Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Warren Ng and I am one of Boulder’s newest entrepreneurs. Having just begun my entrepreneurial career, you might call me an entrepreneurial virgin. While my education and professional experiences have been peppered with elements of entrepreneurism, Napkin Labs is my first leap into the unknown associated with how to create a successful company. While the idea was very much there, the execution needed help and in the few short months that my business partner and I have dedicated to Napkin Labs, we’ve accomplished a great deal because of the camaraderie and support of the startup community in Boulder.
Immediately, in many of our preliminary conversations to suss out the viability of our business, a few names who have been pivotal to creating the startup community I’m writing about came up which include Brad Feld, Andrew Hyde, and David Cohen to name just a few. Through these contacts, we were quickly welcomed and assimilated into the diverse community of experienced entrepreneurs who approach business in a “pay it forward” sort of attitude. Each of the contacts we met with felt the need to help others as they had been helped early in their growing careers. These sort of interactions happened multiple times a day and has resulted in success at a pace that would have otherwise taken many more months if not years to arrive at had the community not lent the support to Napkin Labs as it has.
For the support received to date, thanks goes out to all! I look forward to the day that I too can pay it forward.
So what does all that mean. If you are considering taking the entrepreneurial plunge or have just done so never hesitate to reach out. Schedule as many meetings as you can to learn from those around you. Don’t be afraid to reach out to those you’ve never met. You will quickly find a welcome committee in response to your requests.
No longer should it be difficult to get time with VCs or advisors; remember it is you the entrepreneur that offers upside potential. It’s VCs like Brad Feld who get this and know that with some advising they can help. Thus programs like http://winterinthebunker.com/ where world class advising is offered for free and Entrepreneurs Unplugged where slice of life interviews are open to the public are popping up more and more across the entrepreneurial centers spread throughout the states.
The approach to entrepreneurism has been redefined and the barriers that have once prevented it have now dissolved due to the support of startups. How do you support startups?
More about the author: Warren Ng is the co-founder of Napkin Labs, a product innovation consultancy that utilizes a crowdsourced approach to innovation to enable breakthrough ideas to bubble up at the intersection of diverse thinking as consumers and experts in all fields. For more information about the author or Napkin Labs visit www.napkinlabs.com or follow on Twitter: @warrenng or @napkinlabs.
The iVolunteer project continues tonight with our second Meetup. We’ll be starting at 5pm at a new location. Rally Software has generously offered use of their space, along with pizza and beer for the troops. Nice!
Rally Software
4001 Discovery Drive, Suite 220
Boulder, CO [map]
Coming tonight? We want to make sure we have enough pizza and beer so please RSVP here.
There’s something so rejuvenating about “we don’t need no stinkin’ business model” business model – and the folks at ActionFeed.org are embodying that. Last night was the first regularly scheduled meetup of all the locals interested in helping get this non-profit startup off the ground. I think everyone there was excited by the enthusiasm and talent in the room. Right now there are 2 camps of people helping out, the pro-geeks (for software engineering) and the no-geeks (for everything else). With the breadth and depth of skill in the volunteers, and no doubt we will execute quickly and have fun doing it. Don’t take our word for it, here are some photos. I’ll post more as they become available.
ActionFeed.org is putting together an free iPhone app called iVolunteer that will show you volunteer and community involvement opportunities in your area. It’s about mobilizing people to get their #$#@#$ off the couch and helping out, especially in a year when we’ll see many valuable non-profits go under from the rapid decline of donations.
So if you find yourself watching more than 30 minutes of TV on Tuesday nights, consider doing something more constructive and help us out. No excuses! (we thought of using that for the tag line, but seem to remember some t-shirt slogan somewhere…)
As mentioned at the last New Tech Meetup, iVolunteer’s first working session will be held on Tuesday, January 27. After the closing of RedFish Brewery, the folks at the Van Heyst Group graciously stepped up and offered their space to our efforts. Thank you!
iVolunteer has no employees and is entirely a not-for-profit endeavor. We see the project as a way to support community organizations across the country and also as a showcase for Boulder’s incredible depth of startup talent. We’ll have our laptops out hacking on code for the iPhone app and website, working on marketing plans, writing blog posts, and doing whatever needs doing to make iVolunteer successful.
Equal parts social and working, this is a great opportunity to meet interesting people in the Boulder community and work on something big. Bring your friends and anyone else who might be good to have along for the ride.
Hello! This site is a grouping of folks that live in Boulder, work in startups, and want to help introduce you to our friendly town of Boulder, Colorado.
Someone helped us out when we all moved here, we are extending the hospitality.
