Recorded Friday, October 21. This is the Livestream version, look for the final cut from Event1 Video to be published in the coming weeks.
The inaugural Thinc Iowa conference provided an arena for conversation on the common ground between established corporations and startups. Nine speakers, ranging from the founder of a new payments network to the chairman of a worldwide advertising network, took the stage Friday at the Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines to contribute to that conversation.
To be timely, we’re releasing the entire Thinc Iowa Video Series this week as recorded via Livestream. Thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City-based foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation, for sponsoring the Livestream and Video Series, and to our video and post-production team made up of Event1 Video and Evolve. (Look for the final cut from Event 1 Video to be published in the coming weeks.)
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The sixth speaker in our Video Series is Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership, which is an independent, private-sector entity that brings together mentors, advisors, funders, major corporations and service providers to deliver the resources needed to help entrepreneurs start and scale companies.
In his talk, Case described the types of resources that the Startup America Partnership provides for entrepreneurs and why it’s important to the nation’s overall well-being for his organization to do that. He cited a Kauffman Foundation statistic — one that was probably familiar to the people at Thinc Iowa with startup backgrounds but less so to folks from corporate environments — that framed his conversation: all net new job creation in the U.S. happens through startups.
“If there’s one thought that you all leave with, especially those that are from larger companies, it’s that these companies, these special firms, are really critical to the overall economy and the overall ecosystem,” Case said. “And we’ve got to focus mind-share on investing in these startups.”
Case proceeded to outline ideas for how to do that, and eventually he invited Nick Seguin, the Kauffman Foundation’s manager for entrepreneurship, to join him on stage and engage with the audience in a question-and-answer session on the subject.
Read our recap: “Scott Case – Build a ‘network of support’ “
About Thinc Iowa and Big Omaha, our two premier events:
Thinc Iowa, a Silicon Prairie News premier event, is held each October to provide a common ground for startups and corporations to explore partnerships, examine innovation and share lessons learned. Visit thinciowa.com to learn more.
Big Omaha, a Silicon Prairie News premier event, is held each May to inspire, educate and connect entrepreneurs, especially those with an interest in the tech industry. Visit BigOmaha.com to learn more.
