This document outlines a strategy for cities to thrive by supporting entrepreneurs and innovation. It recommends that cities find entrepreneurs, surround them with resources to fill gaps, promote smart risk-taking, sharpen founders' and teams' skills, tell the local innovation story, celebrate successes through events like Creative Week, and share early results of economic and population growth. The overall goal is for cities to cultivate what's happening by joining the community and supporting local entrepreneurs.

1. My Team: Seed Here Studio

2. THE NEW WORLD ORDER:
CITIES WILL LIVE OR DIE
BASED ON
THEIR CITIZENS ABILITY
TO MAKE GOOD IDEAS
HAPPEN

4. FIND THE
ENTREPRENEURS

5. FIND THE
ENTREPRENEURS

6. Open Coffee
FIND THE
ENTREPRENEURS

7. SURROUND THEM
WITH RESOURCES

8. SURROUND THEM
WITH RESOURCES

9. FILL RESOURCE GAPS

10. FILL RESOURCE GAPS

11. Promote a culture of (smart) risk-taking
PROMOTE A CULTURE
OF SMART RISK-TAKING

12. Promote a culture of (smart) risk-taking
PROMOTE A CULTURE
OF SMART RISK-TAKING

13. SHARPEN FOUNDERS

14. SHARPEN FOUNDERS

15. DEVELOP CREATIVE
SKILLS

16. DEVELOP CREATIVE
SKILLS

17. SHARPEN
TEAMS

18. 1 Million Cups
SHARPEN FOUNDERS
SHARPEN
TEAMS

19. CreativeCorridor.co
TELL OUR STORY

20. CreativeCorridor.co
TELL OUR STORY

21. Creative Week: Innovation Expo
CELEBRATE

22. CELEBRATECreative Week: Marvin Cone’s Main Street

23. CELEBRATECreative Week: 24 Hour Film Festival

24. Celebrate our success.
Creative Week
RESULTS

25. "This area [Peoria] can be
another Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
or Austin, Texas."
~quote in the Peoria Journal Star
EARLY RESULTS

26. I told my husband the other day, that
after nearly 5 years of living
here, I can finally say that I'm
proud to call the Creative
Corridor my home.
~ Iowa City Citizen in her early thirties
EARLY RESULTS

27. Marvin Cone’s Main Street
CELEBRATE

28. I also wanted to tell you that I'm about 90% sure that
instead of moving to Chicago June 1st I will
instead move back to the CR/IC area!
!
I have to stay the reason is because of the work you and
Andy and the gang are all doing there. It's impressive and
I've always considered Iowa my home. I know I can run a
global business from there, as I do now and have from all
over the country, and I'd love to be involved and help as I
can. They are exciting times there and I can just feel
the energy and momentum. So let me just say it works --
because of you all people like me are coming back!!! :)
!
~ Successful Woman Entrepreneur originally from
Cedar Rapids

29. WHAT IT’S
ALL ABOUT

30. WHAT IT’S
ALL ABOUT

31. WHAT IT’S
ALL ABOUT

32. Innovation Expo
CELEBRATE
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

33. JOIN IN!
Subscribe to the Creative Corridor Digest
at CreativeCorridor.co
!
Attend an Open Coffee or 1 Million Cups
and be friends with entrepreneurs
!
Become a Mentor or Investor
for the Iowa Startup Accelerator
or with Plains Angels
!
Contact Me:
Amanda Styron West
amanda@seedherestudio.com