My passion for the tech startup community
/Recently, I was asked to share about my passion for the tech startup scene in 500 words or less, so…
I’m posting here to share my thoughts with everyone else.
When I learned there was a way to connect my loves for learning experiences, teaching, and coaching with my hobbies in technology and starting new things, I was energized and eager to get involved. My passion for the tech startup scene began over 13 years ago, when I had the luxury of using my summer to attend a series of education focused events across Chicago. It included an “iPadapoolza,” hosted at a Chicago Public School where I met reps from edtech companies for the first time, and a lunch for educators at Navy Pier where I first learned about the concept of a coding bootcamp. The more I understood the concept of Web 2.0, the more excited I was at the idea that individual people could more easily document findings from the field, track and analyze data, and instantly make adjustments. As we enter into a new world with AI supporting us - agents, language models, and partners, I continue find opportunities to be one of those pioneering change. I want to solve hard challenges with technology, and share with others so more people are empowered to solve their own problems.
Over the years, I’ve continued to be driven by Carl Sagan’s famous quote, “We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That’s a clear prescription for disaster.” It is one of my missions to be one of those who attempts to understand the tools, and who is building systems and communities so that others are also able to understand. I recognize that coding and entrepreneurship are trades where individuals take on a complex craft and science by working directly with mentors and masters. This inspired me to lean in and participate in learning events and programs at 1871, mHub, 2112, 4pt0 and other spaces/communities for innovation and connection.
After almost a decade of working with business and software developers, founders, entrepreneurs, educators, leaders, investors, artists, and innovators in Chicago and beyond, I continue to be motivated to start new things with others and learn from those who are beginning. When I spend time with entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, I find my imposter syndrome fades and my courage to lead is strengthened. From personal growth and business partnerships, to institutional development and loose connections, most change doesn’t happen in isolation or solely by an individual; it happens when people are part of a community organization that supports, encourages, and enables their development.
When small groups of people work together on hard projects, amazing things can happen. If we can develop systems so that there are multiple small groups, then the magic can really happen. I want to nurture and excited others to make it happen by building frameworks and systems to enable more individuals to do it better and faster.