By Jescy Rodriguez–Last night, several students from Morningside College submitted Ideas to Sioux City Growth Organization’s Annual Innovation Market 2013. Sioux City Growth Organization (SCGO) is a local group of professionals, younger than 40, that encourage social networking and progressive, innovative ideas to help the future of Sioux City.
This was the 3rd appearance of the Innovation Market in the existence of Sioux City GO. The idea behind the Innovation Market is to listen to local entrepreneurial ideas and network in order to make these ideas come to pass. Another added benefit to the market is a $5,000 prize donated to the best-voted idea, alongside a free office space for a year. This year is the first year the Innovation Market has been able to provide a runner up prize of $2,500. The opportunity saw 50 unique ideas for local businesses or events created by Sioux City residents.
Morningside students Blake Anderson and Lehi Tonga were amongst the aspiring entrepreneurs at the market and represented their proposal for their spin on a local nightclub business, which has been going for some time now.
Anderson and Tonga presented their idea, Static Entertainment LLC., which is a service that provides the local 18-24 year olds with a safe nighttime club experience. Their first two events were entitled Genesis and Winterfresh. They make this all happen by renting out space in the Sioux City Convention Center, hiring DJ’s, photographers and other entertainment specialist and open it to the public providing a one night club-styled extravaganza type event designed to enhance the nightlife of Sioux City.
“With all of us being from areas out of state (places like California and Minnesota), we saw the need for a nightclub scene for young adults to party in a controlled environment,” Anderson explained. “We wanted to bring all the schools in the local Siouxland area together. All of the colleges in a 60 mile radius to come party and have a great time.”
Anderson and Tonga aren’t the only Morningside students to be involved in this think tank. Also integral parts of Static Entertainment are students Jon Cripe, current head of Security here on campus, and Marco Linares. Cripe is responsible for the being the Creative Director of these events, where as Linares is in charge of being the Director of Accounting for the small business. Anderson’s role in the company is that of an Operations Administrator, leaving Tonga in charge of the Public Relations.
“All of the responsibilities and duties kind of blend and overlap when we are in the flow of things.” Tonga said. “Genesis was our first event and from it we learned a lot about the business as well as ourselves. When we got to Winterfresh we had a bit of a better plan to execute the event. This time we are really excited with what we have planned for Storm.”
Storm is Static Entertainment’s next event scheduled for April 6th located downtown in the Sioux City Convention Center.
Blake Anderson also submitted another idea alongside another Morningside College student Sean Richardson. Richardson and Anderson’s idea for an app sparked plenty of buzz throughout the crowds at the Innovation Market.
It’s called the “discover my campus” app and will be Software as is Service (SAIS), although it is currently in the developmental stage. This app is also a finalist for the Briar Cliff idea market called Swim with the Sharks, and will be voted on this upcoming Thursday.
Richardson explains, “It’s more than just an app. It will put your entire campus in your pocket. Colleges will be able to stay connected to their students like never before, without having to spam up their student’s email accounts with unread emails. Students would be able to use this app during their years at the college as a type of map of the campus as well as an event calendar. But its not just limited to that, the idea also allows for students to navigate through campus using the GPS systems on their phones. It would make it so new students could track their way from their dorm to the door of their classroom without any hassle. Potential meal menus from the cafeteria could be updated to the app. The possibilities with the Discover my campus app are endless.”
The SCGO Innovation Market kicked off with a Social hour cocktail event where everyone was encouraged to browse and comment on the ideas of their fellow entrepreneurs, as well as, network a bit with the various business professionals in attendance. After that, there were various speakers who talked about their professional careers and how they started their own business. One keynote speaker was Dusty Davidson, co-founder and CEO of Silicon Prairie News, an innovative company that connected various Midwestern “startup Hubs” and created an awareness of the technological advancement in the Midwest.
Lots of inspirational and important lessons were taught at the Innovation Market but most of all the spirit of entrepreneurship could be seen and heard in every conversation at the market.
“It’s a good networking tool, and it brings a lot of people together with the same aspirations that we have with Static Entertainment,” Tonga said of the Innovation Market.
“The ability to get the professional feedback we’ve been getting all night with our idea is huge for us. It’s different and fun. Where else do you get to collaborate with young professionals in the area and bounce ideas to help your own operations?” commented Anderson. “I think Students love to see entrepreneurial things take off, especially when they see that other students that they go to school with have started their own business, there is less of a fear stigma to starting a business of their own. Empowerment is key to the dreams of my peers and is what this great country was founded upon. I think that SCGO Innovation Market is great thing and am glad to have the opportunity to network and learn with them.
If you have any questions or would like to participate in next year’s Innovation Market, go to siouxcitygo.com to learn more.
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