The second annual Iowa Party was hosted Sunday during SXSW Interactive and drew Iowans and non-Iowans alike for bacon, Templeton Rye and networking.
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 share her experiences in Austin, Kaylee Williams (left) of Des Moines’ VolunteerLocal teamed up with the Des Moines Register to write a series of posts throughout the weekend. Williams shares everything from lessons from her favorite SXSW speakers and new startup discoveries to the joys of endless free tacos (not to mention free drinks) and the energy of the second annual Iowa Party.
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“Yet there are people here in Austin who couldn’t even place our state on a map,” Williams wrote in a post about Iowa Hour. “To that end, I say: not for long. Last night was a rare opportunity for Iowans to brag about Iowa.
“We pitched our companies, rubbed shoulders with our Austin counterparts and talked about the local and statewide initiatives that were created to support entrepreneurship and technology innovation in our state.”
Williams was one of two contest winners chosen by the Greater Des Moines Parntership to attend SXSW this year.
Read all about Kaylee’s time in Austin and what she learned at SXSW through her posts via the Des Moines Register:
- “Iowa takes Austin: VolunteerLocal’s Williams says SXSWi a beautiful ‘nerd-herd’” (March 8)
- “Williams at SXSWi: A lot of ‘tech for good’ happening in Austin” (March 9)
- “Iowans leave imprint on SXSWi with Iowa Hour” (March 10)
- “South by Southwest a gold mine for clever marketing, Williams says” (March 12)
