MAKE OMAHA START-UP CENTRAL
Boulder Creek, Boulder, CO
It’s Wednesday afternoon and I’m sipping on a iced chai in a cozy cafe in Boulder, CO, called The Cup. Nice little place on Pearl St. From what I hear a lot of entrepreneurs work out of here. Boulder, as many of you know, is quickly becoming a tech start-up nirvana. People from the Valley are flocking here to get in on the action or start their own thing. And the people that move here want to work hard. Definitely no shortage of work ethic. Reminds me a lot of the work ethic we’ve got in Omaha.
One thing Boulder is doing that we should learn from is how the community fosters entrepreneurs. They bend over backwards to make sure they thrive here. We’re starting to get some things going in Omaha that will do the same, but it seems to be coming from small groups or individuals rather than the community. I think one thing that will help is if more businesses got involved in sponsoring entrepreneurial development. I’m talking the big, multi-million, mutli-billion dollar companies that call Omaha home. By fostering this development, it will only work to help our community stronger by bringing in smart, ambitious people. If Omaha could offer start-ups incentives to move here like affordable housing and affordable office space, we’d all be way better off.
One idea I have is to extend the Empty Room concept that What Cheer, Bluestone Development and SecretPenguin came up with. Our initial goal was to supply 6 artists or entrepreneurs with a one-month, rent-free space in the 22 Floors building to do whatever they wanted with it. The response was amazing and we were able to give some very talented people a place to get their start. If we could do that with one space, why not do it with several others? There are plenty of unleased properties all over Omaha that could house new start-ups. The owners of those properties would just need to be willing to let someone occupy them for a month or two. What would it hurt? They’re empty anyway, and could potentially be empty for a long time. (Imagine filling Crossroads with a hundred start-ups!)
If we sent the message out to the world that Omaha has rent-free space for start-ups to move their operation to, I think some fantastic things would happen. We may not have mountains and 300 days of sunshine a year, but we do have a low-cost of living, clean air, and plenty of hard-working people. Let’s put those last few pieces of puzzle in and see what happens.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Great ideas Matt!
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Great ideas and commentary.
But wouldn’t be easier to just move here and join the community (hey, we have to try)?
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Thanks for your comments, Andrew! Yeah, Boulder would be an awesome place to relocate to. But home is where the heart is, and Omaha is my home. Gotta try to make it as great a place as possible. What you guys are doing here is amazing and you should be congratulated!
August 7th, 2009 at 7:02 am
I thought you were at Dushanbe Teahouse. Boulder is beautiful, but Omaha is home.
In a conversation last night, a friend told me “things are changing in Omaha.” I hope she’s right. Well, I know she’s right. We just need to lift up our heads are see the impact our TRIBE has made in this city. Keep pushing!
August 7th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I have actually been given an estimated 10,000 sq feet on 24th and Lake to do exactly what you are talking about. Call me at 402-679-8398 or send me an email at gstanley@contemporaryanalysis.com. I need help in developing the space, and getting people into it. Great Article!