Vermont Tech Jam 1It feels like summer outside, but I’m not fooled. I know it’s fall, because I just sent out a press release for the 7th annual Vermont Tech Jam, which is coming up in a few weeks. Here it is, below:

Burlington, Vt. – Dozens of the state’s fastest growing and most innovative companies will participate in the 7th annual Vermont Tech Jam, a free job fair and tech expo on Friday and Saturday, October 18 and 19, at Memorial Auditorium in downtown Burlington. Job seekers, tech enthusiasts, students and anyone curious about the state’s rapidly expanding tech economy should plan to attend.

The Jam is presented by Dealer.com and MyWebGrocer — two of the area’s largest tech employers. It’s organized by Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent newsweekly, and the Vermont Technology Alliance, the trade organization supporting Vermont’s tech business community.

“Vermont is home to a remarkable number of fast-growing, innovative technology companies, and the Tech Jam is an opportunity to see many of them all in one place,” said Jeff Couture, executive director of the Vermont Technology Alliance. “From the displays to the panel discussions to the Tech Jam awards, visitors will discover the businesses that are creating world-leading technology products, software and services right here in the Green Mountain state.”

Highlights of this year’s Vermont Tech Jam include:

  • A chance to meet recruiters from companies including MyWebGrocer, Dealer.com, C2, BioTek, Logic Supply, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Pwnie Express, a central Vermont cyber-security firm that just raised more than $5 million in venture capital.

  • Demos from Burlington’s new 3-D print shop, Blu-Bin.

  • Presentations on new research from the University of Vermont and Norwich University’s Applied Research Institutes, the latter of which just won $9.9 million in federal homeland security contracts to help prepare for cyberattacks.

  • The announcement of the winners of the Tech Jam innovator and ambassador awards.

  • A Saturday morning launch event for StoryhackVT, a 24-hour storytelling competition that invites teams to craft a narrative using three digital media platforms.

  • A Saturday appearance by Bina48, an advanced, humanoid robot from Bristol, Vermont, that has been featured on NPR and in the New York Times and National Geographic Magazine since she “came to life” in 2010.

Sponsors of the 2013 Vermont Tech Jam include Dealer.com, MyWebGrocer, BioTek, C2, Champlain College, Logic Supply, FairPoint Communications, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Merchants Bank, the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Vermont Agency of Education, the Vermont Technology Council, the Vermont Technology Alliance and the city of Burlington.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger will kick off the Jam on Friday morning from the Memorial Auditorium stage. “The City is delighted to be sponsoring the 7th annual Tech Jam and hosting the event in the City’s own Memorial Auditorium,” said Weinberger. “Burlington’s future economic health depends on innovation and growth in the region’s tech community and greater awareness and utilization of the City’s unparalleled fiber-optic resources.”

The Vermont Tech Jam was started in 2008 by Seven Days, the Vermont Technology Alliance (formerly the Vermont Software Developers’ Alliance) and a coalition of public and private sector partners who sought to increase the visibility of the state’s vibrant, and growing, technology sector. There were two Tech Jams that year — one in January, and one in October. The Tech Jam became an annual event in 2009.

The Vermont Tech Jam was started in 2008 by Seven Days, the Vermont Technology Alliance (formerly the Vermont Software Developers’ Alliance) and a coalition of public and private sector partners who sought to increase the visibility of the state’s vibrant, and growing, technology sector. There were two Tech Jams that year — one in January, and one in October. The Tech Jam became an annual event in 2009.

Find an event schedule and list of exhibitors and sign up for the weekly Tech Jam News email newsletter at techjamvt.com.