Silicon Prairie News

SUBScRIBE

MENU

Thinc Iowa 2012

  • Antonio Neves shares three steps to create your own luck (Video)

    “If there’s one thing that’s been consistent in everything that I do,” Antonio Neves told the Thinc Iowa audience Oct. 11, “it’s that I am a professional question asker and I am a professional opportunity identifier.” For the next 25 minutes, Neves, who emceed the event, employed both those qualities in a motivational talk to…

  • Ron J. Williams uses perseverance, not lightning strikes (Video)

    “Being an entrepreneur can be magical,” Ron J. Williams says, “but it ain’t magic.” Williams, the co-founder and CEO of Knodes, opened with that message and proceeded to draw the distinction between magical and magic during his talk Oct. 10 at Thinc Iowa 2012. Williams said people tend to romanticize the entrepreneurial narrative of someone…

  • Gentry Underwood takes a designer’s approach to startup problems (Video)

    With the ascent of Apple, the notion that an emphasis on design can drive business success has become more commonplace in recent years, Gentry Underwood says. But Underwood, the co-founder and CEO of Orchestra, doesn’t need to look toward Cupertino to see the impact that a design-centric approach can have on a company. After all,…

  • From hustle to hiring, Ryan Graves discusses keys to scaling Uber (Video)

    Ryan Graves can trace his career at Uber back to one tweet. Well, one tweet and a whole lot of hustle. Graves, Uber’s Global GM and VP of Operations, spoke Oct. 11 at Thinc Iowa 2012 about helping build Uber, the San Francisco-based startup that provides on-demand car service through a mobile app, and he…

  • In Chicago, Brian Spaly’s building a company his way (Video)

    Silicon Valley visitors bureaus and tourism boards in the market for a spokesperson probably won’t come calling Brian Spaly any time soon, and that seems fine by Spaly. The Trunk Club CEO is perfectly happy in Chicago, building his business. That much became abundantly clear when Spaly stepped on stage Oct. 10 at Thinc Iowa…

  • Lesa Mitchell: We all must engage women in entrepreneurship (Video)

    When Lesa Mitchell stepped on stage Oct. 12 at Thinc Iowa 2012, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s vice president of innovation and networks sported a shirt — green, and emblazoned with “MIT” in large, white letters — that required a disclaimer. Mitchell, who gave a talk on women in entrepreneurship, explained that MIT is not…

  • Wednesday Whimsy: Tender moments with a stuffed rodent

    The more we’ve perused photos from Thinc Iowa 2012 the past couple of weeks, the more one thing has become abundantly clear: People love to love our resident spokesrodent, Analog the Prairie Dog. Like, people don’t just like Analog. They like like him. The little guy now transcends the status of mere homedog; he’s become…

  • Brad Feld believes you can create a startup community anywhere (Video)

    A revolution is brewing, and no city in the world is safe. So said Brad Feld, a managing director of Foundry Group, in his talk Oct. 11 at Thinc Iowa 2012. Feld, who has played a major role in building the startup community in his adopted hometown of Boulder, Colo., believes that, with the right…

  • Tara Hunt shares story of tough entrepreneurial lessons (Video)

    Tara Hunt, the co-founder Buyosphere and director of digital content at Tuxedo Agency, opened her talk Oct. 11 at Thinc Iowa 2012 with an admission. “I’m used to giving really motivational, inspirational speeches that are about kicking ass and taking names,” she said, “and I haven’t been feeling so kicking ass and taking names recently.”…

  • Steve Case calls U.S. to “double down on entrepreneurship” (Video)

    Steve Case, the co-founder and former CEO of AOL and current chairman of the Startup America Partnership, spoke Oct. 10 at Thinc Iowa 2012 about where his entrepreneurial journey has taken him and how he hopes the U.S. will continue to nurture entrepreneurs. “As a nation, it’s important that we double down on entrepreneurship and…