All-Star Lineup of Guest Judges Set For Thursday Night’s Battle of the Tech Bands Seattle vs. Boston Smackdown

We are barely 24 hours away from the biggest, most definitive East Coast vs. West Coast smackdown since Facebook got away: the Battle of the Tech Bands 3, which will take place Thursday night at the Middle East Nightclub in the heart of Central Square here in Cambridge, MA.

We have five great bands—three winners from previous Boston-only battles and two from our Seattle battle last summer —competing for handsome prize packages donated by Bristol Studios, Nimbit, and Ten Minute Media. And you, the audience, will choose one of the grand prize winners via text message voting. But you may not have known that there is a second grand prize for the bands—for Most Innovative Band. That will be awarded by a hand-picked quintet of guest judges who have graciously agreed to step into the middle of the East-West debate. They represent virtually every stage of the tech entrepreneurship scene: from incubation to startup to helping companies go public. It’s our pleasure to announce them here, in alphabetical order:

Shawn Broderick, Executive Director, TechStars Boston

Bob Cramer, Executive Chairman, Nimbit

Laura Fitton, CEO, oneforty

Jennifer MacLean, CEO, 38 Studios

Giles McNamee, Managing Director, McNamee Lawrence & Co.

These judges are BEYOND reproach. But I’m told by a few that they will listen to what you have to say if you buy them a drink. And even if you are a teetotaler, we all hope to see you there for a night of great music and to raise money for two great causes: Science Club for Girls and Year Up Boston.

Doors open at 7 pm. First band at 7:30 pm. Get your tickets here for just $25, or at the door for $35. Light fare is included and we’ll even buy you a drink or two. (Hurry, there are only a limited number of tickets remaining—and you wouldn’t want to miss out on a chance to win one of our amazing door prizes, which included everything from Rock Band bundles to Xbox 360 games, Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, a dinner for two at Rialto, a night at Le Meridien ,and more).

Thank you, judges!

Author: Robert Buderi

Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative. Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.