#featured

Jan 29, 2019

Keynote Talk: Parkland Student and March for our Lives Cofounder, Jaclyn Corin

“I hope to help young people recognize their power and potential to make a difference by sharing my experiences.” –Jaclyn Corin Tuesday, April 9 at 12:00pm at The Paramount Theater Students: Free | General Admission: $25 – includes boxed lunch Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to hear from headliner Jaclyn Corin, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior who co-founded March For Our Lives. Jaclyn is a student from Parkland, Florida who survived a mass shooting that

Jan 21, 2019

Headliner Alert: Slate’s Political Gabfest is Coming to Tom Tom 2019!

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz are heading to the Paramount Theater on April 12 for a night of crackling political commentary Friday, April 12 at 6:30pm | The Paramount Theater General Admission (6:00pm): $35 Floor | $20 Balcony VIP Cocktail Hour (5:00pm): $120 Post-event Book Signing to Celebrate Emily Bazelon’s Upcoming Release How do you like your political news? If you prefer it whip-smart, brutally honest, and highly entertaining, you’re in luck: The Slat

Jan 15, 2019

2019 Summit: 1st Round of Speakers Announced!

GET PUMPED! 60+ SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED A few first highlights of our 2019 program The Tom Tom team is thrilled to announce some early highlights of our speaker lineup for this April’s Summit. From civic powerhouses and creative forces from all over the country to game-changing entrepreneurs and energy industry heroes, this group has us excited for April, and we hope you’ll feel the same way. Many more speakers will be announced in the coming weeks, but lucky for you: Tickets to a

Nov 14, 2018

Calling All College Students: Applications Open NOW!

Tom Tom and American Evolution launch Virginia’s top challenge for up-and-coming entrepreneurs Applications are now open to Virginia college students for the American Evolution Innovators Cup. Can we count you in? Tom Tom, in partnership with American Evolution, is thrilled to present the second annual iteration of the competition, which challenges the brightest minds from Virginia’s colleges and universities to think up innovative solutions to issues facing the state and nat

Nov 13, 2018

Tom Tom Welcomes “Whose Line” Stars Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood this April

Grab your seats early for a special performance at the Tom Tom Festival this April Special One-night Show only at Tom Tom Saturday, April 13 at 8:00pm | The Paramount Theater Individual Tickets: $40.50, $50.50, $60.50 Tom Tom All Access Badge: $300 (Presale) Tom Tom Patron Badge: $1,000 (Presale) Armed with only their wits, Whose Line is it Anyway? stars Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood will take to the live stage of Charlottesville’s Paramount Theater at 8:00pm on Saturday, A

Nov 9, 2018

First Wave of Badges Released for 2019 Summit & Festival

300 INSPIRING SPEAKERS ARE HEADED TO CHARLOTTESVILLE. SHOULD WE SAVE YOU A SEAT? Tom Tom has officially unlocked its online ticketing platform and launched discounted presale tickets for its eighth annual Summit and Festival (April 8–14, 2019). In concert with this year’s overarching theme of “Building Better Hometowns,” Tom Tom’s national ideas Summit will consist of six daylong conferences that focus on civic life and the future of industry in small cities across the countr

Apr 25, 2018

Announcing the 2018 American Evolution Innovators Cup Winners!

Congratulations to our 2018 winner: Aecium Medical Solutions, a student-lead team from Virginia Tech! There were two teams that took home second and third prizes as well; Candid Campus Tours, a team from William & Mary, and French Slide, a team from Virginia Commonwealth University. LEARN MORE ABOUT AMERICAN EVOLUTION INNOVATORS CUP COMPETITION First Place: Glenn Feit, Ben Ailinger, and Maria Solares, of Aecium Medical Solutions, are part of a student-led business team from V

Apr 25, 2018

Announcing the 2018 Iron Chef Winner!

Congratulations to our 2018 Iron Chef winner Chef Javier Figueroa-Ray from Pearl Island Foods! Two renowned local chefs and one student team competed in the annual, Charlottesville-style take on the popular TV show “Iron Chef.” A panelist of culinary experts watched as the chefs shopped for locally produced ingredients from the City Market before preparing the dishes in front of them under a strict time constraint before judging the results. LEARN MORE ABOUT IRON CHEF COMPETI

Apr 25, 2018

Announcing the 2018 Crowdfunded Pitch Night Winner!

Congratulations to our 2018 winner, Satellite Bootcamp! Crowdfunded Pitch Night drew in wide audiences of locals who were keen to see the finalists pitch their business ideas and vie for support from the community. Ripe Gelato took home the coveted opportunity to be part of the CIC Entrepreneur Workshop, and Whipped Cream LLC was awarded a spot at UVA’s i.Lab incubator program. LEARN MORE ABOUT CROWDFUNDED PITCH NIGHT Audience Pick: Satellite Yash Terkiwal is the founder of S

Apr 25, 2018

Announcing the 2018 Youth Summit Winners!

Congratulations to our 2018 winners L&A Tee Shirts, MindTriggers, and Art for the Heart! The 2018 Youth Summit was a premiere platform for celebrating student-led projects and student-formed teams from regional Virginia high schools. LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUTH SUMMIT Business Pitch Challenge Students and student teams delivered onstage elevator pitches about entrepreneurial ventures of their own creation, competing for cash prizes, mentorship, and preferred applications to the i.

Apr 25, 2018

Announcing the 2018 Cville Gives Grant Winner!

Congratulations to the 2018 Cville Gives winner, Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries. This year, we saw five semi-finalists pitch before members, citizens, and their community, vying for votes and pledges of support through funding, for affordable housing ventures. Three Notch’d was full to the brim of an audience eager to support the teams! LEARN MORE ABOUT CVILLE GIVES Members’ Pick: Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries received a $10,000 grant from Cville Gives me

Apr 19, 2018

Seventh Annual Tom Tom Founders Festival Reaches New Heights

Ending on Sunday, April 15th, the seventh annual Tom Tom Founders Festival drew more than 43,165 program attendees over a week of programming that incorporated over 200 free and ticketed events. Event organizers estimate that this figure reflects 20,000 unique participants. Tom Tom competitions, fundraisers and partner events cumulatively raised and awarded over $223,512 to nonprofits, entrepreneurs and researchers. “The Festival team is tremendously grateful to the community

Apr 15, 2018

Announcing the 2018 Craft Cocktail Competition Winners!

Congratulations to our two 2018 Craft Cocktail Competition winners: Alec Spidalieri from Junction and Carrie Hodgkins Lost Saint. They won the Judges Award and the Pick for Crowd favorite. Our annual Craft Cocktail Competition invites Charlottesville mixologist to create specialty cocktails highlighting local ingredients. LEARN MORE ABOUT CRAFT COCKTAIL COMPETITION Judge’s Pick: Alec Spidalieri from Junction Bar Manager, Junction Alec Spidalieri is a Charlottesville-area nati

Apr 9, 2018

Senator Mark Warner Returns to Tom Tom

by Tom Tom Staff The 7th annual Tom Tom Founders Festival is pleased to announce the return of Virginia Commonwealth Senator Mark Warner. The Senator will be participating in one of our most anticipated programming events at The Summits: our Founding Stories Keynotes, held from 9am-4pm on April 13, at The Paramount Theater. Governor Warner was elected to the United States Senate in 2008, where he serves on the Senate Finance, Banking, Budget, and Rules Committees as well a

Apr 9, 2018

7th Annual Tom Tom – Sunday Highlights

by Tom Tom Staff Sunday at Tom Tom Our last day of the 7th annual Tom Tom Founders Festival is upon us. We are so thrilled by the response, support, and turnout at what we believe to be our most successful Festival and Summits yet. Though the Summits have wrapped, we still have a day of great community activities to look forward to. An All-Access or Summit Badge grants you access to so many of our great programs. Individual tickets to specific events are fantastic alternative

Apr 9, 2018

7th Annual Tom Tom – Saturday Highlights

by Tom Tom Staff Saturday at Tom Tom Welcome to the weekend, Tom Tom-goers! We are so grateful for your support and for sticking with us through that amazing week of talks, workshops, panels, laughs, deep-diving, and more. Now, we turn up the fun – and the music. An All-Access or Summit Badge grants you access to so many of our great programs. Individual tickets to specific events are fantastic alternatives, if time is not on your side. And, all you need is a complimentary Fe

Apr 9, 2018

7th Annual Tom Tom – Friday Highlights

by Tom Tom Staff Friday at Tom Tom The fifth day of Tom Tom arrives, with our day-long sessions programming of Founding Stories, featuring our 2018 Keynotes sharing their stories of overcoming obstacles and seeing triumph in their ventures. These pair well with our Founders Luncheons; an opportunity to sit down with some of our keynotes and discuss more acutely the issues and topics you share an interest in. We are also looking forward to launching our Block Parties tonight.

Apr 9, 2018

7th Annual Tom Tom – Thursday Highlights

by Tom Tom Staff Thursday at Tom Tom Highlights for the fourth day of the 2018 Festival include the unique opportunity at The Summits to explore the future with entrepreneurs, leaders, designers, innovators and visionaries who inspire change. Big thinkers drive dozens of cross-cutting sessions and topical deep dives. An All-Access or Summit Badge grants you access to so many of our great programs. Individual tickets to specific events are fantastic alternatives, if time is no

Apr 9, 2018

7th Annual Tom Tom – Wednesday Highlights

by Tom Tom Staff The Summits Start Here. Wednesday at Tom Tom Innovating the future of industry and civic life through a series of talks, shows, competitions, and more all starts today! The Summits are a unique opportunity to explore our future with entrepreneurs, leaders, designers, innovators, and visionaries who inspire change. Delve into Summits through eight distinct tracks, from Energy to Health, Government to Food, Media to Investment. An All-Access or Summit Badge gra

Apr 9, 2018

7th Annual Tom Tom – Tuesday Highlights

by Tom Tom Staff Tuesday at Tom Tom Our week of festivities, conferences, and innovation continues on day two at the 7th annual Tom Tom Founders Festival! Today, you can look forward to a mix of community activities, art, and workshops. Thank you for joining us on the second day of our whirlwind week – we are happy to have you here with us. An All-Access or Summit Badge grants you access to so many of our great programs. Individual tickets to specific events are also availabl

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