Cowtown to Boomtown event set for July 13
By Pat Shaver
CORRIDOR – If Omaha can do it, so can the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area.
Omaha has been nationally recognized over the last 3 to 5 years for becoming an urban and economic place for startup companies and entrepreneurs.
A new organization, called Seed Here, wants to help connect and grow entrepreneurs and creative communities in the Corridor. The “not just for profit, social good company” is modeled after similar projects in Omaha, Des Moines, Kansas City, Boulder, Colo.; New Orleans and elsewhere.
The company, officially started earlier this month by Andy Stoll and Amanda Styron, announced a series of events planned for this week to highlight how the Corridor can become a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity like Omaha.
Forbes recently named Omaha the fastest recovering city in America and the No. 2 up-and-coming startup city in the world.
Seed Here has several goals, Mr. Stoll said. It hopes to build an organic, grassroots entrepreneurial and creative community in the area, with a focus on supporting high-growth entrepreneurs and innovators.
“The idea was to create an entity that could champion this cause within the community,” Mr. Stoll said. “We’ve been doing this for awhile, but not as a business or as an actual company.”
They plan to start a regional news web site that will focus on innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, Mr. Stoll said. Along with that, they also plan to open a series of co-working sites.
“It will create a community of workers and entrepreneurs and creatives who can help each other out,” he said, adding that co-working spaces are where different businesses and entities share office space.
Seed Here will also host regular events intended to connect people, resources and ideas around creativity and entrepreneurship.
“The fourth element is hopefully to provide a bit of a voice and advocacy for entrepreneurs and creatives in the region,” Mr. Stoll said.
“The long-term goal is to be a visible and thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem,” Mr. Stoll said. “What that looks like is more people starting companies, more success for local startups and the community attracting and retaining entrepreneurial people here in the Corridor.”
Tom Chapman, senior director of entrepreneurship and innovation at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, will be speaking in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids on July 13.
His visit is part of Seed Here’s “Cowtown to Boomtown” series this week. Mr. Chapman will give the keynote address at noon on July 13 at Theatre Cedar Rapids. He will also be speaking at an event in Iowa City at 7:30 a.m. at the John Pappajohn Business Building at the University of Iowa. His talks will be focused on how Omaha was able to find success and also what was learned from their mistakes.
“Omaha has had a really good run of success in the last 4 years. We’ve seen significant increases in the number of startup companies,” Mr. Chapman said. “The buzz and talk about Omaha has been good.”
Though a lot of work has gone into Omaha’s success, Mr. Chapman said some of the success can be attributed to luck. It was also a gradual growth, he added.
“More than anything, there’s been a really good community engagement,” Mr. Chapman said.
Companies like Google and Yahoo have centers in Omaha, Mr. Chapman said.
“It’s really easy to point to those big brands and sometimes we forget about where jobs actually come from. Sometimes we don’t pay enough attention to things in our own backyard,” he said.
Mr. Stoll said Seed Here hopes to build relationships with other Midwest cities with similar goals, like Des Moines and Omaha. Another purpose of Mr. Chapman’s visit is for him to meet local business leaders that may help foster regional relationships.
Mr. Stoll and Ms. Styron both left the area for about four years and have recently returned. They were both founding members of the James Gang, an Iowa City nonprofit group that was created in 2002 and is focused on community building efforts.
Cowtown to Boomtown events
July 12
4:30 p.m. – Entrepreneurial Development Center Networking Event at MobileDemand, 1501 Boyson Square, Hiawatha. Free.
July 13
7:30 a.m. – Startup Stories Breakfast at the John Pappajohn Business Building, University of Iowa, Room W401. Successful local entrepreneurs will share stories and Tom Chapman, with the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, will give a short presentation. $10.
11:30 a.m. – Lunch and Tom Chapman Keynote, Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids. Mr. Chapman will share insights about Omaha’s economic and entrepreneurial success and lessons learned. $15.
5 p.m. – Startup Drinks, Cedar Ridge Winery, 1441 Marak Rd. NW, Swisher. Free.
7 p.m. – Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Vineyard Dinner, Cedar Ridge Winery. $10.
Register at www.seedhere.org.
