring testers together to learn, grow, and connect through meetups, conferences, cohorts, masterclasses, and more. By RSVPing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and consent to be contacted by The Test Tribe and our event partners.

**$60/2\.5\-hour Class \| Class Limit: 5** Hamiltonian Artists Second Floor, Studio 2 [Registration Link](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://trishaart.com/classes/p/drop-in-classes&sa=D&source=calendar&usd=2&usg=AOvVaw07rgL9h-rFd3JRP7l9BSDN) This first section serves as an introduction to relief through the easy cut method with a rubber stamp medium block. Participants will practice hand printing on Japanese paper through multiple iterations, and then proceed to mount their images. Completing these exercises will demonstrate how different blocks can be used interchangeably in a modular format, which will prepare them for creating a small book. All materials will be provided as part of the registration fee.

**AI-Supported Creative Exploration** *For Unassuming Intuitives & Practicing Creatives* (Please note that this event has not been organized or endorsed by The Writer's Center.) This meetup is part of AI as Creative Partner — A Practice Group, a set of open, non-sequential creative labs you can join at any point. We use AI as a thinking partner—not to replace your ideas, but to help surface and shape them without overthinking or pressure. You bring fragments—ideas, impulses, unfinished concepts. With AI as a supportive collaborator, we explore how those fragments can become clearer, more coherent, and ready to share if and when you want to. No technical background is required. If you can talk or type, that's enough to work with AI here. This session is intentionally low-commitment and flexible: * Arrive late or leave early * Work quietly or observe * Ask questions, or simply watch the process unfold There's no presentation and no expectation to finish anything. Showing up as you are is enough. **OPEN AI CREATIVITY LAB - DROP-IN WORKING SESSION** This is an open, low-pressure creative lab for people curious about working with AI rather than using it as a tool. There's no presentation and no requirement to arrive on time or stay the whole session. Some people work quietly. Some observe. Some ask questions. I'll be working on my own creative projects using AI as a thinking partner—you're welcome to do the same, or simply watch how the process unfolds. **NOTE**: This is the first time I'm running this format. I've scheduled two hours for this inaugural session to give plenty of room for settling in, orienting newcomers, and genuine working time. I'll be here working on my own projects regardless of attendance. If you show up, great. If not, I'm still getting work done. **HOW TO FIND US** Look for the room with the door open on the lower level. Look for the guy with the screen projector and ambient light and sound. Feel free to just walk in and settle. **(*This is an independent meetup using rental space at The Writer's Center. The Writer's Center has not organized or endorsed this event.*)**

• What we'll do Economist William Michael Cunningham on Podbeam Thursdays at 6 pm. https://www.podbean.com/

**Important! Please register on [Luma Page](https://luma.com/n7h7ynr4)** This event is organised by Projector Institute community and Ukrainian Tech Space DC MD VA Join us for an exclusive evening dedicated to exploring what it truly means to be a Product Designer — and how to manage this role more effectively in today’s fast-changing digital landscape. ​ During this session, we’ll dive into: • The pros and cons of working in product vs. non-product companies • Communication as one of the main design tools • Business-oriented approaches to product design • Practical insights for both junior and senior designers • The use of AI tools and workflows — backed by real-world examples ​ Speaker: [Misha Rybachuk](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-rybachuk/) — Co-founder of [Projector Institute](https://prjctr.com/en/about), Art Director at [Lezo.io](https://lezo.io/en), and former designer at Accenture. With over 10 years of experience in interface design, Mike has helped build impactful digital products by merging creativity, strategy, and technology. ​ This event is your opportunity to connect with fellow professionals, gain hands-on insights, and see how design bridges creativity, communication, and business success.

Calling all founders, CEOs, lawyers, doctors, and entrepreneurs to join our special *Founder Edition* of Sip & Read meetup event. Let's sip on fine wine and discuss our first book **The 5AM Club- Own Your Morning Elevate Your Life, by Robin Sharma**. We will pair this book with our favorite wine at **Wine on High** and engage in thought-provoking discussions on startup businesses and entrepreneurship, and network with like-minded individuals in a cozy book club setting. *The 5AM Club* by Robin Sharma explores how waking up early and following a structured morning routine can dramatically improve productivity, mindset, and overall life mastery. Through a blend of storytelling and practical frameworks, it teaches high performers how to build discipline, focus, and long-term success by owning the first hour of the day. Come prepared to discuss this month's book. At the end of each book club meeting, we will take next book and venue suggestions from the participants for the next meeting. Whether you are a book lover, women entrepreneur, or a content creator, this event is perfect for sharing ideas and insights with other funders and founders in the entrepreneurial world. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together. Sign up now to reserve your spot! *Fun fact! This meetup was established in 2015 and had over 1,000 members. I had to shut down operations while attending law school, but we're back!!*

## Details \#\# Learn Infrastructure\-as\-Code \(the FUN Way\) — Through Minecraft 🎮☁️ **Joint Meetup: DevOps Columbus - Azure CBUS - Columbus HashiCorp User Group** What if learning Terraform and Infrastructure-as-Code didn’t feel like a whitepaper… but more like a game? Join us for a joint DevOps Columbus, Azure CBUS and Columbus HashiCorp User Group meetup where **Mark Tinderholt** \(Principal Architect\, Microsoft Azure \| HashiCorp Ambassador \| “The Azure Terraformer”\) shows how **Minecraft** can be used as a surprisingly powerful way to understand real-world Infrastructure-as-Code concepts. In this session, Mark will demonstrate how Terraform and Azure can be used to provision, configure, and manage Minecraft servers—while teaching the same patterns you’d use for production cloud infrastructure. \#\#\# What we’ll cover * Infrastructure-as-Code fundamentals using **Terraform** * Provisioning real infrastructure on **Azure** * Applying **IaC best practices** (immutability, repeatability, versioning) * How playful environments like Minecraft make complex concepts *click* * Why learning through experimentation beats click-ops every time \#\#\# Who should attend * Developers, platform engineers, and cloud engineers * Terraform users (new or experienced) * Anyone curious about Infrastructure-as-Code but tired of boring examples * Minecraft fans who want to see it used in a totally unexpected way No prior Minecraft experience required—just curiosity and a willingness to learn infrastructure the fun way. Come for the blocks, stay for the Terraform. 🧱➡️📐

2026 may be the last year many developers write code by hand. We need coding agents to solve complex problems in production codebases, but vibe coding alone won’t get us there. Vibe coding is all gas, no brakes. It burns up the context window until the agent slips on its own slop. You can go fast at first, but the more you stuff into the context window, the more tangled its outputs get. While the industry is rapidly increasing code generation speed, we still have to understand, review, merge, and maintain what gets shipped. This talk featuring Michael Geiger will outline how coding agents (Claude Code + Gas Town) work and a framework for orchestrating them to solve complicated problems in complex codebases. It’s about steering the model: doing the research to align intent, planning the approach up front, implementing in parallel steps, and breaking early. Human judgment still matters, but it should be spent on high-leverage decisions: what to build, what to forbid, and “what is quality?”, not cleaning up slop. Attendees will leave with a checklist to identify workflow and environment gaps that hold agents back, so you and your team can ship higher-quality software starting tomorrow.

Happy New Year, all! I hope it is a great one for all of us. Let's welcome 2026 together! Our next much-awaited **COLUMBUS** meetup is **Tuesday January 20** **from 7-10 pm at ACE OF CUPS**. Meet patients, cultivators, processors, dispensary managers/staff, physicians, home growers, educators, activists, nonprofits, artists, attorneys, business owners, writers, students, and supporters to network, share our knowledge, collaborate, support each other and make new friends! Hope you can join us! Save the date and pass the word. **Please RSVP** so we know who is coming and how many to expect. Find us to say hi and we will introduce you to others. We should be easy to spot. (The happy-looking group wearing cool nametags! See photos from our past events.) Sign in, grab a name tag, start your own bar/food tab, meet old friends and make new ones! Everyone is welcome. SEE YOU THERE!

* Who Can Attend * The Central Ohio .Net Developers Group meetings are free and open to the public! All developers; professional, student, and hobbiest are welcome and encouraged to attend. * When we meet * The Central Ohio .Net Developers Group meets on the 4th Thursday of every month. * Where we meet * Please check our Meetup group link below for location details! * Join our Meetup Group * https://www.meetup.com/Central-Ohio-NET-Developers-Group-CONDG/

Evolve exists to connect women entrepreneurs connect with one another, serve one another, and help one another overcome challenges in marketing, sales, networking, and professional development. [Add to Calendar](evolvecolumbus.eventcalendarapp.com) What to Expect: \~ Welcome team to greet you, introduce you to others, and make sure you feel a part of the group from your very first meeting \~ Welcome & Introductions: 15 second introductions \~ 15 Minute Speaker Spotlight: Member speaker who shares a bit of her story, how she got to doing what she does, and a tangible tip she uses to gain success in her business. No hard selling...no expectations. Simply giving the group an opportunity to get to know her and her journey. \~ 20 Minute Break Out Sessions: Small groups is where we connect best. Extroverted and Introverted alike get the opportunity to share on a deeper level and learn from one another. \~ Take Aways: Hear what the other groups talked about and share resources to grow yourself and your business \~ Grow Time!: Do you need a specific connection to a person, company, or industry? Share it with us! We love to open our networks to one another and grow together! Guests are always welcome. Please contact Mentor Director Donna Schomer at Donna@EvolveWomensNetwork.com for more information. We'd love to meet you!

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 **Abstract** GitHub Copilot is rapidly changing how developers write, understand, and maintain code. Powered by generative AI and deeply integrated into modern development environments, Copilot acts as an intelligent coding assistant, helping developers move faster while maintaining quality and focus. In this session, we’ll explore what GitHub Copilot is, how it works, and where it fits into a real-world developer workflow. We’ll break down what Copilot can (and cannot) do, where it can be used, and how licensing differs for individuals and organizations. Most importantly, this talk goes beyond theory with a live, hands-on demo showcasing Copilot inside the IDE and on GitHub, demonstrating how it can assist with code generation, refactoring, learning new APIs, and accelerating day-to-day development tasks. Designed for developers, technical leads, and engineering managers, this session provides a practical introduction to AI-assisted development, highlights best practices for getting value from Copilot, and closes with guidance on how to continue learning and evolving alongside this rapidly advancing tool. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how GitHub Copilot can enhance productivity, improve developer experience, and fit into modern software teams today, not someday. **YouTube Link** TBA