Founder to Know: Geoff Domoracki, DevNetwork

If you’re involved with developer technologies in the Bay Area (and now Los Angeles and New York City), chances are you’re familiar with DevNetwork. The company has made it its mission to make programming more inclusive, and its done so by focusing on developer conferences and other tech-industry events.

However, the organization’s roots actually stem from the Midwest.

“I lived in Chicago for eight years - where I went to University of Chicago - and started Techweek with my current co-founder Jon Pasky,” said Geoff Domoracki, co-founder and CEO of DevNetwork. “At first, Techweek was a web development consulting company, but our conferences got larger than the consulting side, until Techweek became the largest startup/tech conference in the Midwest.”

Domoracki was nice enough to answer some questions from 1851 regarding the beginnings of DevNetwork, as well as what advice he would give to the next crop of entrepreneurs.

Where did the idea for DevNetwork come from?

DevNetwork actually started as Data 2.0 in San Francisco, where we hosted some of [the city’s] largest data innovation conferences. Once we realized that most of our attendees were developers, we decided to roll out more developer conferences such as DeveloperWeek, API World and Integrate.

What were the biggest challenges in launching DevNetwork?

As a conference company, the challenge is not in launching the company - the challenge lies in continually reinventing the content and conversation every six months. Since we're a “startup” conference company, we have to stay more agile and relevant than the larger conference companies!

Are there any things from when you first started you would go back and change if you could?

As a conference brand, I would have targeted developers earlier. The number of technologies targeting developers is increasing exponentially - and developers need to know about these innovations.

What are some highlights of the work DevNetwork has done?

The DeveloperWeek Hackathon had over 550 participants, making it one of San Francisco's largest hackathons!

What are your goals for DevNetwork in 2015?

Integrate 2015 is a new type of conference. The new path to success as a tech company lies in integrating with other technologies. Integrate 2015 is the first major "tech integration" conference.

What advice would you give to an entrepreneur looking to start their own business today?

There are a few types of companies you can start. Traditional J-curve startups require upfront funding and take a while to break even. Tech conference companies are more like traditional small businesses you can grow off of cash flow. There are positive and negatives for both, but I would definitely recommend considering pursuing a cash flow company!