New podcast on the Gravitate Podcast Channel!

Matt Patane, technology and innovation reporter for the Des Moines Register and Geoff Wood, community builder at Gravitate, sit down for an indepth discussion of the companies, events and ideas making news in the Iowa innovation community.

Topics discussed on this episode: Iowa Venture Capital Association, autonomous vehicles in Iowa City, coding curriculum across the state

Feedback, thoughts or suggestions? Hit us up on Twitter or email the show at mvp@gravitatedsm.com

Community building isn’t what you’d call a traditional career option. You won’t find it in the Federal Government’s Standard Occupational Classification system (yes, they have one) and there are only a handful of us pursuing this full-time in the Midwest.

I’m going to use post series as a chance to explore issues related to community building over the next several weeks. I’ll tackle a few topics that are always front of mind for me, like funding a community building role, participation by the community, empire building, event organizer fatigue, etc., and hopefully check in with experts from around the region.

Gravitate is the host location in Central Iowa for the Small Business Administration's (SBA) InnovateHER Challenge, a program established to help promote and female and family-focused companies.

Meet Andrea Metzler, a Des Moines-based employee from Austin's Real HQ and a floating coworking member at Gravitate.

There is no way to sugar coat this. If you work in a startup, you will get burned out. A lot. And often. And probably a few more times after that. And then one more time.

And I have no sympathy for you.

Branding isn't a logo. It isn't colors. It isn't marketing or advertising. It isn't a business card.