The Wall Street Journal today is presenting four voices from Nerbaska’s startup community in a series that answers the question: “Can startups be successful anywhere in the U.S.?”
Startup founders Ben Vu, Julie Malhoch and Stephanie Jarrett chime in along with entrepreneur-in-residence Brian Ardinger.
“Make no doubt about it; some of the most talented and driven people I’ve ever met are on the coasts,” Vu wrote in his guest post, “but there’s also impressive talent in the Midwest who possess a strong work ethic and passion and they’re not all California dreamin’.”
The series, titled “Heartland U.S.A.,” is part of The Journal’s “The Accelerators” blog, a feature in which a regular cast of contributors from the startup world, such as Steve Blank and Ben Huh, address a new topic weekly.
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More than 20 guest contributors, or “guest mentors,” from five cities – Boulder, Colo.; Memphis, Tenn.; Washington, D.C.; Omaha, Neb.; and Portland, Ore. – are blogging on this week’s topic.
Here are Nebraska’s four guest mentors:
- Ben Vu, SkyVu Entertainment founder and CEO: “Who Says You Can’t Start a Company in Omaha?“
- Brian Ardinger, NUtech Ventures entrepreneur-in-residence: “Not a ‘Fly-Over-State’ Anymore“
- Stephanie Jarrett, Bulu Box co-founder and CMO: “I Moved My Startup From the Valley to the Plains“
- Julie Mahloch, Hayneedle co-founder and Bloom founder: “Why Omaha Startups are Successful“
Though an Iowa city isn’t part of the series, one has already received a shout out from a familiar name to the area. Startup America Partnership CEO Scott Case writes:
The most important change I’ve observed is the emergence of robust, vibrant startup ecosystems in places like Des Moines, Baltimore, Denver and Nashville. Serial founders engaged with first-time startup teams are focused on leveraging their best assets to take their startup community to the next level.
To read all the “Heartland U.S.A.” posts, visit blogs.wsj.com/accelerators.
