Story + Photography by Jeremiah 'JD' Davis

The balcony terrace of Verdence Capital Advisors’ Alexandria offices was a great space for DC Startup Week to hold a recent happy hour. DC Startup Week brings together entrepreneurs of all experience levels to network, plan, and execute their next business moves. Cafe 44, a local hotspot, catered the event. Attendees varied greatly, some with established companies looking for rounds of investment, others on the brink of launching projects, and still others with only ideas in hand – all were welcomed.

Rachel Koretsky, lead organizer of DC Startup Week, has been with the organization for three years and plans to grow the community and its activities. Koretsky is from Philadelphia and graduated from American University before planting her roots in D.C. to grow a startup of her own, a now five-year-old tech company called Upace.