Mason Enterprise Center Fairfax
   
September 2020 Newsletter  
MEC Partnership with Europe ENRICH Program
MEC Selected as Hub for Europe ENRICH Program
The MEC-Fairfax is proud to announce that it has recently been selected as one of three hubs in the U.S., along with Boston and San Francisco, for the European Commission's ENRICH program.

ENRICH is a global network of centers and hubs that promotes the internationalization of European science, technology and innovation.
Promoted by the European Commission through Horizon 2020, ENRICH in the USA acts as a central contact point for EU research and innovation actors seeking to grow and reinforce collaboration across the Atlantic.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the launch of the program and the acceptance of European deep-tech startups at the MEC have been delayed until international travel has returned to normal, but stay tuned for more information about this exciting new partnership!
Upcoming Events
MEC Free Webinar: Grow Your Business with Brand Voice & Personality
Thursday, September 24, 2020, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Grow Your Business with Brand Voice & Personality is designed for entrepreneurs and brand stewards to think through how their brands communicate with their clients to create content that resonates more quickly and more profoundly. Attendees will not only learn about brand voice and personality, but also learn how to leverage these tools to make deeper emotional connections to their customers. An emotionally engaged customer is more likely to be a consistent and continual customer, so it is valuable to understand how to speak to customers in ways that attract and retain them. 

 
Key Learning Objectives and Takeaways:
  • Understand why and how brand voice and personality work "in the background" to enrich your marketing and add value to your business
  • Learn how to fine tune your use of brand voice and personality to create more meaningful emotional connections to your customers
  • Start the process of discovering and developing your own unique brand voice and personality
Reggie Holmes - Principal and Creative Director at Enthuse Creative, LLC, a strategic brand consulting and design business based in Tysons, VA - presents this webinar, designed for entrepreneurs and brand stewards to think through how their brands communicate with their clients to create content that resonates more quickly and more profoundly. 
Client in the News
Venio Systems Announces Majority Investment
Venio Systems, one of the fastest growing eDiscovery software companies, is proud to announce a majority investment from Software Growth Partners (SGP) to accelerate the growth of its industry-leading VenioOne platform. As a rapidly growing software company, Venio was seeking a strategic financial partner that not only makes capital investments, but also has a strong track-record of building successful software businesses, to further enhance Venio's position in the eDiscovery market. SGP's investment will assist Venio in realizing its goal of providing the most sophisticated and comprehensive eDiscovery software platform in the industry. Chris Jurkiewicz, Venio's Co-founder and VP of Client Services, emphasized, "Having SGP as our partner will allow us to broaden not only our technology offerings but also our sales, marketing, and customer support efforts to further grow Venio's market presence and build an even stronger eDiscovery brand for Venio." Venio's founders benefited from the guidance of two MEC in-house mentors, Gary Genter (strategy, valuation and exit planning) and Dr. Michael Mort (legal advice) as they have grown Venio at the MEC Business Accelerator over the past several years and prepared for this investment.
MEC-Fairfax Welcomes
Kessler Real Estate Group
Principal and Founder Patrick M. Kessler has assembled a group of real estate companies providing Consulting, Brokerage, Construction, Design/Build and Land Development services for Homes, the small to mid-sized projects prevalent in the majority of our Washington Metro area.  Kessler Real Estate Group, Picasso Custom Builders (aka Picasso Homes) and Kessler Group, LLC combine an impressive group of real estate services and professionals with an exceptional set of skills that is immeasurable and invaluable when buying, selling, building, investing or developing real estate.  The companies are blessed by having a small group of very experienced professionals that add to the benefit of our companies and clients.  The two key points to Mr. Kessler's success are "Knowledge is King" and "Excellence and their Client's Happiness is a Minimum Standard".  For anything real estate related, call, email or stop by our 3rd floor office for a chat and until these challenging times are over, we will have our masks on!  For more information, visit www.picassohomes.com
Reduced Occupancy Limits for Conference Rooms

To maintain social distancing requirements, the MEC-Fairfax has reduced maximum occupancy limits for its conference rooms.  Specifically, occupancy limits are at half capacity for conference rooms 1 - 11.  Use of the larger conference/training rooms A and B is limited to 10 people per room.  Please contact mecffx@gmu.edu or call 703-277-7700 for reservations. 
MEC Guidelines During Phased Reopening
Message from Gisele Stolz, Director
The MEC, your individual offices, common areas, meeting rooms, and the mailroom remain accessible 24/7.
The MEC continues to maintain our limited daily front desk office hours from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The reception area will remain locked but accessible via a key FOB or by using the back door with the cipher code (new code sent separately).
Please remember to wear a mask and keep your social distance while at the MEC. Thank you for your cooperation with these requirements. Together we can ensure a safe and healthy environment for our employees, visitors, and clients.