The dramatic ins and outs of the dot-com start-up boom of the late ’90s were brought into sharp focus Tuesday evening at Hanes Arts Center.
The Carolina Entrepreneurial Initiative hosted a screening of the award-winning documentary “Startup.com,” followed by a discussion panel featuring several pertinent figures involved in the recent cultural Internet epoch.
CEI Director John D. Kasarda said the main purpose of the event was to give students a chance to get a close-up experience of the rapid rise and collapse of a dot-com business.
The panel featured the main character and “star” of the film, Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, who helped found the multimillion-dollar startup GovWorks.
The film chronicled the rise and fall of the company and shed light on the trials and tribulations the company’s key players experienced firsthand.
The movie illustrated the great risks and rewards of the period, recounting the brief history of a company that went from $60 million in venture capital to total bankruptcy in the course of only two years.
Tuzman said the most profound lesson from his experiences involved being honest with himself.
“If you’re true to yourself, true to your business, you’re destined for success,” Tuzman said.
After the film, panel members shared personal revelations from their unique experiences and fielded questions from an audience of about 100 people.
