Having been part of LA’s burgeoning tech scene early on, it was always interesting to see what other communities were doing to band together. Around 2007 I started hearing mumblings of this organization called Techstars in Boulder that was focused on the local tech eco-system and trying to recruit start-ups and money to the area.
The same was happening in Austin and Iowa and cities one wouldn’t normally (then) associate with “technology”. I saw a lot of similarities between Boulder’s plight for recognition and what was happening in LA. We both have a repeat entrepreneurial talent; a desire to have a more balanced lifestyle, strong technology innovation roots in our regions, among others.
Cut to 8 years later and LA is one of the top tech cities to work in and Techstars is national and even had it’s own TV show, and now we head on a quarterly basis.
Last week I traveled to Boulder, Colorado for some hang time with IMM, a Radix client for the past two years. IMM is a full-service digital advertising agency with a whip-smart employee roster that’s right at the crux of creative and tech; the art and the science. IMM has been in the Boulder area for 10 years and just moved into an inspiring creative space they custom-designed.
To celebrate we organized a kick-off community event with 200 peers and a discussion with local business leaders about the local tech and creative industries. It was a fun evening and a perfect way to break in the new space for the many events to come.
Speakers included:
Adam Edelman, Founder & CEO, IMM – (@IMM)
Ari Newman, Partner, TechStars Ventures- (@arinewman)
Kelly Dotseth, Founder, VISIBL – (@dotskelly)
Clif Harald, Executive Director, Boulder Economic Council (@BoulderChamber)
