Ann Arbor Startup Community
Development H1’09
@dugsong
<dugsong@ .org>
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David Rose on Startup Community
• Base of entrepreneurs with high tech Angelsoft ♥!
experience
• Educational institutions supporting both
entrepreneurship and state-of-the-art
technology programs
• Access to early stage capital to fund new ventures
• Affordable work spaces for startups, and the
infrastructure supporting them
• Access to a technologically skilled workforce
• Coordination, integration and promotion surrounding
all of the above
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Jason Mendelson’s view of Ann Arbor
I miss A2!
• Creative class of people – especially on the
technical side.
• Strong Universities spinning off people and
ideas
• Professional Support System
• Financial Capital
• Management Talent – Perception, probably not reality
• Engaged community with a real desire to see their
ecosystem succeed – Perception?
• Supportive legal environment (not horrible, though)
• Culture of risk-taking and respect for failure
• History of Success
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Must fix our Culture & Community
• Poor deal flow, quantitatively AND qualitatively
• Connect & grow productive (not just smart) geeks
– Innovation stalling out EARLY, or LEAVING
– Geeks need to learn how to build businesses, not just technology
• Connect & grow better entrepreneurs & teams
– More do-ers, not enablers! – Michael McCorquodale, Mobius founder
– Startup-to-startup, entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur, active advisors
• Teach & publicize our local startup histories
– 50+ Ann Arbor Startup Execs (angel/venture-backed) on LinkedIn
• Find patrons of innovation (better angels)
• Coordinate & streamline efforts
– Where to start? CFE, GLEQ, MI-SBTDC, NEF, SCORE, SPARK, UMOTT, ZLI, ...
• Don’t let new entrepreneurs start from scratch!
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What have we accomplished?
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New Community Hubs
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Tech Brewery (North Campus)
• Coworking for startups and entrepreneurs
– Host of Beer:30 in an historic 1880’s brewery
• Hub for recruiting and retaining top-notch,
young entrepreneurial and technical talent
– less than 1 mile from UM Engineering campus
• http://techbrewery.org
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Workantile Exchange (Main St.)
• Coworking for independents
• Project-based collaboration
• Membership-based, drop-in only
• Downtown Ann Arbor, Main St.
• http://workantileexchange.com
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A2 Mech Shop (West Side)
• Technical coworking facility for
entrepreneurial engineers
• Houses 6 separate engineering businesses
• Host of monthly GO Tech meetup
• http://a2mechshop.com
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TechArb / McKinley Tally Hall basement
• TechArb coworking for UM students
• Annual RPM-10 summer program
• Ann Arbor Startup Weekend 2008
• Hanukkah Wonderland 2008 :-)
• http://techarb.org
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New Events & Meetups
(only a partial listing via a2geeks / a2newtech)
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ArbCamp (Dec 08, 250+ ppl)
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a2geeks Movie Night (Jan 09, 70+ ppl)
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CloudCamp 09 (Feb 09, 120+ ppl)
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TECH Cocktail (Mar 09, 250+ ppl)
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Lessons from Boulder (April 09, 100+ ppl)
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Nonprofit Board Training (Apr 09, 25+ ppl)
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Social Gaming & Facebook (May 09, 50+ ppl)
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Non-Dilutive Startup Finance (May 09, 100+ ppl)
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A2 Hands-On Local Tech (May 09, 200+ ppl)
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Ignite Ann Arbor (June 09, 250+ ppl)
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A2 Mini Maker Faire (coming up Aug 29!)
• DIY Makers, Progressive Techies, Old-
Fashioned & Indie Crafters, Mad Scientists,
Quirky Musicians and Myriad Innovators
Gather to Celebrate the Maker Movement
• Get involved!
• http://a2makerfaire.com
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Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup (3rd Tues)
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GO Tech! (2nd Tues at A2 Mech Shop)
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Ann Arbor Virtualization Users Group
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ARBSEC (1st Wed)
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Ann Arbor Startup Drinks
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CoffeeHouseCoders (every Wed!)
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SuperHappyDevHouse
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Local Cross-pollination
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a2geeks visits Grand Rapids
• Hosted by Rick De Vos & friends
–Momentum-MI
–ArtPrize
• ElevatorUp coworking
• AimWest design community
• ellohay! tech literacy nonprofit
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Mid-Michigan visits a2newtech
• MidMichigan Innovation Center
• Incuba8
• Blue Water Angels
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SE Michigan
• i3Detroit visits TechBrewery
– Invited, along with Detroit Industrial
Arts League, to meeting with UM
Associate VPs, TechShop founders,
Make magazine founder, A2 Mech
Shop, etc. folks re: Detroit facility
• Dexter Village Manager at OpenCoffee
–Developing a local incubator
• a2geeks at TechNow09
–As sponsors, presenters, attendees, bloggers
• Regular CoffeeHouseCoders visitors
–Royal Oak, Grosse Pointe, Lansing
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What’s Next?
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Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ann Arbor
• EFAA, with the support of the Ann Arbor Area
Community Foundation
• Corporate citizenship & community-based
philanthropy for tech startups
• Network of experienced & aspiring local
entrepreneurs
• Seeking founding members & companies –
get in touch!
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Train A Geek Army
• Every geek group in Ann Arbor should know
funding sources, sponsors, venue information,
community calendar, logistics
–open-source event planning on a2geeks wiki
• Train & place geeks on nonprofit boards
–NEW, EFAA can help
• Cross-pollinate with art/design/mktg/YP groups
–already happening, actively accelerate
• Meetup of meetup organizers
–geeks love recursion!
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Support Of, By, & For Entrepreneurs
• Entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur events
–like Startup2Startup, Bootstrapper’s Breakfast
–EFAA can help
• Drive startup acceleration through active
peer mentorship & advisors
–Get every successful entrepreneur to advise
–Advisors can get equity, but shouldn’t need $!
• Directory of service providers & services
–with ratings & comments
• Private fundraising forum
–entrepreneurs should know deal activity too!
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Increase Collaboration & Visibility
• Flagship a2newtech community event
– Current organizers represent UM Center for Entrepreneurship,
UM Ross Center for Venture Capital & Private Equity Finance,
GLEQ, UM Ross EVP & High-Tech clubs, UM Tech Transfer
– Boulder’s (bdnewtech) draws 400+ people out every month
• Drive inclusive, diverse high-profile events
– Entrepalooza, Ignite, etc.
• Company/person/investor directory
– like CrunchBase.com
• Community social news, calendar at a2newtech.org
• Find an enabling (hacker)space
– art/tech/design geeks must collide and produce
• David Brophy’s Finance 629 class
– quick-hit startup incubator
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Thank you!
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