Washington, D.C. (Guest post by Terry Roberts.) When I first heard about TechStars hosting an abbreviated version of the 90-day accelerator program, I thought, "Sweet! Tell me more!" Then I saw that it was three days, it would be hosted at Georgetown University, and that it was geared specifically towards Veterans. That's when I felt goose bumps. Before I knew it, I was on a plane to D.C. to attend the first inaugural TechStars Patriot Boot Camp. You see, entrepreneurs are a rare breed who "…(go) to … read more

Kansas City Feeling low on energy? Maybe you just need to move in a new direction. In 2010, I was the CEO and co-founder of Prepay Nation, a company that made international mobile money transfers possible though technology integrated with top-up machines housed in brick-and-mortar establishments. It was my job to check in on how the top-up technology was functioning and how customers were responding so that I could steer the company in the right direction. Consequently, I spent a lot of time … read more

Omaha (Guest post by Mark Carson.) We've all heard of the bootstrap startup, but is bootstrapping exclusive to the startup? What becomes of the bootstrap startup when it "grows up"? One of the key characteristics of a bootstrap business is it's inclination to build vs. buy. Out of sheer necessity, this characteristic is engrained into most bootstraps from day one. Without funding, resourcefulness must become the primary weapon and a trusted friend. The well-funded startup can spend capital on office space, furniture, commercial software, advertising, and employees. In contrast, the bootstrap startup simply doesn't have that luxury. They must make do with the dark corner in the back bedroom as their first office. They might resort to using a slab of plywood … read more

Kansas City One Week KC was Kansas City's first major step towards realizing the vision established by our Chamber of Commerce: to make Kansas City America's Most Entrepreneurial City. It was one week (nine days, rather) of activities all around the city to help local entrepreneurs connect, form bonds, get inspired and celebrate entrepreneurship. It was an opportunity to spotlight the regular meetups and events that are already going on … read more

Des Moines (Guest post by Brianne Sanchez.) I traveled 7,317 miles to Qatar and came back wanting to go to Fargo. Yes, that Fargo. Let me tell you why. But first, a confession: I am not an entrepreneur. (Well, at least not yet.) I'm a lurker here in this space where ideas meet action, repurposing your #-ed wisdom for my more 8-4:30 career at a nonprofit. … read more

Omaha (Guest post by Daphne Eck.) For one glorious year, Fresh Juice entrepreneur and creative consultant, Elle Lynch, was the owner and chef of Daily Grub. If you're from Omaha, you probably know the joint as 2010's Best New Restaurant. A whole food, farm-to-table lunch spot that didn't necessarily sell itself as a vegan restaurant, but was. Everyone … read more

Des Moines This week Tej Dhawan, Andy Stoll, Amanda Styron, and I trekked from Iowa to Boulder Colorado for the Startup America Partnership Regional Leaders Summit to represent StartupIowa. Over the two days, the SUAP team and our peer regions (states) were relentless in sharing best practices and programs that they have developed to build their entrepreneurial ecosystems. The Summit has had me thinking deeply about where we are in the gestation of StartupIowa and the overall ecosystem … read more

Omaha Last week the last of the second batch of the Stored Potential banners went up in Omaha. The project was ambitions, the work was hard, and the final project is exceptional. Defunct grain elevators were transformed into a piece of art which speaks for the city. The city didn’t do it. You and I didn’t do it. Emerging Terrain, an Omaha non-profit, did it. And they are to be thanked. It is organizations like theirs which are helping … read more