Is Morris County the Silicon Valley of the East? It just might be! In June 2016, a partnership of both the Morris County Economic Development Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey and the Morris Tech Meetup, formed in Chatham New Jersey by John Carini himself a software developer and entrepreneur, and now hosting over 1000 members, worked diligently on an agenda that would lay the groundwork and foundation for positioning Morris County as a location for the development of technology companies including software development, hardware, and companies that utilize the latest technological innovations. The presentation included a special panel and forum which was called “Becoming Silicon Jersey.”
The special event was held at The Mansion at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham-Madison campus and was hosted by the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Part of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Silberman College of Business since 1989, the mission of the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is to teach and support entrepreneurship and innovation in the academic, business and nonprofit communities. For more information, go to www.fdu.edu/rothman
The audience included entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and mid-market sized company leaders. The purpose of the panel was to lay out the roadmap for project planning and establishing a time line consisting of what it will take to make New Jersey the next Silicon Valley. Part of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Silberman College of Business since 1989, the mission of the Rothman Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is to teach and support entrepreneurship and innovation in the academic, business and nonprofit communities. For more information, go to www.fdu.edu/rothman.
Mike Michalowicz, who is an MSNBC host and author of Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan, and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, delivered the keynote address.
Panel members included John Carini of iEnterprises; Aaron Price, entrepreneur and “Propeller” founder; Mario Casabona, founder of TechLaunch; and Thomas Wisniewski, managing partner of Newark Venture Partners.
There are opportunities and challenges facing investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship in New Jersey. Yet NJ is uniquely positioned for economic trend-setting success. The location, access to a diverse and highly intelligent workforce and partnerships with leading research universities and colleges throughout the state are part of what make New Jersey the ideal location for a technology growth hub. In addition, the average commuting time from Morris County to Manhattan is under one hour, making it an exceptional location to access the business vibrancy and forward thinking growth organizations headquartered in New York City. New Jersey has a long history of innovation dating back to Bell Labs and leading up to the leading-edge life sciences capital that it has become. Many startups take root and expand here while they grow and employ thousands of NJ residents.
Is Morris County the Silicon Valley of the East? For more information on this paradigm or entrepreneurship generally in Morris County, the Morris County Economic Development Corporation Technology Committee and the “Becoming Silicon Jersey” initiative please contact Robert Wanthouse at the Morris County Economic Development Corporation at 973.210.6076.