We had over 250 people show up, supporting Coloft, and giving us love. It was just incredible. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to celebrate with us. You are all the reason why we are here, and we can’t do it without you. Thanks for the emails, tweets, calls, hugs, and all the bits of love you all gave us.

After only one year of Colofting, we have all accomplished so much, and we are SO excited to kick even more arse this year.

Check out the pics from Coloft Fest here, and the photobooth pics here and here, thanks to Photoboxi for an awesome time.

Photobooths + parties = MAJOR win. The evidence speaks for itself

And, of course, thanks again to our amazing sponsors: Idealab, Startup Weekend, Microsoft Bizpark, Fortis Law, Media Temple, Q Connects, Docstoc, BetterWorks, and Namesake. You guys all ROCK.

Cheers,

Cam

Avesta and I are often asked what inspired us to create Coloft, and I’m feeling rather nostalgic today, so here’s a quick story for you.

Before Coloft was born, we would work from home. Well, actually, first from an overpriced executive suite, where it seemed like they would charge extra for everything from WiFi, to parking, to the number of breaths you take. Then we migrated to coffee shops and working from home. It was so depressing. I mean, working from home was okay I guess… sometimes. But let’s just say our productivity was nowhere near what it could have been. We were in pajamas all day, and we’d just turn on the TV whenever the brain farts came along. Not good.

Coffee shops were okay too… if you got a comfortable spot (not those hard wooden chairs that can give you hemorrhoids), and a large enough table, and you’re not right next to the barista yelling out names… “JAMESS!!! Half-caf-non-dairy-soy-free-rice-milk-double-tall-grande-iced-latte!!” Ow. My ear. ::shiver::

But most of all, we were lonely. We worked together, and sure we’re married, and enjoy one another’s company, but still. It’s different. We’re social people, and we enjoy being around others. There was no one else to hang out with or go to lunch with. No one to share the entrepreneurial roller-coaster feelings with. No happy hour peeps. No “coworkers”. It kind of sucked.

So we thought, what if there was a place where we could work amongst like-minded peeps, but still work for ourselves? Put a bunch of super smart, talented, ambitious entrepreneurs and independents in one room. Throw in some kick-ass (organic) coffee, and all that stuff you need in an office, like a printer, scanner, fax machine, and even meeting rooms. Combine all that with a chill, creative, welcoming vibe, and some cool background music. Wow. Now THAT would be AWESOME.

And thus, the Coloft was born. And we couldn’t be happier. Everyday we are literally hanging out with friends. Really smart friends, with a wide variety of talent. We now have this amazing community of incredible people, and within that, there is a little Coloft economy going on. It’s pretty cool to watch. Freelancers getting gigs from the startups and entrepreneurs in need and programmers getting gigs for all the sites being built, etc. We’re super productive, mingle amongst brilliant minds, throw ideas out there, brainstorm, get to be part of epic events, and grab drinks at happy hour. But, most of all, we have made some amazing friends. What more could you want from “going to work”.

And so, the moral of the story is,
1) go after what you want, and what you enjoy, and everything will be awesome
2) get out of the house or coffee shop and give coworking a try.. you’ve got nothing to lose, but SO much to gain.

Cheers,
Cam

Matt Sandler (Mr. Startup Digest LA himself) and Aaron Stannard (Microsoft’s Startup Developer Evangelist)  took the reigns on making some amazing waffles, and getting the community together. If you missed out, keep your eye out for the next Startup Waffles in a couple months!

Awesome peeps + yummy waffles (^Nutella) = Win

*This post will cover the jist of the weekend – want to know more about the teams and ideas? Check out  la.startupweekend.org *

You have 54 hours to pitch your idea, form a strong team that can make that idea into reality, and pitch it in front of a panel of Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists, and uber-successful Entrepreneurs. Crazy? Yes. Impossible? No. That is Startup Weekend. And that was what we got to witness over the weekend. My takeaway? I’m left truly inspired, and realize that ANYTHING is possible.

This was our second time hosting Startup Weekend LA here at Coloft, and once again we were blown away. Not just by the brilliant ideas and infectious energy, but by the teamwork and dedication. Sleep becomes the enemy in the race against time, and nothing matters but getting it done, and getting it done well. Because at the end of this adrenaline pumping weekend, you get up in front of a panel and audience of over 100 and present the final product.

Day 1: The crowd starts pouring in at about 5pm – many unaware of what the weekend will hold, and it shows on their faces. Those who have experienced SW before, have a look of motivation and ambition to conquer and win. It’s about 90 entrepreneurs, developers, marketers, and others that have been so eloquently labeled as “Jack of All Trades”.

Friday night begins with pitches — 60 seconds to pitch your idea as convincingly as you can so you’re able to round up a team afterwards. Once pitches are over, teams form based on the ideas that have the largest following (12 teams this time around), and the rest of the night is strategizing – til about 12am.

Day 2: Begins at 8:30am with “Startup Bagels” and, of course, our BFF, coffee. Teams immediately start programming, coding, designing, strategizing, and creating. This continues all day, and into the night. There were random bursts of music to keep the energy high… mostly “Eye of the Tiger” — which became the weekend mantra.

There was even Startup Yoga — to help destress.

Around midnight, we called it a night… but it didn’t end there. A group of us were too wired and hyper to sleep, so we ended up at Bodega Wine Bar around the corner for a round of drinks and fun. Got home about 3am.

Highlight of the night: Glengarry Glen Ross clip –>Coffee is for Closers (pic below)

Day 3: We arrive at 8:30am. This is it. The final countdown.The room is buzzing with anticipation,  adrenaline, and amazing energy.

About 5pm, the judges and speakers start arriving, and the teams are wrapping it up. Some continue coding and practicing their presentation in the bathrooms, some outside, some in their cars. Wherever they are able to get a few more moments in.  Judges and speakers included

Angel Investor Paige Craig, CEO of Docstoc Jason Nazar, William Quigley of Clearstone Ventures, Scott Sangster of the Tech Coast Angels, Wil Schroter the CEO of Affordit, Go Big Network, GotCast, and Unsubscribe, and Sean Percival of MySpace, among others.

The speakers give inspirational talks, and before you know it, presentations are underway. All the teams did a truly amazing job in presenting their finished products. It was hard to believe that they created something fully operational in such a short amount of time. Once it’s over judges deliberate to nominate the winner — from what I could tell, judges take into account originality of idea, execution, presentation, whether you’re solving a clear pain point, and the revenue model. (side note: this is totally my opinion considering I was not a judge or in the judges room). The winner is then announced (all details on winners and prizes at la.startupweekend.org).

And then, it’s over.

Once it’s all over, it feels like something’s missing – because startup weekend is more than just competing to create a great product — it’s about teamwork, community, and most of all, fun. It was A LOT of fun. It felt like we were family in some ways — as if we all share a bond. Once it’s over, it feels like there’s a post-weekend depression/hangover.

Thanks to Startup Weekend for creating such an incredible experience for so many people all over the world, and for letting Coloft play a part in it. ‘Til the next…

This marks the beginning of many more member events, which have been endearingly coined as ‘Colofters Anonymous’, since colofting can get kinda addicting.  Some other fun ones that will be coming up soon include Movie Nights, Co-L(a)unching, Brainstorm Breakfasts, and lots more. Stay tuned!

Day one started off with breakfast and loads of caffeine, followed by a full day dedicated to Ruby… yes, lunch was somewhere in there too. Day two was similar, but all about Rails, and went something like this: breakfast and coffee (can’t do without it), lots of Rails, lunch, even more Rails. According to class attendees, overall, the class was great and they would “highly recommend it” to others. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure:

There will definitely be more courses in the future, and we are looking into adding other programming languages as well — in addition to any other type of course we think the Colofting community would benefit from. So if you guys have any ideas, definitely hit me up at cameron at coloft to discuss. We do what you, the community, tells us to — as long as it’s legal of course.

Whether you’re looking to improve your employability, add value to your business, or just take on a summer programming project, this one-time-only Ruby and Rails Bootcamp may be what you’re looking for. Two days, Fifteen students, Two instructors. How’s that for up-close and personal?

For now we can keep BOTH days at the $495 price. But we can’t keep it that way for much longer.

View the outline. Sign up. Win!

http://coloftrubyandrails.eventbrite.com/

Hosted by the founder of the digest and chief waffler himself, Chris McCann, along with Matt Sandler (the LA curator for Startup Digest), the turnout was huge — at 8am on a Tuesday no less. Over 100 people, from startups and entrepreneurs, to lawyers and VCs; the energy was all around the room. Even Mark Suster himself was there making waffles! Thanks to everyone who made it out for yet another awesome event!

Coloft is front-page news on Entreprenuer.com today! Check out the video they shot of me, Avesta, and the awesome people that make Coloft the best community for Entrepreneurs, Startups, and Independents in Santa Monica!