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VolunteerLocal connects event organizers with volunteers
Volunteers are often the backbone of large events and festivals. Fans who are willing to donate a few hours to check IDs and clean up the grounds can be rewarded with things like swag and free tickets. But keeping track of volunteers and making sure they’re assigned to the right tasks can be tricky. The…
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Kaylee Williams shares SXSW experiences through Register series
Last week when entrepreneurs from around the world flocked to Austin for South by Southwest Interactive, the Silicon Prairie was well represented. While there were Iowa and Kansas City parties, a bevy of startup pitches and countless business cards exchanged, a handful of entrepreneurs also have taken the time to reflect on the festival. To…
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Brian Hemesath’s VolunteerLocal takes Pitch & Grow
Des Moines tech company VolunteerLocal today took home the top prize of $2,500 at Pitch & Grow, a business pitch competition hosted by the Technology Association of Iowa. “We did not expect to win,” founder Brian Hemesath told the Des Moines Register. “We had intended on …
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Prairie Portrait: Kaylee Williams of VolunteerLocal
Silicon Prairie News: What are the most important lessons about being a community builder you’ve learned in your eight months at Volunteer Local? | Kaylee Williams: I think most importantly, know your product. Know its strengths and weaknesses. That’s important. Second, know your competitors. My first project for VolunteerLocal was to complete in-depth reviews of…
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Bootstrappers: Enjoy the ride
(Guest post by Brian Hemesath.) I’m a huge fan of bootstrapped businesses. Those who bootstrap a business enjoy a unique satisfaction knowing they created value from nothing with very-little-to-no outside financial support. I have started several businesses, successfully exiting two, and along the way I have found a few things to be consistent when starting…
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Startup Job Crawl edition: Internships, developers and more
We’re excited to bring you a special 98th Opportunities on The Prairie today with opportunities from all over the region including those available from the most recent Startup Job Crawl Des Moines. …
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Web developer, software engineer, sales executive, intern and more
We’re excited to bring you our 88th Opportunities on the Prairie today, with positions at Sleight Advertising, Fusion Tree and Xuba in Omaha; Don’t Panic Labs in Lincoln …
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Hemesath’s entrepreneurial story is one of seeing, seizing chances
Brian Hemesath wasn’t far removed from the lecture halls of Iowa State University, where he graduated in 1999 with a computer engineering degree, when he took a chance by going to work for a telecom company, Raviant Networks, in 2000. ” ‘Give it a year,’ ” Hemesath recalls being told, ” ‘and you’ll either be…
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PrairieCast with Brian Hemesath of Catchwind & VolunteerLocal (Video)
Episode 56: The one where everybody got funded This week our guest on PrairieCast was Brian Hemesath the Des Moines-based serial entrepreneur who has founded five companies, including Catchwind, VolunteerLocal and Notifyworks. Hemesath previewed his BIZ Luncheon Series presentation on lessons learned while bootstrapping his startups. Stay tuned here at Silicon Prairie News to see…