Providence Geeks, a loose coalition of information technology "geeks", was founded earlier this year by O'Reilly Media editor Brian Jepson. They hold monthly "Geek Dinners" at AS220 and have a blog at www.providencegeeks.org. Besides providing a venue to network, the group seeks to promote innovation and collaboration in the tech industry.

“There’s an awful lot of potential for this [city] and state to be more of an info tech center than we are,” [Jack] Templin said. “All of the right pieces are there.”

[Design Lab engineering VP Kipp] Bradford, echoing Templin’s sentiments, said the state needs to clot the “brain drain” it experiences from talented young professionals and innovative companies leaving the state. In many cases, he said, younger companies look to relocate across the border because being in Cambridge, near Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will make them more attractive to potential investors.

“There’s no reason for companies to relocate when Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Rhode Island and other fine institutions provide tremendous opportunities,” he said.

The group sees the IT sector as something the state can grow easily. While it supports Rhode Island’s efforts to attract biotechnology firms to the state, information technology can be developed with far less investment.