Ecosystem Builder Podcast

Nick and Kaitlyn are taking the week off from interviews. Before signing off for the weekend, we wanted to give thanks to our listeners and let everyone know our plans for the holidays! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ben McDougal is a Startup Ecosystem Builder from Des Moines, Iowa. He joins the show to discuss his work welcoming diverse communities to his startup ecosystem and provides an overview of the startup scene is Des Moines.Connect with Ben here.Read more from Mug.News here.

The two hosts of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast, Nick and Kaitlyn, discuss a new show Kaitlyn has created called The Startup Spotlight Series. Watch more Startup Spotlight Series on our YouTube page here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Darcella Craven is an Ecosystem Builder from Saint Louis, Missouri. She joins the Ecosystem Builder Podcast to chat about her local community and the work she's done to support the mental health of local entrepreneurs.Read more from Mug.News here.

Nathan Preheim is a Nebraska ecosystem builder, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. He joins the Ecosystem Builder Podcast to share his journey as an entrepreneur and the systematic flaws he plans to fix with his new VC firm. Connect with Nathan here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Angie Jordan is an Ecosystem Builder from Iowa City, Iowa. She joins the show to share her own journey as an entrepreneur and the way Iowa City's community is ensuring every entrepreneur has the chance to succeed. Read more from Mug.News here.

Maddy Fisher joins the show for this episode as an ecosystem builder from Rochester, Minnesota. She talks with Kaitlyn about technology in agriculture creating the next wave of jobs in the midwest and the work she does to help small businesses flourish in Minnesota. Kaitlyn and Abby also chat about their favorite coffee shops in the area.Read more from Mug.News here.

Nick and Kaitlyn link up to share recent updates with Mug.News and chat about their personal creative projects. Read more from Mug.News here.

Alejandro Santiago, an ecosystem builder from Saint Louis, Missouri, joins the show to share how he best advocates for entrepreneurs within his own community. Don't forget to stick around for the end of the episode to hear Kaitlyn and Nick share their biggest takeaways from this conversation!Connect with Alejandro here.Read more from Mug.News here.

The Editor-In-Chief of Startland News, Tommy Felts, is our guest for this episode of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast. Startland News is a non-profit news organization that is devoted to telling stories of startups within the Kansas City community. We discuss the impact startup storytelling has had on the Kansas City ecosystem. Connect with Tommy on LinkedIn here.Read more from Mug.News here.

In this episode, our co-host Kaitlyn chats with Melissa Grizzle to discuss building entrepreneurial education programming in Saint Louis, Missouri. Melissa gives an overview of her local startup ecosystem while providing tactics to apply to any community across the midwest.Connect with Melissa here.Read more from Mug.News here.

On today's episode, our Host Kaitlyn chats with Amanda Lewan to discuss the startup ecosystem in Detroit, Michigan. They overview the booming industry of cyber security and highlight the other well-functioning areas of their community.Read more from Mug.News here.

Tom Chapman is a world-renown ecosystem builder from Omaha, Nebraska. As one of the first players on the ecosystem-building scene, Tom has helped establish the field as we know it today. He joins to discuss issues he sees with entrepreneurial activity across the nation and share insights from his local scene in Omaha. Read more from Mug.News here.

Jake Joraanstad is an Ecosystem Builder from Fargo, North Dakota. He joins the show to give an overview of his local ecosystem while highlighting the importance of learning from failures, also known as "Flearning."Connect with Jake on Twitter here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Nick & Kaitlyn have now created more than forty episodes of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast without ever being in the same room. Kaitlyn and Nick finally met up in person to record this podcast together, in person.Read more from Mug.News here.

Matt Menietti is an ecosystem builder from Saint Louis, Missouri. He joins the show to discuss the steps Saint Louis has taken to create a diverse environment in its startup ecosystem. He also discusses local financing options and his vision for Saint Louis post-pandemic.Read more from Mug.News here.Connect with Matt on LinkedIn here.

On this episode of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast, we have Angie Jordan, Marlén Joanne Mendoza, and Tasha Lard. The group of professionals organized Iowa City's first Diversity Market. Their event builds community and offers support amongst marginalized entrepreneurs in their ecosystem. They join the show to discuss how the event came together and the tactics other organizers can take to replicate their success elsewhere.Follow the South District Neighborhood Association in Iowa City on Facebook here.Read more from Mug.News here.

On this episode, we have Greg Tehven, an Ecosystem Builder from Fargo, North Dakota. Greg overviews the startup ecosystem in North Dakota while highlighting some of the challenges his state faces, such as access to capital and letting humility get in the way of success.Connect with Greg on LinkedIn here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Hunter Bergman is an ecosystem builder and student at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. He joins to show to discuss building a collegiate startup community and the tactics his team implemented to engage those students with local entrepreneurs.Connect with Hunter here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Mark Cowsert is an ecosystem builder from Columbia, Missouri devoted to creating programs to teach entrepreneurship in middle and high school. Mark discusses engaging with entrepreneurs at a young age while providing an overview of his initiatives that have been brought across his state.Connect with Mark here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Jamie Sundsbak is an ecosystem builder in Rochester, Minnesota. He joins the show to discuss the partnership between the startup community in Rochester and the Mayo Clinic. Jamie also highlights the different tactics his organization has implemented to allow the Rochester startup community to flourish.Learn more about Jamie's nonprofit, Collider, here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Melissa Vincent is an Ecosystem Builder who splits time between Oklahoma City, OK, and Kansas City, MO as the Executive Director of Pipeline Entrepreneurs. She joins the show to discuss leading Pipeline's community of high-growth entrepreneurs while analyzing the current midwest ecosystem.Read more from Mug.News here.

Nick and Kaitlyn take an episode to discuss their biggest learnings on ecosystem building after almost a year of creating the show. They also touch base on their projects outside of this podcast and preview other Mug.News content.Watch the first episode of Coffe Grinds, hosted by Kaitlyn Claeys, here.Help your local donut shop win our Gold Donut Competition here.

Mike Bynum is an Ecosystem Builder from Saint Louis, Missouri. He joins the show to discuss the robust ecosystem in Saint Louis and his approach to best-supporting entrepreneurs within their community.Read more from Mug.News here.Connect with Mike here.

Janet McRae is an ecosystem builder from Miami County, Kansas. She joins to show to discuss the way Miami County has pulled in tourists from nearby Kansas City, Kansas while positioning itself as a remote work location in the post-COVID era.Read more from Mug.News here.

Alexces Bartley is an ecosystem builder from Kansas City, Missouri. She joins the show to discuss her unique approach to building startup communities, which focuses on individual growth, strong communication, and savvy use of new media. Connect with Alexces here Read more from Mug.News here.

Janet Miller is an ecosystem builder in Cherokee County Kansas whose passion is coaching entrepreneurs. In this interview, she covers subjects like economic development within rural communities and more. 

Christy Maxfield is an ecosystem builder in Saint Louis, Missouri. She joins the show to discuss aligning a community to best support entrepreneurs and the ever-changing terminology around "ecosystem building."Follow Christy on Twitter here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Dan Lauer is an entrepreneur and ecosystem builder in Saint Louis, Missouri. Dan created the children's toy called Waterbabies, which has sold over 25 million units worldwide. He now creates education programming as the Founding Executive Director of UMSL Accelerate. Dan joins the show to share his entrepreneurial journey and discuss best practices for a community to support startups.Read more from Mug.News here.

Katie Silversmith is the co-founder of Thrive Coworking and an ecosystem builder in Saint Louis, Missouri. She joins the show to discuss coworking spaces encouraging collaboration and a sense of community in the Saint Louis startup ecosystem. Read more from Mug.News here.

Shelley Paasch is an ecosystem builder in eastern Kansas. Her work as the manager of NetWork Kansas helps grow the entrepreneurial environment in Kansas by curating tools and resources and support small businesses.Read more from Mug.News here.

Tracy James is an ecosystem builder based out of St. Louis Missouri. She provides excellent education and resources for startups across the state. As the Attorney Manager at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Tracy is providing insider information in business growth and support.Read more from Mug.News here.

Dave Rippe has been an economic development leader in the Hastings, Nebraska community for well over a decade. His work has allowed for a community of 25,000 to become a regional hub for new businesses and young talent. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Frank and Kim Spillers are two ecosystem builders from Atlantic, Iowa. Their company, Rural Community Solutions, advises small towns across the midwest on the best practices to attract and develop entrepreneurs. They join Kaitlyn to discuss their work fostering these communities while discussing the future of rural America.Read more from Mug.News here.

George Zarebski Jr. is an Ecosystem Builder from Columbus, Ohio. He joins the show to overview the startup community in Columbus, celebrate recent entrepreneurial successes and share valuable insight into ways to connect with your local ecosystem.Read more from Mug.News here.

Mel Lambert is an Ecosystem Builder from Saint Louis, Missouri. Mel Lambert is the Director of Adult and Community Services at Kirkwood public library based in Saint Louis. She joins the show to discuss her work curating the data and tools that allow entrepreneurs to flourish. She and Kaitlyn also nerd out on comic books.Don't forget to stay tuned for the end of the episode to hear the hosts recap the conversation and share their personal insights from the conversation.Read more from Mug.News here.

Khalif El-Amin is our guest for this episode of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast. He joins the show to discuss the Young Enterprising Society. The organization, which Khalif started with his brother, works to provide access to technology and entrepreneurial programs to communities across the country.Learn more about Khalif's work here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Victor Hwang is our guest for this episode of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast. Victor is an author, investor, entrepreneur, and economic growth expert. He joins the show to discuss the science behind ecosystem building and provides research-backed tactics to apply to communities around the world.Learn more about Victor's work here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Meg Steuer is an ecosystem builder from Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota. She joins the show to discuss the work she and her team have done to foster collaboration between corporations and startups in their ecosystem.Some of America's biggest companies, like Target and 3M, call the Minneapolis area home. Meg works with these large organizations to support an environment that allows the next generation of businesses to thrive. Learn more about her work here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Gabe Munoz is an active resource for entrepreneurs in his local ecosystem. Currently, he works as the Kansas City Eship Fellow for Forward Cities, a business focused on inclusivity and innovative growth within communities across the midwest and more. Listen to the full interview to learn about how Forward Cities is helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses.Learn more about the Forward Cities here.Read more by Mug.News here.

Cameron French is an active ecosystem builder in the Omaha Nebraska area and is currently the Program Manager and Associate of The Startup Collaborative, a capital fund dedicated to investing in software-centric companies. He pairs up with Kaitlyn to talk about how The Startup Collaborative offers a seat at the table to include entrepreneurs of varying business development.Learn more about the Startup Collaborative here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Charmyse Tillman and Patty Newby are organizing the upcoming Community Growth Summit by gener8tor. They join the show to discuss the gener8tor programs which help build ecosystems across the country and unpack how that approach has shifted in a pandemic.The CommUNITY Growth Summit connects key stakeholders in the economic development space to highlight innovations that are improving communities, the leaders making such innovations possible, and how new technologies and business models will reshape economic development as we know it. Learn more about the summit here.Read more from Mug.News here.

John Machacek is an Ecosystem Builder from Fargo, North Dakota. He joins the Ecosystem Builder Podcast to discuss his work that allows startups to foster growth within the state of North Dakota. John is the Chief Innovation Officer at the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation. Learn more about his work here.Read more from Mug.News here.

Scott Henderson joins the Ecosystem Builder Podcast to discuss the value of collaboration and networking within community building.Scott Henderson is the Managing Director of NMotion. Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, NMotion has provided the platform to accelerate early-stage, high-growth startups through curated connections to resources, mentors, and capital. NMotion has partnered with gener8tor to continue to build these programs and opportunities for startups looking to grow in the Midwest.Learn more about NMotion here.Read more about startups in the middle on Mug.News.

Erica Wassinger is a founder, columnist, and ecosystem builder out of Omaha, Nebraska. She joins the show to overview the Omaba startup scene, discuss her approach to storytelling for the Omaha World-Herald, and share the strategy her team takes to growing Nebraska's economy through new businesses.Follow Erica on Twitter here.Subscribe to Mug.News here.

Don Macke is an Ecosystem Builder who specializes in helping rural communities foster an environment that allows entrepreneurs and their companies to flourish. He talks with Kaitlyn about his start in this field, key findings in his research, and some of their biggest learnings working with these small towns.Learn more about Don's company and his podcast here.

Brienne Maner is an Ecosystem Builder of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota startup community. She joins the show to discuss the current state of her ecosystem, the major success they've seen building the community, and the tactics to apply to communities across the country.Learn more about the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship here. Read more from Mug.News here.

Nick Castner and Kaitlyn Claeys link up to discuss their biggest learnings from the first ten episodes of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast and what they hope to accomplish with the show in 2020.Check out more entrepreneurship content on Mug.News!

In an effort to spread holiday cheer, Nick and Kaitlyn take their knowledge from interviews with ecosystem builders and consult Santa on how to improve operations in the North Pole.Happy Holidays from the entire team at Mug.News! 

Karen Christilles is an ecosystem builder in Topeka, Kansas. She joins the show to discuss Topeka's rising entrepreneurs, startup hangouts and all the other factors in her local entrepreneurship scene.Outside of her work to build Topeka's startup ecosystem, Karen advises organizations around the world through the company she founded called KLC Associates. Learn more here: http://www.klcassociates.com/Interested in entrepreneurs in the middle? Head on over to our website: https://mug.news/

Christina Oldfather discusses how promoting startups can lead to economic development. Christina is the ecosystem builder in Lincoln, Nebraska. After decades of work, Lincoln has been able to cultivate startups that have grown into international businesses with thousands of employees. Subscribe to the Mug.News newsletter here: https://mug.news/