When Scott Kirsner, author of the Boston Globe’s Innovation column and blog, invites you to a dinner meeting at the Microsoft NERD Center, you clear your calendar.  (Actually, first you get out the reading glasses and make sure your name didn’t get on the list by accident or auto-fill, especially when you see people like Bijan Sabet, David Beisel, Jeffrey Bussgang, Bill Warner, and Mike Hirshland also on the list.)

Scott originally called the group Cultural Commandos (we also threw out ninjas, ronin, knights, and others over the course of the evening — will be interested to see what the morning brings in terms of labels but it sounds like the Cultural Revolutionaries is the nom du jour.  Look for tweets with #CRBOS.) These are individuals who are spearheading what Scott has labeled “cultural change” initiatives — projects and events designed to reinvigorate the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation here in Boston.

Scott’s goals were simple — make sure we all knew each other and facilitate an exchange of ideas and best practices. Microsoft provided the space and the BBQ and beer.

Just the introductions alone were a goldmine of entrepreneurial spirit.  While the events ranged widely, from Mobile Monday to DART Boston’s Pokin’ Holes events to Open Coffee to programs like Stay In MA and websites like Greenhorn Connect, there was a striking similarity to the Commandos.  Every person had chosen one spot along the entrepreneurial evolutionary chain, staked out a spot and vigorously started supporting that spot.  For example, Stay in MA, DART, Greenhorn, and Innovation Open Houses target the entrepreneurial students and millennials, helping them build a network and encouraging them to stay in the area after graduation.

It is impossible to report on every conversation and grand idea from the evening but there were several themes.  (Apologies for mistakes, miss-hearings or outright errors now.)  Bill Warner proposed a “Play Big” theme or mantra.  He says he likes “winning” and he wants to see important companies in many industries based here.  In order to grow those important companies, we need to play big.  Hubspot’s Brian Halligan wants to see Massachusetts recognized as the leader in the world of marketing, and not Madison Avenue marketing, but digital marketing.  Bijan wants to see more encouragement of “experimentation with crazy ideas.”  Several people brought up “access” and “relationship building.” Nabeel Hyatt talked about dinner parties where connections were made and ideas vetted over food.  Kate from MoMo pointed out the power of an open bar.  Tim Rowe looked around the table and astutely congratulated everyone on their ability to focus and get something done in the area they feel passionate about.

At Mass Innovation Nights, we agree wholeheartedly with Bill Warner’s “Be louder” statement.  We’re about getting the word out about all the cool products, innovative services and terrific people in the region.  We use social media to amplify those messages as a group.  So let us amplify the messages from this evening’s event.

• Bill’s “Play Big” — swing for the fences.  We want to see YOU create the next big thing.
• Open up your door.  Hey Big Company founders and CEOs.  Have you heard about “Open Office Hours”?  Start keeping them.  Or, get yourself out into the community.  When was the last time you went to WebInno, or MoMo, or Mass Innovation Night?  Same for you, Angels.  Come on out!
• Think about your local entrepreneurs as you do the Red Sox or the Celtics or the Patriots.  They are your local team.  Sure there may some Monday morning armchair quarterbacking but you can still root on the home town boys  and girls.

Watch this space for links to other posts by the Innovation Cultural Revolutionaries.  Meanwhile, think about your dream list of people you want to connect with.  Who are they? And what you think we can and should do to help move the local innovation economy in a positive direction?

For additional info, check out Greenhorn Connect’s write-up and Shawn Broderick’s.  For folks who are interested, Jeff offered up a presentation he gave to HBS students on “What Makes the Boston Start-Up Scene Special”:  PowerPoint and video.

Additional updates:  Scott’s own post about the event, Bijan’s explanation of his “crazy” comment and Bobbie’s PR/Marketing-flavored commentary.

As part of  Mass Innovation Nights, we get the chance to hear presentations from lots of different interesting people and some events have more interesting names than others.(Side note: Although this column is obviously of interest to entrepreneurs and start-ups, Mass Innovation Nights is for everyone.  Big company, little company, medium-sized company.  In fact, we’ve noticed that we get a lot of small companies and a few very very large companies, but where are the mid-sized companies when it comes to exhibiting at Mass Innovation Nights?  Hmmm?)

So, what is Jelly?  Jelly is a casual work networking event or co-working arrangement.  Last week we went to a Jelly Talk, appropriately enough, at the TechStars Cambridge home in Central Square.  (TechStars was started in Colorado and is a mentorship-driven summer program designed to support very early stage companies.)  According to Executive Director Shawn Broderick, there are 21 founders and 65 mentors working on 9 TechStar companies in Cambridge this summer (out of 300 applications).  Watch for the opportunity to apply for 2010 after the first of the year.

Shawn shared the floor with Bijan Sabet from Spark Capital and the topic was early stage funding options.  The room was full and more questions came from online “Jellies” tuned in around the world.  Questions ranged from the “What kind of deal flow are you seeing?” to “What kind of advice would you give early stage applications?”  Here are some words of wisdom from the speakers:

• When asked about the relative importance of users versus a business model, Bijan fell on the side of  “user engagement.”  He’d rather see big numbers and cited Facebook.  He’d rather see scale.

• Shawn says “TechStar invests in teams.”  He wants to see founders who “execute like madmen, or madwomen.”  He emphasized this by saying, if you are in the TechStars program, “you are here because of who you are, not your idea (and some in spite of the idea.)”  Shawn’s advice for early stage start-ups was focused on the team.  “Build a great team, teams capable of executing in 3 months.”

• Bijan wanted the audience to understand that VCs make thematic investments.  They are focused on specific industries.  He also named “user experience” or a great UI as one of the biggest gaps in what he sees.

Another question focused on the “when” of approaching investors.  “What is the right time to approach VCs?”

• For TechStars, it is hard to get too early.  They like very early stage companies.  Shawn says of other VCs,  “It is never too early in theory but it needs to be the right investor.”
• Bijan “would rather see a demo than a PowerPoint presentation.”

All-in-all, good info for start-ups considering their options with regards to funding.  What advice would YOU give start-ups with regard to funding options?