Startup Stories DSM is rebranding – as a new podcast.
The live event hosted by the Greater Des Moines Partnership launched its first episode on March 26, and will be released twice a month, hosted by Executive Director Mike Colwell and Christina Moffat, Director of Small Business Resources.
It launched with a live interview by Amos Petersen of FarrPro, a startup that graduated from the first cohort of the Iowa Agritech Accelerator. The partnership will also cut live recordings of two earlier Startup Stories events from January and February into podcast episodes. In April, Megan Vollstedt from the Iowa Agritech Accelerator will be featured.
“I don’t know what it is, but I think we’re more likely to learn when it’s someone we know or relate to – ‘That guy’s from Iowa,’ or ‘It’s someone I know,’” Colwell said.
“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity to get those stories told, and for more people to hear those stories,” Media Relations Manager Sam Hoyle said. “Since joining the partnership six months ago, Startup Stories once a month is a highlight for me. It definitely gets you motivated and thinking about how you approach work, but also what great things are going on in the region.”
Startup Stories isn’t new to the Greater Des Moines Partnership, but organizers had lately noticed some trends.
“The busier the entrepreneurs get, the less they can come to an event,” Colwell said. “A lot of them had been watching the videos – our attendance had gone down a little bit, but people were really watching the videos.”
“I’ll take that as a good sign, because if they need to work on their startup and things are going well, that’s great,” he added. “But for all of us, it’s a 24/7 world, so if they want to listen to a podcast at 5 a.m. while running on a treadmill or whatever it is, then we think it will be easier for people to consume.”
The choice to start a podcast allows the partnership to reach beyond Facebook and other “traditional” social media platforms, into multiple new channels.
“We’re trying to get the message out that if you need help with your business, we’re here,” Colwell said. “Startup Stories has that ability to impact in the short term and afterwards.”