Ziki - Michael DeAloia's last published content

techczar: @bruce_p_smith Always ready for lunch my man!

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:33:20 +0200

techczar: @bruce_p_smith Always ready for lunch my man!

techczar: Cleveland's newest social media start-up has its launch page in place. www.limeribbon.com. Watch for the LimeRibbon launch party in October.

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:30:29 +0200

techczar: Cleveland's newest social media start-up has its launch page in place. www.limeribbon.com. Watch for the LimeRibbon launch party in October.

techczar: Had lunch with Steve Lefkowitz - CFO of American Consolidated. One of the best guys on the planet.

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:42:46 +0200

techczar: Had lunch with Steve Lefkowitz - CFO of American Consolidated. One of the best guys on the planet.

techczar: Time for a little CrossFit action.

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:08:17 +0200

techczar: Time for a little CrossFit action.

techczar: RT @ johnheaney "Cleveland tweeps. We need to coordinate a @techczar lunchtime mob. Fill Saigon with a rush of smartphone Tweeps." I am in.

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:32:44 +0200

techczar: RT @ johnheaney "Cleveland tweeps. We need to coordinate a @techczar lunchtime mob. Fill Saigon with a rush of smartphone Tweeps." I am in.

techczar: Saigon was the place today. Mike Fischer of Thinsolutions. Jonathan Murray of Early Stage Partners. Deb Janik of GCP. Many, many others!

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:31:08 +0200

techczar: Saigon was the place today. Mike Fischer of Thinsolutions. Jonathan Murray of Early Stage Partners. Deb Janik of GCP. Many, many others!

techczar: Wow! What a great morning. Next up lunch. Can you guess where?

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:53:45 +0200

techczar: Wow! What a great morning. Next up lunch. Can you guess where?

techczar: I am up too early, Cleveland.

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:02:50 +0200

techczar: I am up too early, Cleveland.

techczar: I love Pandora. Great application. www.pandora.com

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:15:07 +0200

techczar: I love Pandora. Great application. www.pandora.com

techczar: Enjoy some Cleveland History. The Superior Viaduct brought to you by Cool History of Cleveland. www.coolhistoryofcleveland.blog.com.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:44:54 +0200

techczar: Enjoy some Cleveland History. The Superior Viaduct brought to you by Cool History of Cleveland. www.coolhistoryofcleveland.blog.com.

techczar: Had lunch with Tammy Wise - President of Wise Group and messiest eater around! Great time. Saigon of course. www.wisegroup.com.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:33:45 +0200

techczar: Had lunch with Tammy Wise - President of Wise Group and messiest eater around! Great time. Saigon of course. www.wisegroup.com.

techczar: @JimEngland It is a graduate level entrepreneurial class.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:31:35 +0200

techczar: @JimEngland It is a graduate level entrepreneurial class.

techczar: Great meeting with my boys from DigiBahn! They are the bomb.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:24:23 +0200

techczar: Great meeting with my boys from DigiBahn! They are the bomb.

techczar: Working on a number of economic incentive and social media projects today. Good stuff.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:20:45 +0200

techczar: Working on a number of economic incentive and social media projects today. Good stuff.

techczar: In my spare time I have produced some music. Take a listen and tell me what you think. http://tinyurl.com/lcjbsx.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:04:57 +0200

techczar: In my spare time I have produced some music. Take a listen and tell me what you think. http://tinyurl.com/lcjbsx.

techczar: Fascinating story on the Superior Viaduct in Cleveland. Only at the Cool History of Cleveland. www.coolhistoryofcleveland.blog.com.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:10:11 +0200

techczar: Fascinating story on the Superior Viaduct in Cleveland. Only at the Cool History of Cleveland. www.coolhistoryofcleveland.blog.com.

techczar: Had an awesome afternoon session with a client talking through social media strategy.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:19:17 +0200

techczar: Had an awesome afternoon session with a client talking through social media strategy.

techczar: @amcmoore Throw some ice on that brain!

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:03:41 +0200

techczar: @amcmoore Throw some ice on that brain!

techczar: Tech Czar Food Review: Bricco's (Cleveland) Food Factor: B- Cool Factor: A- Service Factor: B-

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:02:04 +0200

techczar: Tech Czar Food Review: Bricco's (Cleveland) Food Factor: B- Cool Factor: A- Service Factor: B-

techczar: @JamesMorse You can never go wrong with Saigon, Greenhouse Tavern and House of Blues on East Fourth, my friend.

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:43:16 +0200

techczar: @JamesMorse You can never go wrong with Saigon, Greenhouse Tavern and House of Blues on East Fourth, my friend.

A Plan to Grow Cleveland's Tech Industry - Part II

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:00:00 +0100

A few days past I presented an outline for growing Cleveland’s tech industry. The five proposed policies or programs were:

      I.        The Cleveland Technology Center (“CTC”) – A collaborative hub of thought and development that becomes the centerpiece of Cleveland’s investment in the tech industry. This is a physical space, a state-of-the-art tech-based facility.
     II.        The Cleveland Ventures Fund (“CVF”) – A technology-centric fund that will invest in promising technologies, partnerships within the City of Cleveland. Goal was to secure $100.0 million to be invested in Cleveland-based tech-companies.
    III.        The “Information Technology” Cradle – Creation of special zones along Euclid, Superior and Carnegie that allow for heavy concentration of tech companies and new real estate development.
   IV.        Cleveland Municipal Schools Tech Vision – The Mayor’s Office and the CEO of the Cleveland Schools creating a special tech-based curriculum for top students.
    V.        “Tiger Teams” – A specialized group formed to target middle-market tech and biotech firms and assist them with the relocation of their corporate headquarters or R&D facilities to the City of Cleveland.

Today, I thought of adding some detail to the first policy/program – the Cleveland Technology Center (“CTC”). The original idea behind the CTC was to construct a “best-in-class” building that would offer safe haven to fledgling technology development while at the same time to enhance capital market access and professional service. I suspect the philosophy behind this notion was to appease the real estate developers at the time (remember this plan was developed in late 2001). But the idea of constructing a bustling center right at Public Square was a pretty provocative notion at the time (and honestly it remains so – to have so much of the center of Cleveland as a large surface lot is very disturbing).

My original plan was to work with local real estate developers to construct a 30-45 story tower where the planned Ameritrust Tower was to be built on Public Square. Working with the Mayor’s Office and City Planning (i.e. the Planning Commission) the goal was to fast tract the building not as a symbolic gesture (as economic development has often become in Cleveland) but as an orchestrated effort to create a lasting impression of Cleveland’s willingness to develop and promote its technology industries.

The CTC was to become an architectural bridge between the Warehouse District and Gateway (and to provide the completion of Public Square). I had high expectations that additional development of apartments, condominiums and specialty restaurants and retail would begin after the construction of the CTC. A noble goal and vision of the plan was to, yes, help centralize tech development but to also spur further downtown development especially in the Warehouse District which has great vibrancy but feels incomplete.

The building was to become a collaborative atmosphere where the entrepreneur, capital market experts, commercialization specialists, academics, students and professionals versed in technology in technology issues would work (in perfect harmony, mind you). Imagine a center where the large tech companies in the U.S. – Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, etc. – would establish their local offices are presence (as opposed to the suburbs), while local tech companies are being created in large incubators. National and regional venture capital groups would support small local offices, as well as National and regional law firms and accounting firms would house their tech-based consultancies and practices. I believe, as an entrepreneur myself, that it would be of great benefit to find new technologies, key management personnel, financing and professional services all in one place.

All commercialization efforts of all the regional universities – University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University and Kent State, and others – would also find a home in the CTC. With entrepreneurs to the left and venture capitalists to the right, the idea was to foster a collaborative home where opportunity could be found, management could be secured and financing could be had. Another key component of the CTC would be a classroom area for students in the Cleveland Municipal School system; a full selection of e-Business and technology classes could be taught from thought leaders in the local tech scene, nationally recognized professors, venture capitalists, attorneys and accountants. These classes would be unlike anything currently being taught – ANYWHERE! Just imagine the great knowledge transfer from national tech companies, local entrepreneurs, and cutting edge technologies being granted to our next generation.

The final component of the CTC was an additional tool to support future generations and to provide technical training and entrepreneurship to the neighborhoods. A small number of mini-incubators would be developed in the various neighborhoods in Cleveland. I originally planned on creating these mini-incubators in Collinwood, Tremont, Fairfax, South Broadway and Glenville. The goal of these mini-incubators would be to understand how the various ethnic neighborhoods and economically-challenged areas of the City interact and utilize technology; decipher via research the extended opportunities of these interactions and to drive the commercialization of such usages toward profitable technology applications. There has been no other tech economic development plan that incorporates the “neighborhood-based” commercialization concept. The City of Cleveland would be the only city that would be creating a life-long continuum of tech development and entrepreneurship.

If the goal is to create a Cleveland as the new model in tech development then the CTC could become a great catalyst to rally around.

A Plan to Grow Cleveland's Tech Industry - Part I

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:42:00 +0100

It has been nearly 90-days since I decided to resign my post as “Tech Czar” at the City of Cleveland and I was reflecting upon my time in the civic realm. A few days past I was going through a few boxes of notes, reports and other personal effects when I came across a presentation that I had put together prior to me interviewing for the post. Some quick history here, my first interview for the “Tech Czar” role was January 7^th, 2002. This was soon after Mayor Campbell won in November of 2001. I interviewed twice with Tim Mueller – who was about to become Campbell’s Chief Development Officer. I did not get the job the first time around – the original “Tech Czar” was Tim Moran now at the Cleveland Clinic.

The presentation struck a chord with me, however. Remember, I wrote this presentation in late 2001. (And, in fact, when I interviewed for the post again in 2004 I used the same presentation I did two years prior.) The presentation offered a plan to create a new office within the economic development department called the Office of Technology and Innovation. This Office would then be given the goal of developing an economic environment that would be willing to initiate risk and accept reward; foster a “cycle” of education, creation, commercialization and capital market acceptance of local technology. And thus, create five programs – which I will detail in a moment – that establish Cleveland as a model of private and public partnership; a “case-study” in successful deployment and nurturing of a fledgling technology industry in Cleveland.

The five proposed policies or programs were:

      I.        The Cleveland Technology Center (“CTC”) – A collaborative hub of thought and development that becomes the centerpiece of Cleveland’s investment in the tech industry. This is a physical space, a state-of-the-art tech-based facility.
     II.        The Cleveland Ventures Fund (“CVF”) – A technology-centric fund that will invest in promising technologies, partnerships within the City of Cleveland. Goal was to secure $100.0 million to be invested in Cleveland-based tech-companies (and by the way, if Ann Arbor, MI can find $100.0 for tech-based investments then certainly Cleveland could do the same).
    III.        The “Information Technology” Cradle – Creation of special zones along Euclid, Superior and Carnegie that allow for heavy concentration of tech companies and new real estate development.
   IV.        Cleveland Municipal Schools Tech Vision – The Mayor’s Office and the CEO of the Cleveland Schools creating a special tech-based curriculum for top students.
    V.        “Tiger Teams” – A specialized group formed to target middle-market tech and biotech firms and assist them with the relocation of their corporate headquarters or R&D facilities to the City of Cleveland.

I still believe that this plan is just as relevant today as when I first proposed it nearly six years ago. Over the coming weeks, I will be adding some detail on each policy/program, why it did or did not work and current strategies in place by other groups. I will try to be as exhaustive as I can be in the detail. I would like to hear commentary from as many people as possible on this plan and others (I have never thought mine was gospel or the only answer). At the end, though, I believe I will have offered a comprehensive plan that could propel the City as a key national player in the tech and biotech sectors.

Sweet, Sweet Music

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:13:00 +0100

Now that I am out of the public sector and enjoying my new found daily sanity, I have noticed that I am beginning to investigate the Internet and technology more than I have the past three or so years as the "tech czar." It is a new awakening. One of the cool web tools that I have found and have been using in the office is Pandora (www.pandora.com), a very cool music experiment where you would type in a style of music or a band. Pandora then builds a radio station(s) for you to enjoy. Cool stuff.

So as part of my new found freedom and Isaac Newton "let's discovery gravity" mindset, I am offering up my pandora website for your enjoyment.

http://www.pandora.com/people/mdealoia#

Let me know what you think, my friends.

Become One with the Ziki

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 22:56:00 +0100

A few weeks ago while surfing the net on a Friday (a Friday - what has become of my week-end social life), and came across a new search tool for individuals - the ziki. So, hey, go check out my new ziki profile....get connected with my ziki and others....offers a really cool search tool as well.

Let me know what you think:

http://www.ziki.com/en/people/techczar

Peace out.

Hanna Tech Hotel

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:57:00 +0200

The idea for the Hanna Tech Hotel (“HTH”) was borne during a brilliant dinner at Jac’s (W. Sixth & St. Clair – go check it out, people) with Art Falco and Tom Einhouse, both of Playhouse Square, this past December. Great company and good food will always bring out the creative flow for me. (The occasional Kettle One Gimlet has the same effect on my creativity and it makes me happy to boot.) The discussion at the table centered on the fact that all of us felt that despite the great success we had in making the IdeaCenter a center for the tech community we were missing a large number of entrepreneurs and their real estate needs. The consensus at the table was to develop a unique real estate offering that could provide the entrepreneur all the trappings of a completed office environment (i.e. – furniture, connectivity, presentation/conference rooms) without the need of a long-term lease.

In late spring, Playhouse Square began development of the facility on the third floor of the Hanna Building (E. 14^th & Euclid Avenue). If you have ever been in the Hanna Building you would have noticed the gorgeous architecture and the “old school” look and feel on each floor. So, it was decided early on to create a destination within the building that had gravitational pull. Now if you haven’t been to the Tech Hotel space, I cannot provide the rich description that you would need – but I can say that the Hotel is a fantastic destination place in the building and the suites offered are unlike anything in the Cleveland marketplace. Each office is decked-out in Ikea gear, the color palette of the office kicks ass (lime with various shades of gray), tons of connectivity for start-up tech companies and a cool, collaborative environment. All for a great monthly rent rate.

The HTH is the type of product that we should be offering to the growing entrepreneurial class in Cleveland. An inexpensive office (“business-in-a-box”) for start-up or fledgling tech companies with no long-term arrangement. If you grow, no worries we can keep expanding office for you, need to regroup and shrink your office floor-plan. Again, no worries mate. We will simply move you into a smaller office. Do me a favor, my friends, a take a tour of the HTH – contact Tom Einhouse @ Playhouse Square (www.playhousesquare.com) and arrange a time to take a peek at the space.