New Media Rights will be offering free 30-minute legal consultation sessions at Nest Cowork! The sessions will take place on Thursday June 21, from 3-5pm.

Come talk to NMR about your copyright and trademark concerns, contracts, and other legal issues you might encounter as a startup or entrepreneur. You don’t have to be a member of Nest to receive a consultation.

NMR is an independently funded nonprofit program of California Western School of Law that provides free and low-cost one-to-one legal assistance to internet users, artists, non-profits, startups, and others who create and share their work online. The NMR team will be present to answer your legal questions.

**Space is limited, so please email [email protected] if you are interested in signing up for a 30-minute consultation session. Sessions will be booked on a first-come, first-served basis, so sign up today!**

Code with us for Hack-o-ween

Join us for Hack-o-ween, a VR/AR Hackathon produced by the AT&T Developer Program and CyberTECH. Hackathons are coding competitions, where individuals and teams build apps and games from scratch over a specified time period. The apps are then pitched to judges and prizes award for the best apps. Hackathons are a great opportunity to learn new technologies, network with fellow developers, enjoy some food, most importantly have some fun!

The Hackathon will be held in downtown San Diego at CyberTECH’s cybersecurity incubator and shared workspace, CyberHive, starting the evening of Friday, Oct 27 and ending the evening of Sunday Oct 29. See the full schedule below.

It’s Hack-o-ween!

Code in costume if you want! Bring your favorite cosplay, neopixel wearable, or that SpongeBob outfit. Street clothes are fine also!

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE

Schedule

The following is a list of the weekend’s agenda:

Day 1 – Friday

6PM – Dinner is served and networking
7PM – Event kickoff
8PM – Pitch ideas, form teams, and start coding!
9PM – Equipment loaning
12AM – Venue closes for the night; you may continue working on your project offsite.

Day 2 – Saturday

9AM – The fun continues with breakfast served in the morning! Work with the teams from Day 1 to complete the app.
1PM – Lunch is served
4PM – TEAM REGISTRATION DEADLINE
7PM – Dinner is served

CyberTECH will be open OVERNIGHT on Saturday! Thank you to CyberTech for keeping the hackathon non-stop!

Day 3 – Sunday

9AM – Breakfast served
1PM – CODE FREEZE. First round of judging. Lunch is served
4PM – Top teams present and winners announced

Prizes

The following prizes will be awarded after the fast pitches are completed and the judges have convened:

Best Hackathon Overall App
$1000 in Amazon gift cards for the team
Membership to CyberTech ($1680 value)

Best Smart City Hack
$500 in Amazon gift cards for the team
3 month hot desk at CyberTech ($750 value)

Best VR/AR Hack
$500 in Amazon gift cards for the team
3 month hot desk at CyberTech ($750 value)

Judging Criteria

Apps will be judged based on the criteria below and weighted accordingly.
33% Weight – Ability to clearly articulate what your app does
33% Weight – Originality of idea
33% Weight – Creative use of technologies discussed at the event

TO REGISTER CLICK HERE

Hackathon Legal

Hackathon terms: http://bit.ly/2fb1fdH

We expect all participants to abide by the Hack Code of Conduct: http://hackcodeofconduct.org/attdeveloper

FAQ: https://goo.gl/26H8rZ

Social Media

Follow us @attdeveloper and @CyberHiveSD for live updates and photos from the event
Use #atthack in your tweets
Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ATTDeveloper

Speakers

Darin Andersen is a distinguished Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity professional with over 15 years of experience in the security industry. In 2013, Mr. Andersen founded CyberTECH (CyberHive and iHive Incubators), a global cybersecurity and IoT network ecosystem providing cybersecurity and IoT resources, strategic programs and quality thought leader IoT Forums across the nation. Darin is also founder of CyberUnited, a cybersecurity, big data and predictive analytics firm that applies a behavioral psychology framework via machine learning, data, analytics and inferential algorithms to determine and prevent identity and insider threats within the enterprise, academic and government organizations.

Sponsors

Most of the time, you just need a quiet space to sit and work. And your co-working space is a great way to meet that need. But co-working spaces are more than just a desk and cup of free coffee. Co-working spaces provide several avenues into your local community that can help you build networks and a generate a balanced work-life mix.

Meeting Rooms

As a member of a co-working space, you have access to the meeting rooms and common areas. But if you are a solo entrepreneur, you might never really use your meeting room allotment. So, if your focus is on having a quiet desk space, you might let your meeting room hours go unused month after month. But for some non-profit organizations, affordable, comfortable, and professional meeting rooms are hard to find. If you are a volunteer or board member for a local non-profit organization, you can offer your meeting room hours to the non-profit for a board meeting or educational seminar. Most non-profit boards meet monthly during off-hours – like on a Thursday night from 7pm to 9pm. Your co-working space is probably empty during those times anyway. Non-profit organizations frequently need a meeting space once a year for an eight-hour annual planning session. And again, those meetings are generally on a weekend when the co-working space is relatively empty.

Off Hours

Many co-working spaces are available for member use 24 hours per day. But if you walk around a co-working space after 8 pm weekdays, or any time on the weekends, the space is going unused. While one primary benefit of co-working membership is the camaraderie that comes with being around other professionals, sometimes a quiet, empty room gives you the space you need to think, plan, and accomplish. In fact, if you haven’t made the leap to being a full-time entrepreneur, you might be able to negotiate a discounted rate for using the co-working space only during nights and weekends. Plus, when you use the co-working space during off hours, you can dress in sweat pants and a t-shirt. And maybe even bring the kids.

Networking Events

If you aren’t going to the co-working member dinners and networking nights, then you are missing out on a prime benefit. To start, networking events are critical way to find more business. Sure, you might pick up a client or two from within the group of co-members. The key to finding business from a networking event, however, is honing your elevator speech down to a repeatable set of skills you offer. Everyone at the networking event knows someone else who needs your services. By attending the networking event and delivering a compelling elevator speech to ten other members, you are seeding the word-of-mouth marketing that leads to consistent, incoming business. Networking events also force you into much-needed social interaction. Introducing yourself to other members is difficult – especially during a busy workday. But when you add a glass of wine, some jazzy background music, and a cheese plate, suddenly it’s easier to say hello and introduce yourself. By building these social connections, you are creating a more comfortable workday environment for yourself.

Community Efforts

Co-working spaces often have well-established connections to the communities in which they operate. For example, your co-working space might already have a team for an upcoming 5K run to raise money. Or the co-working management might already be donating space to a local non-profit. These pre-established connections are a great way to get yourself and your business into the community. All businesses are built one brick at a time – so by attending the 5K sponsored by your co-working space, you are creating the goodwill that becomes word-of-mouth marketing and more client contracts. You can also bring a community event into your co-working space. Whether you are selling Girl Scout cookies for your daughter’s troupe or looking for volunteers to help clean the beach, you have a wealth of resources available through your co-working colleagues.

Amenities

You might be surprised at some of the amenities available to you as a member of your co-working space. A good co-working space will work to provide a healthy work-life balance to its members. Often that means shower facilities to enable a quick lunch-hour jog. You also might find that there are some exercise machines tucked away in an unseen corner of the office. Make sure to take full-advantage of the drinks and snacks available to members. Your co-working space isn’t really in the business of making a huge profit on the granola bars and club soda for sale at the snack bar; those snacks are there to help you be more productive while working. And if they aren’t carrying your favorite bottled water – ask! Management might be thrilled to add something new to the slate of offerings.

Co-working spaces are built to make your life more productive. But the management team can’t read your mind. Don’t shy away from asking for want you want out of the space. It’s yours – you pay for it – so take advantage of all the features and benefits that come from co-working membership.

The Myth of the Twenty-something Co-Worker

When you think about the typical co-working space, you might image twenty-somethings at standing desks while drinking lattes and snap-chatting about the newest apps. In reality, co-working spaces are multi-generational environments. In a co-working space like NEST CoWork in Bankers Hill, you’ll find a wide range of ages and workers seeking a comfortable yet professional space – from entrepreneurs of all ages launching startups to freelancers to remote workers looking for a quiet, professional place to do their job.

More Mid-Career Start-Ups
Contrary to some popular beliefs, the younger generation doesn’t have a lock on innovative ideas. Certainly, there has been a growing number of Millennials starting their own businesses rather than going to work in a corporation right out the gate. However, entrepreneurs are just as likely to launch a new business at 35 or even 50, as 20. The past several years have seen a significant trend toward mid-level career professionals starting a business of their own as reported by publications including Forbes and Financial Times. Solid business plans and fiscal responsibility, often come from the mid-level professionals who have accumulated the experience and resources to bring a new idea to market. So, for every eager Millennial in your co-working space, there is likely a hard-working thirty-something or fifty-something diligently planning out a business strategy.

The Growth of the Gig Economy
The independent contractor or freelancer is a core group of any co-working cohort. The growth of the gig economy has seen a big increase over the past decade and it’s predicted that the gig economy workforce will double in the next four years. That means 9.2 million Americans are expected to work in the gig economy by 2021, up from 3.8 million last year, according to combined research by Intuit and Emergent Research. Real estate agents, insurance agents, graphic designers, computer programmers and “on demand workers” will occupy a significant percentage of co-working desk spaces.

Remote and Distance Workers
High quality, experienced employees don’t always live close to a corporate headquarters office. So, the co-working space is an affordable, professional solution for any company that wants to provide a desk or office to a distance worker. Concerned about the distractions that come with a home-office, corporations are turning to co-working spaces as a way to keep talented employees focused on work.

The co-working spaces around the country are filled with professionals of every age. That diversity feeds into each community and creates productive and innovate forums for building businesses of every size.

For decades, the traditional field or outside sales representative worked out of his or her car. With a trunk filled with brochures, sales forms, and sample products, the road warrior could spend 95% of the week working from the front seat of the car. But the co-working space has shifted the professional lives of that contingent of the American workforce. Thanks to multiple locations, storage spaces, and a lively crew in every office, remote sales reps are now turning to CoWorking spaces for productivity and professionalism.

Co-working Becomes the Home Base
If you’ve ever visited the home of a company sales rep, you likely saw a garage, spare office, or dining room filled with boxes. (Not everything can fit into the trunk of the car.) Co-working spaces are able to customize rental plans to provide space to solve the sales rep space conundrum. Instead of desk rentals, co-working spaces can offer a few shelves in a storeroom along with a “floating desk” membership. The dining room remains clean and the rep has a home base for paperwork and sales calls.

Part of a Community
Being a field sales rep can be lonely work. With long hours on the road, a sales rep might only interact with colleagues by phone or at quarterly meetings. But with a co-working membership, the sales rep suddenly has all the benefits of a collaborative workplace. With even one day per week at a CoWorking office (instead of at the dining room table or overcrowded café), a sales rep can have a sense of belonging and community.

A Professional Presence
For a sales rep covering several cities or states across their territory, a co-working desk serves as a home-away-from-home. For a regional sales rep, a co-working space provides a professional, high tech environment to hold client meetings or company gatherings.

Outside sales reps no longer have to live out of their cars or coffee shops. Co-working spaces can cater to the needs of the individual rep, ensuring a professional environment and community worth coming home to.

A Freelancer’s Life

Independent contractor, 1099 worker, gig worker, freelancer, short-term employee… all terms for those of us who don’t work the traditional nine-to-five job. Our numbers are growing. And so are the co-working spaces we use to accomplish our work. Sure, the freelance employee can work from home in fuzzy slippers and an old T-shirt, but that’s so 2001. And working from a coffee shop? That’s only good until the noise of the customers rises above the din of plates and mugs. Today’s freelancer needs a base of operations. Plus, with all the benefits that come with great co-working spaces (like NEST CoWork) why would anyone go anywhere else?

Freelancers need an office. Even if they never have a face-to-face meeting, independent contractors need a professional setting. Let’s begin here — productivity comes with a dedicated workspace. Focus is key in accomplishing anything. There are a million ways to fill your day as a small-business owner, but only a few tasks will generate revenue. With a standard desk and chair (in a professional setting) you are simply more likely to get work done.

Everyone who works uses the phone. Even if you’re a programmer cranking out code, you have to connect with supervisors, managers, and clients. You can’t have a professional phone conversation with background noises like the bark of a dog, the clang of a café dish, or the siren of a passing police car. You also need space. A café table just isn’t big enough for your laptop, notepad, and obligatory latte. A co-working space will give you the space you need to talk on the phone, use your computer, and take notes.

Sometimes, you do need to meet a prospect, client, or colleague face to face, and teetering on a café stool and shouting above the foam machine doesn’t lend itself to a professional, confidential conversation. A good co-working space will offer quiet corners and professionally appointed conference rooms that will make you look like a mega mogul and make your client feel confident about sharing the latest secrets about his new product launch she/he wants your help with.

With the quality of video-chat on the rise, meetings via Skype are the most efficient way to add a “face-to-face” meeting into your workday. Holding a video meeting from home has an inherently unprofessional feel. And having a video meeting from a café is simply annoying. Thankfully, co-working spaces are adding video conferencing rooms. With a high-quality feed and enhanced sound technology, a co-working video room can be nearly as effective as a 2,000 mile trip to Dallas.

Selecting the wrong kind of office can be just as bad as working from home. For decades, freelance workers and entrepreneurs have been able to rent “executive suites.” Although these kinds of closed-door spaces provide a professional facade, they can also be cold, tedious places to work. Often, executive suites sit in long, white hallways, and are decorated with beige walls and nondescript art. There is generally nothing warm or friendly about these spaces. The other professionals that share the floor or building may only give you a nod of acknowledgement. Co-working spaces, however, have been designed specifically to combat the dreary, single office environment. Co-working spaces are filled with natural light, comfortable couches, and engaging members.

Although not all working relationships are perfect, working around others is a vital way to stay motivated. Freelance work can be very lonely. Traditional employment gave workers with a variety of personalities. Co-working spaces are inherently more engaging because of the vibe and décor. But, people still need some encouragement. So, co-working spaces will generally have social events to bring everyone out of their respective shells. These kinds of networking events are not always about drumming up business. Frequently, social gatherings are simply a way to bring some cheer to the everyday interactions people have in an office. Without the draw of a free lunch or happy hour, some co-working members would remain inside their cubicle or office. Add some beer, and everyone starts making new friends.

For the freelancer, paying bills and filing taxes is a part of the job. With a dedicated co-working space, the freelancer can add some distance between home life and work life. Home is meant for time with the family. The office is a time for serious business. Of course, everyone has a bit of cross over between work life and family life. So, when the freelancer needs to bring the kids into the office over the weekend, a good co-working space will easily host the kids. Pencils, paper, and cable TV are prevalent in the modern co-working space; and all make for great distractions while Mom or Dad finish up some business.

The demand for freelance workers will continue to rise. The emerging workforce (the Millennials) aren’t interested in the traditional job. Companies are seeing that contractors, remote workers, and short-term employees are effective ways to meet business needs without employment liabilities. Co-working spaces have emerged as the best forum to connect both sides of that emerging trend.

NEST CoWork Welcomes Start-Up Workers and Entrepreneurs during San Diego Startup Week

San Diego celebrated its start-up culture with the 5th annual San Diego Start-Up Week. Within a five-day span (June 19 to June 23), start-up owners and entrepreneurs attended fifteen tracks, more than 250 sessions, and more than 300 speakers. San Diego Start-Up Week attendees also had the chance to visit several of San Diego’s co-working spaces, including NEST CoWork.

We were happy to welcome start-up workers during Start-Up Week, showing them the benefits of the First and Fir office building. Besides the (fully equipped) GRIND Coffee Shop and (awesome) free WiFi, NEST CoWork’s key benefits are its pricing structure and laid-back, creative vibe. “Our plans are flexible — keeping in mind the needs of our members; our pricing is all inclusive, so no surprises at the end of the month,” says Darin Andersen, NEST CoWork founder.

Depending on what stage they are in from seed to growth, start-up companies need flexibility in pricing in order to adapt to an every-changing environment. With hot desk, dedicated desks, cubicles, and offices to choose from, entrepreneurs can expand or retract as needed. Plus, NEST CoWork offers phone booths, conference rooms, patio seating, café seating, and a roller coaster for one-on-one and group meetings. (OK, so there’s no roller coaster. But the patio seating gives you great views of planes landing at the airport!) By selecting NEST CoWork as a home-base, start-up companies have access to a variety of work environments without the confines of a long lease. Plus, with free printing (and free brewed coffee), there are no surprise bills at the end of each month.

San Diego Startup Week showcased access to the CyberTECH network as well as the many functions that members can take part in, including a Pitch Fest sponsored by Procopio and eSentire, a CyberTECH EiR mentorathon, and a Smart City Hackathon co-sponsored by CyberTECH, Cleantech San Diego, GE Current, Intel, and AT&T.

Perhaps, equally important, NEST CoWork has a unique, techy vibe. Although you don’t have to a tech company to connect into the NEST environment, tech start-ups are the core of the NEST membership. Pitch nights, Meet-Ups, and member dinners give NEST its comfy, collaborative feel. By providing forums for formal and informal discussions, NEST members gain access to a knowledge base established by the companies/members just ahead on the start-up journey.

CyberHive Members are able to enrich their workday with coffees and teas thanks to the Grind Café occupying a corner of the first floor at First and Fir. But for some, trying to understand a café menu means Googling a bunch of strange words (like americano and matcha). So to help, we’ve compiled this sampling of lingo from the Grind Café list of options.

  • Brewed Coffee: This is just like the stuff you make at home with Mr. Coffee.
  • Espresso: Compressed coffee. The caffeine in one shot of espresso equals a small cup of coffee.
  • Latte: This is a cup of steamed milk with one or two shots of espresso. (Also available cold.)
  • Cappuccino: This is a cup of SUPER frothy hot milk with one or two shots of espresso. (Not available cold. See Frappuccino below.)
  • Mocha: Anything that combines coffee with chocolate.
  • Americano: This is a cup of hot water with a shot or two of espresso. It’s made to replace a brewed coffee. See story below.

Europeans generally don’t make brewed coffee. Europeans drink instant coffee at home and espresso when at a restaurant or café. During WWII, the American soldiers wanted a brewed coffee – just like Mom used to make. But without any Mr. Coffee makers, the Europeans mixed espresso and hot water to mimic American brewed coffee for the soldiers… thus they created the americano.

  • Black Tea: Your basic Lipton tea – has caffeine. Generally referred to as English Breakfast Tea. (Early Grey is flavored English Breakfast Tea.)
  • White Tea: Same plant as in black tea, just from young leaves. And so, yes, it has caffeine.
  • Green Tea: Again, same plant that makes black tea and white tea, but processed differently. Yes, it’s got that caffeine kick.
  • Matcha: Ground up green tea. Very concentrated and so, high in caffeine.
  • Chai Tea: Black tea mixed with spices like cardamom and cinnamon. (In most of the world, chai means tea. But in English-speaking countries, it means spiced tea.)
  • Herbal Tea: Technically herbal “tea” isn’t tea – any true “tea” comes from one, specific plant. Herbal “tea” is also referred to (correctly) as an infusion. Generally, herbal infusions have no caffeine.
  • Mint Tea: Mint tea is not green tea. Mint tea is generally a combination of the mint leaves and other plants that are not from the tea plant. So, it’s almost always caffeine free.

Frappuccino: The Frappuccino is a term trade-marked by Starbucks to describe their ice, blended drinks. It developed as a mix of the word, frappe and cappuccino. You won’t see the word, Frappuccino, used (legally) in any café except a Starbucks. However, you can order an iced-blended beverage almost anywhere now because Starbucks made them so popular.

MEMBER PROFILE: Tom Kereszti

Company: The John Maxwell Group

Founded: 2005

Leadership coach: Tom Kereszti

Product/Service: Leadership development, workshops, mentoring, coaching, public speaking

Website: www.JohnMaxwellGroup.com/tomkereszti

Location: 1185 First Avenue, Suite 201, San Diego, CA 92101

Contact info:

Tom Kereszti
415-793-4509
[email protected]
[email protected]

Upcoming special event: LIVE2LEAD, leadership development seminar

  • National simulcast hosted by John C. Maxwell, Leadership expert, best-selling author, life coach; and Dan Cathy, President/CEO, Chick-fil-A
  • Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, 8 am to 2:30 pm
  • General admission: $35; VIP admission: $65 (includes afternoon workshop co-hosted by Tom Kereszti and Dr. Stephen Kalauhi, transformation coach)
  • Rock East County Campus, 808 Jackman Street, El Cajon, CA 92020
  • Ticket info: contact Tom Kereszti, [email protected]

Quotable: “What is leadership? Leadership begins with leadership of yourself, then leadership of others and ultimately leadership of leaders. Tom is an industry influencer who adds value to individuals and companies reach their highest potential through life changing leadership principles.” – Tom Kereszti

Notable: Based on John Maxwell’s Biblically-based leadership principles, Tom will fine-tune his workshops, mentoring and coaching materials for your specific personal and business challenges. He will help transform your company and help your team realize its true leadership potential. Everything rises and falls on leadership. Look for an upcoming mastermind seminar hosted by Tom at CyberTECH.

Company Video: The John Maxwell Team

TOM KERESZTI is located within NEST at X-Hive, the newly-opened CoWork space at 1855 First Avenue, Suite 201, San Diego, CA 92103.

To inquire about available space, contact Darin Andersen:

VUEZ, pronounced as “views,” the French term for “view,” is a live media tech company that will give consumers and business professionals the ability to broadcast live, dynamic, and compelling video from anywhere in the world on all platforms.

Founder/CEO: Jay Ringgold
Co-founder/President: Victor Ross
Product/Service: Multi-level, mobile-media production
Founded: 2016
Expected launch: March, 2017
Website: www.vuez.com
Location: 1185 First Avenue, Suite #103, San Diego, CA 92101

Quotable: “The killer aspect of our product is a media production studio in your pocket. We allow users to effectively communicate using live and on-demand video on our platform. It gives the user the ability to use our patent-pending dynamic media creation tools, which to allow them to distribute and store their digital memories.

“In addition, we will offer our own original TV programming with original series, as well as giving viewers the ability to watch syndicated TV shows and movies.” – Jay Ringgold

Notable trends/ideas: “The trend in our field is mobile media, via video platforms, is set to surpass traditional TV networks by the year 2018. That means more and more users are turning to mobile devices to obtain their source of content, whether it’s live video or on-demand video, this is becoming the norm in today’s media industry.”

Bios/backgrounds:

  • Jay Ringgold is a strategic tech serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience with progressive tech ventures. A native San Diegan, he has built web technologies for National Lampoon, Inc. magazine and related tech ventures. Jay has teamed with various celebrities, including Grammy Award-winning performer Ludacris, and helped launch MyGhetto.com, which grew to over 600,000 active members.
  • Victor Ross has over 30 years in the investment industry in various corporate leadership roles. He also served for eight years as a fiduciary with the San Diego City Employees’ Retirement System, along with 15 years as a business owner and partner. Victor also has extensive experience in community service and with San Diego-based athletic foundations.

Contact info: 

                                               

VUEZ is located within NEST at X-Hive, the distinctive CoWork space at 1855 First Avenue, Suite 201, San Diego, CA 92103.

To inquire about available space, contact Darin Andersen: