High tech council continues as NH Tech Alliance
Organization seeks full-time executive director
After 18 months of work reviewing its mission, focus, and services, the New Hampshire High Tech Council is rolling out its new name, branding, and the four value pillars that will be the focus of its work on behalf of its membership. The organization will now be called the New Hampshire Tech Alliance.
The new name recognizes that the tech ecosystem has evolved significantly with an even greater imperative for cross-sector collaboration. The name also recognizes that the organization has grown, including partnerships, events, and robust programming that more broadly serve the tech sector and economic development in the state.
Three specific efforts have become part of the Alliance since January. These include Alpha Loft, Live Free and Start, and Computer Science for NH (CS4NH). The board also voted to update the mission statement to recognize that the Alliance serves companies from the earliest stage through some of largest and most mature companies.
“We are excited to roll out our new brand and value pillars. This is the culmination of many hours of strategic conversations and work to reposition the NH Tech Alliance as a true statewide resource, serving a growing and diverse membership. I want to personally thank our members, the board, staff, and volunteers for their significant efforts to bring this to fruition,” said Toral Cowieson, chair of the Alliance board.
The work of the Alliance will focus on four value pillars: talent and workforce, education and programs, advocacy and policy, and ecosystem engagement.
Signature events, such as Entrepreneur of the Year, Product of the Year, and TechOut will continue and be complemented by additional programming including the Speed Venture Summit, Start-up Shindig, and AccelerateNH. The Alliance will also continue its events and outreach efforts through the newly-created start-up committee and the solid programming of the BioMedTech and TechWomen|TechGirls initiatives. Additional programming such as executive forums and leadership roundtables are also in the works for 2018 and into the next year.
As part of the reorganization, membership benefits and tiers have been restructured to focus on engagement and a clear value proposition. With membership at an all-time high of nearly 300 companies and organizations, representing about 50,000 employees, the new tiers will be rolled out shortly and in place for 2019.
“The tech sector is an economic driver in New Hampshire,” said Cowieson. “It supports 12.6 percent of our state’s GDP and puts us 8th nationally in terms of the percent of our workforce that is in tech … Technological knowhow and innovation are integral to many industries today, including healthcare, life sciences, education, manufacturing, and much more, and the new Alliance brand and structure has been designed to help serve and bring together these diverse companies and support New Hampshire’s strong and growing economy. We look forward to hearing from our members and others in the tech ecosystem on these new efforts and enhancing our engagement in the future.”
The Alliance is building an in-house staff and moving to hiring a full-time executive director. The job description can be found here.
