Innovation Matters

Regional Impact—Dale McNutt

The building really defines what a modern interactive space can be. They have a projector screen displaying a black-and-white photo of Pittsburgh’s city skyline in 1951. When you walk in front of this screen, the image changes to color and transforms into the modern city skyline. Pretty amazing! They also have audio stations where you can hear oral histories from a dozen Pittsburgh innovators. Along with a timeline touch screen display that walks through the history of Pittsburgh!

The building aims to shine a light on the culture & history of Pittsburgh.
That’s a big light to shine and they’re doing an incredible job at it.

The space is available for free as a meeting space for local non-profits.
And is also free to the public Tuesday’s through Saturday 11am – 3pm.

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Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

In a youthful culture that values the open hand of cooperation, there’s increasing demand for these nontraditional work environments. We here at StartUptown, over the past 4+ years, have proudly supported the Pittsburgh coworking revolution!

 
As the tech industry of Pittsburgh continues to blossom, we find our mission more and more valuable. We continue to support and enable the startup ecosystem, while helping to build the surrounding community.

Have a listen to what the startup community of NYC sounds like:

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Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

Josh McManus of Little Big Things, kicked off the event. Little Big Things is an innovation lab “translating pressing problems into transformative opportunities in cities”. Josh was the perfect person to kick off the event. He has a ton of experience with projects and organizations that create a real local impact. You can listen to his kick off speech here:

After Josh’s wise words to kick us off, we started in on the goal of the evening:
To collaboratively discuss “What’s next for Pittsburgh?” We were given the task of creating a news headline that would define Pittsburgh as a city in the year 2015.

There were roughly 10 tables of 10 at the event, for a total of 100 motivated citizens!
Adam Nelson, from Ludo Mechanica, started off our table’s conversation with the preface that “2015 is only 2 years and 2 months away.” This really set the tone for our group, and we proceeded to have a very constructive discussion, which led us to our 2015 headline:
“Community Exchange Program Helps Residents Cross Rivers.”
Subtitle: Connecting Through Play, Technology, Stories and Culture.
Program name: ‘Won’t Yinz be my Neighbor?’

And surprisingly, ‘connecting Pittsburgh neighborhoods’ was the major theme of almost all of the groups. We all independently recognized the value of each community spread throughout the Pittsburgh region. Then we realized that widespread interaction amongst these communities would only strengthen the city of Pittsburgh.

Overall, the evening was productive and gratifying. An event like this really helps to connect individuals throughout the region and opens lines of communication that may not otherwise been possible. So, stay tuned for the next Social Innovation Exchange (SiX) Monday, November 5, 2012.

And here are some pictures from the event.

Posted by Les

Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

Dale McNutt, founder of StartUptown says:
“Always, of late, my mantra is, “It takes a village to build a business…I’m here to serve and support.” Inversely, in relation to community redevelopment as Bill Generett from UI21 might say: “It takes a business to help build the village!”

Carolina Beyers of UI21, and StartUptown board member, with Dale McNutt toured Pittsburgh’s startup activity with Alex Madrigal, Saturday September 22. Alexis is a senior editor at The Atlantic, where he oversees the Technology channel. He’s the author of Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology. Pittsburgh was his last stop on a 1,000 mile tour through America’s industrial heartland from Chicago to Detroit through Cleveland along with other stops.

The tour began in Uptown… And that long Saturday afternoon reminded us how fertile and growing the entrepreneurial community is… from StartUptown to Revv Oakland; past Pitt and CMU; to a full Google tour; to Startup Weekend in East Liberty (incredible!) to Garfield’s Awesome books (and studio tour with cats and artist/entrepreneur Laura Jean McLaughlin), a three block stroll past Assemble, co-working Catapult, to the Center for Post-Natural History; a ride through Homewood, the Hill and Strip, then Innovation Works’ AlphaLab for two hours with light food and beer, to meet the new crop of startups… Like Aurochs Brewing, AutoRef, FutureDerm, Tunessence and others.

We covered a ton of ground in less than 8 hours, and were thrilled to have Alexis as a guest in our city. Reading through his very well written article you realize that he gained a sense of the momentum that the startup community has built here in Pittsburgh. Although, given more time..
We know that he would have not only sensed it, but felt the impact that startups and entrepreneurs are making in our city.

 
Photos of the weekend can be found on our Facebook page

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Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

We recently received the good news from the IRS..

We are now an official Nonprofit organization!

Although, we have been operating as a Pennsylvania Nonprofit for the past 2 years. This is a BIG step for StartUptown as an organization.

Being recognized as a 501(c)(3) federal nonprofit provides many benefits in return for the value we have only begun to create in the community. The new status opens bigger opportunities for funding from government agencies, private foundations, and individuals. It also allows for zoning for amenities like bike racks, which our StartUptown bikers need!

The designation comes after 20 months of hard work and communications with the IRS.

Now, we look forward exploring and flexing our Nonprofit muscles in the upcoming months.
This new spark has enlivened our StartUptown mission!

“Assist to ensure the success of early-stage startup businesses and community redevelopment by making a joint investment in human potential and job creation
— while reinvigorating the urban core.”

 
+Recent news about StartUptown:
StartUptown ignites the renewal of Uptown

Posted by Les

Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

 
Of course, 80% of the time I am out doing something.. because it is Saturday at noon!
 
Luckily, all the shows are archived at Talk Shoe, which is a Pittsburgh tech company itself.
Talk Shoe is a website for user-generated live and recorded voice content. Users can host and join live voice discussion groups, radio talk show, conversations, and more!

Check them and the show out here.

 
If you’ve already heard the front of the mic..
Take a peak to see who’s behind the mic:

TechVibe Radio’s “Behind the Mic” from Pittsburgh Technology Council on Vimeo.

Posted by Les

Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

I don’t often feel turned on enough, by a cool extensions or apps, to blog about them.

But this one has inspired me to blog.

It’s simple.

You can deliver emails at anytime.. you choose when.
Send now and deliver anytime!

And you can ‘Boomerang’ emails back to mailbox, as a reminder.
..if people happen to not respond.

 
Check it out:

 
Download it here.

 
Boom >>><<< arang

Posted by Les

Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

They’ve created a job search tool that not only matches your skills, but also matches your personality type. The team had the opportunity to showcase their new product this past week at the DEMO conference in Santa Clara, CA.

 
So, how does it work?

 
Well, I could type out some well thought out words to help you understand..
But it’s 2012 and I’m embracing technology, so..

With more than half of Americans dissatisfied with their jobs, the benefits are clear.
And even Rick Santorum knows it!

So, are you looking for a job that fits you as a person?

Try it out for yourself!

Posted by Les

Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.

StartUptown resident, CareerImp, has been noticing this trend. At the beginning of this year, they made a proactive move and purchased the Regional Internship Center. The RIC, is an organization that strives to increase the number of organizations in Western PA offering internships, by actively working with employers to develop programs and connect them with potential interns. This move expands CareerImp’s internship reach to more than 60 educational institutions and serves employers in 13 Western Pennsylvania counties, as well as the West Virginia panhandle.

Mona Adbel-Halim, CareeerImp’s co-founder, knows that “Internships are a great resource even for graduates, alumni, people who may be transitioning careers because offering their services part time, for free or even for a trial period, helps the company test out whether it’s a compatible job match prior to giving a full-time offer”

Since the acquisition, CareerImp is continuing to build on the center’s 8+ years of experience, while also bringing their own knowledge to the table. They have already begun reaching out to individuals who may not ordinarily seek internships. Internship programs like these allow for experience in other arenas, and provided, paths to break into new disciplines, even after graduation.

And most of all, they are helping to address the all too often question of..
“How do I gain experience?..
Especially, if no one will give me experience due to my lack of experience!?”

In addition to the organizations recent efforts to reach individuals outside of the university, the center also has an agreement with the Urban Innovation 21 program to guide approximately 50 Community College of Allegheny County freshmen in social and professional networking opportunities throughout their paid internship.

 
Read more about CareerImp’s new expansion in the Post Gazette.com

Posted by Les

Les is a entrepreneur with a strong interest in community.

Bringing Co. back to Contribution, Connection, Community & CreatiOn.