A new round of
JoeThirty community feedback and networking events will begin Oct. 14. Hosted by the
Greater Cincinnati Venture Association (GCVA), it’s a place where startups and entrepreneurs are able to get feedback on specific questions or problems.
The idea, created by Brad Kirn and Jake Hodesh, is that attendees and presenters have a cup of joe and 30 minutes of conversation to discuss some of the issues facing that company or organization. Each event features one startup presenting three specific challenges for feedback ahead of time.
When they started JoeThirty last year, Kirn and Hodesh wanted to create a different kind of platform for feedback.
“We wanted to not just have another event,” Kirn says. “We wanted to provide value back to our community.”
So, taking inspiration from the national series
1 Million Cups, they created a unique format. While there are lots of forums around the city for entrepreneurs to pitch to an audience, most of them have several startups making general pitches at the same time. JoeThirty is different in its focus and the space it provides for conversation.
Kirn and GCVA hope that their setup provides something useful to both the community and the presenters. They actively try to choose startups who would be helped by the format and invite community members who would provide the most relevant feedback for those entrepreneurs, although anyone is welcome to attend.
Kirn, who was a founding partner at
Differential and is now with
Astronomer, knows the importance of getting fresh ideas and constructive criticism for a new venture.
“People want to help,” he says. “Ever since I started talking to people in the startup community, they want to tell their story and almost everybody is open to feedback.”
The first startup to share its story in this round of JoeThirty will be
Linkedu, which has designed software to help teachers share resources and ideas with each other.
“What I’m most excited about is hearing about how their pivot is going,” Kirn says.
Linkedu is looking to expand its software product beyond exclusively K-12 educators and make it available for a wider range of communities that need to share the knowledge and resources they build. This kind of pivot is common among startups trying to find the business model and niche that works best for them, but it also comes with its own set of challenges.
Linkedu will be able to use its JoeThirty session to get input from people with a variety of backgrounds and specialties.
For Kirn, providing that opportunities and being able to help fellow entrepreneurs are the best parts of organizing the events.
“What keeps me going is the conversations I have with presenters afterward,” he says. “When presenters say they have gotten something valuable out of their experience, that’s what makes the events worth it.”
The biggest change to JoeThirty events this year is that they’ll take place every other month, alternating with another GCVA morning event, the Breakfast Club. While JoeThirty focuses on a single presentation, Breakfast Club will provide time for four entrepreneurs to make pitches at each event.
“We’re creating this morning series,” Kirn says. “It’s kind of a nice change of speed instead of another monthly event.”
The Oct. 14 JoeThirty event is scheduled for 8:20-8:50 a.m., with mingling both before and after, at Rookwood Tower, 3805 Edwards Road at the Rookwood shopping centers. Admission is free but requires
advance registration.
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