This is a compiled list of questions and thoughts about various aspects of the North Texas startup community, and how we can get more engagement from the cities, local businesses, and community. In the larger picture, how can we empower and support entrepreneurs to build their startups right here in North Texas.
Dallas/North Texas
- How can cities benefit from a local startup culture?
- What are the current challenges holding back this movement from growing?
- Short term: How can the cities get involved in this movement?
- Identify the current industry strengths in North Texas?
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- Dallas compiled a document for this purpose, dated 2006 – http://www.dallas-ecodev.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Target_Industry_2006.pdf
- State incentives – http://dallas-ecodev.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/State_Incentives.pdf
- What do the cities see in the future of the technology scene? What would they like to see?
@todo
- Who are the key influencers in the city to gain support from?
- Contact RCIC about possible involvement in funding events
Other Cities
- Why do these cities support startups and the startup initiative?
- What is the ROI for the city?
- What are long-term goals for the city from sponsoring/endorsing these projects? (Incubators, accelerators, events, etc)
- How have Open Data initiatives helped these cities and their communities?
- What kind of results have they seen from city-sponsored accelerators?
- Check resources at the bottom of this note
@todo
- Contact these cities/departments for feedback (San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, etc)
Schools and local communities
- What do the communities needs? How can we help? Improvements in education, government, green energy, etc. (thoughts for verticals in various areas.)
- Talk to universities/schools in the area about participating in events. Maybe sponsoring/hosting
- Talk to student organizations about participating
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- What are some challenges that keep students from attending these events? Cost, travel, interest, stake/ROI, etc.
- What kind of events would the students like to see or participate in?
Local Businesses/Corporations
- How can they benefit from the startup community?
- Do they already support the community, and if so, how?
- Thoughts on permanent sponsors for certain events/event series.
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- Try to retain big players in being involved in the community.
- Fortune 500 map – http://www.dallas-ecodev.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Fortune500.pdf
MOAR Hackathons and innovation events
- Not just target developers, but people with domain expertise to bring their ideas (horizontals)
- Identify local venues interested in hosting.
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- Nick, owner of The Commons Desk in Deep Ellum, is interested in hosting events. http://thecommondesk.com
- Identify strong tech presence areas to focus there first (areas with higher densities of technical talent)
- What kind of events?
- Verticals
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- Health technology – talk with hospitals, health tech businesses to sponsor events, get doctors/nurses/researchers with ideas there
- Government – goes along with an open data initiative. What can be created with this data to benefit the cities?
- Education – lot of schools in the area, how can these events help them? Get students involved like UNT Hackathon
- Green initiatives
- “Main Street” – franchise-able businesses?
- Horizontals
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- Women 2.0
- Youth
- Veterans
- *API – great for sponsor specific events who want to promote their API.
@todo
- Attend more local meet ups to get community feedback and see what the people want or are looking for.
Resources
http://governor.state.tx.us/ecodev/etf/etf_apply/
https://www.facebook.com/4hourventures – GREAT hackathon concept. Easy to implement and organize
http://www.dallas-ecodev.org/ – lots of useful information for Dallas economic growth plans