3 Easy Ways to Connect with the Ames Startup Community

3 Easy Ways to Connect with the Ames Startup Community

We regularly hear from folks wanting to more actively engage with the robust startup community in Ames. In recent years, initiatives like Startup Ames—developed and managed by founders for founders—have worked hard to develop a supportive and active startup scene throughout the city, county and region. The following offers up three easy ways to get involved.

• 1 Million Cups Ames

• Every Wednesday
• 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
• Follow @1MCAmes on Twitter for location information

Based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and engage with their communities over a million cups of coffee, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation developed 1 Million Cups in 2012—a free program designed to educate, engage and inspire entrepreneurs around the country. Through the power of volunteers, 1 Million Cups has grown to more than 180 communities … Ames being among them.

Each Wednesday, attendees get caffeinated while connecting, and then are offered a quick presentation and Q/A from a local entrepreneur. Many of these presenters are sharing information about startups and looking to the audience for assistance in moving the product or service forward.

1 Million Cups is free and open to the public. Find more information at 1MillionCups.com/Ames.

• Startup-centric Events

• Dates, Times and Locations Vary

There isn’t a month – or in most cases a WEEK – that passes where there isn’t a startup-centric event happening in Ames. The Startup Ames group regularly hosts an evening social called IdeaFlow, the Ames Chamber and Ames Economic Development Commission host a ton of educational and networking events for businesses of all sizes and scopes, the Young Entrepreneur Convention and Pitch Competition is hosted in Ames each April, and Iowa State University has a wealth of programs and special presentations focused on startups.

Your best bet is to follow each of these entities on social media for insight … which brings us to our final suggestion for engaging in the local startup scene.

• Social Media
• Online, all the time!

This is the absolute EASIEST way to engage with the local startup community.

We recommend you start by following @1MCAmes and @StartupAmes on Twitter and/or Facebook and/or Instagram and go from there. These two accounts are most active on Wednesdays, providing a full live Tweet and Facebook Live from 1 Million Cups, but regularly share information about what’s happening on the startup scene.

Following their followers is a good way to get familiar with those who engage most actively in the community. Retweeting/sharing posts of interest, liking posts and engaging in conversation on these social media channels also helps to spread the word about the great things happening on the ground here in Ames.