Find a Job, a Degree Program or Get Inspired at the Vermont Tech Jam

Looking for a meaningful job that pays the bills? Want to meet entrepreneurs building successful Vermont-based businesses? You’ll find both at the Vermont Tech Jam on Saturday, October 26, at Hula in Burlington. 

The free event, organized by Seven Days and presented by Hula and Marvell, runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is followed by a keynote presentation. Dozens of recruiters from some of Vermont’s largest and most innovative employers will be scouting for talent at the Tech Jam, including Beta Technologies, Waterbury’s KORE Power and NOMAD, National Life Group and Colchester-based VIP.

Students and career changers are welcome at Tech Jam, too: Admissions staffers from many of the state’s colleges and universities will be on hand to explain their programs. 

This year’s Tech Jam will include two talks: 

• At noon, solopreneur Matty Benedetto of Burlington explains how he turned his oddball ideas and entrepreneurial drive into a social media powerhouse — Unnecessary Inventions — with 10 million followers. In a spacious, second-floor Church Street Marketplace suite once occupied by the Gap, Benedetto uses an array of 3D printers to create prototypes of peculiar products on behalf of global brands including Disney, Dr. Pepper, Wendy’s and Apple. 

• At 3 p.m., OnLogic cofounder and executive chair Roland Groeneveld and vice president of human resources Lauren Lavallee discuss how the 21-year-old, locally owned company grew from its first home in Roland and Lisa Groeneveld’s apartment to its brand-new, 150,000-square-foot headquarters, visible behind the iconic “Whales’ Tails” sculpture off I-89 in South Burlington. With six offices spanning the globe and nearly 300 employees, OnLogic now generates more than $100 million in revenue annually working with clients such as NASA, General Motors and Universal Studios. Lavallee and her team will be at the Jam all day talking with potential hires.

Need a digital makeover? Montpelier-based Storyworkz will be offering professional headshots at a discount thanks to Seven Days Jobs. Career coach Sue Schlom from the Targeted Resume will help Jammers hone their presentation skills. She’s doing a pre-Jam virtual boot camp on Friday, October 18, to help job seekers prepare. Sign up at techjamvt.com.

The Vermont Tech Jam wouldn’t be possible without support from an array of companies and organizations committed to the local tech ecosystem: Hula, Marvell, VIP, Data Innovations, KORE Power/NOMAD, Myti, Norwich University, GlobalFoundries, Northfield Savings Bank, National Life Group, GBIC, the Vermont Technology Council, University of Vermont Office of Research and the Vermont Technology Alliance.

For more information, a list of exhibitors and to register for this free event, visit techjamvt.com.