Startup Grind hosted Apptricity Corporation Founder Tim Garcia at The Dallas Entrepreneur Center on March 19. An eclectic mix of entrepreneurship hopefuls, freelance programmers and tech gurus enjoyed an open dialogue with Garcia, as he discussed his successful software career.  

Apptricity, an Irving-based company that provides mobile enterprise software, began in 1999. Its client base includes Wal-Mart Stores, AT&T, NASA and the Department of Defense. 

Garcia was determined to set Apptricity apart from other tech companies by providing unparalleled customer service to these clients. "We took the approach of being the 'white knight' [for our clients]," Garcia said. "We've only lost two clients since 1999. One of those was through acquisition, and one because its support staff wasn't big enough." 

Before moving to Irving, Garcia lived and worked in Orange County. He's hopeful for Dallas' future in technology enterprise. "Texas, right now, is what California was in the mid-80s. There's a strong underlying desire to win," Garcia said. 

Startup Grind provides a support system for Dallas' growing technology and entrepreneurship community. Its mission is to educate, inspire and connect entrepreneurs by hosting successful founders, innovators and investors at open meetings. 

"About a year and a half ago, I was reading about Startup Grind and volunteered to get the Dallas chapter running," Dallas Chapter Director Lee Blaylock said. "We're reducing the risk for entrepreneurs." 

Startup Grind partners with The Dallas Entrepreneurship Center (The DEC), a business support structure that sustains local startups. The DEC provides a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs to learn, grow and manage their business among like-minded people.  

"We started The DEC because we know that 19,000 new businesses start in this region each year and we asked ourselves, 'Where do they go when they're first starting out?'" The DEC's Co-Founder Jennifer Conley said. "We believe that a more connected ecosystem is a stronger ecosystem."  

The next Startup Grind meeting, held at The DEC, will be the third week in April. Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Tutor.com and former CEO of Match.com, will speak at Startup Grind's event on May 14.