community | Innovation Destination: Hartford

Hartford’s Groove Is Coming Back!

May 14 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: advanced manufacturing, community, Connecticut, entrepreneurship, Hartford, innovation, Leadership Greater Hartford, MetroHartford Alliance, reSET, technology, Upward Hartford

One year ago, I wrote in the Hartford Business Journal that “Hartford stands at a tipping point: Bankruptcy? Revival? Or both?” And I focused on how common negative perceptions must be rebutted. David Griggs, the new President of the MetroHartford Alliance, observed recently in his debut presentation before 400 business and community leaders that “a community’s positive self-image is key to advancing economic revitalization.”

In tours of Hartford that I lead regularly for Leadership Greater Hartford, we see so much positive change in the last year that the city’s future looks brighter than in decades. The dramatic transformation underway makes Aetna’s departure announcement last year seem like a bad dream. CVS, Aetna’s expected new parent, understands Hartford’s strength as an insurance “center of excellence” where Aetna will thrive. The threat of the city’s bankruptcy is now history, and the state and major insurers are ready to bolster Hartford’s fiscal position.

In a fascinating twist, today’s rapidly expanding entrepreneurial spirit strongly recalls 19^th-century Hartford. Historians today call Hartford the innovation epicenter, the “Silicon Valley,” of 19^th-century American industrialization. Between the birth of the U.S. patent system in 1790 and 1930, Connecticut residents were awarded more patents per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

Today, numerous new “incubator/accelerator” launching pads build upon Hartford’s traditional strengths in insurance, financial services, and advanced manufacturing and production. The University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford have collaborated with business leaders on the Downtown InsurTech program that launched the StartupBootcamp accelerator. Working with Techstars, Stanley Black & Decker’s Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Downtown will accelerate its global Industry 4.0 “smart factory” initiative, and UTC has opened a state-of-the-art manufacturing innovation center at its Pratt & Whitney campus in East Hartford.

Upward Hartford and reSET Social Enterprise Trust exemplify the think tanks that assist entrepreneurs, large and small, in launching new cutting-edge products. Their rich menu of services includes funding sources, mentoring, periodic competitions and public recognition. reSET is unique in stimulating new enterprises that serve the common good.

National publicity about Connecticut’s highly skilled and educated workforce, Hartford in particular, is reinforcing the city’s momentum. Connecticut boasts New England’s highest percent (72%) of advanced manufacturing jobs. Fortune magazine reported that the Hartford metro area has America’s fourth highest number of digital tech-related jobs. And with more than 50% college-educated millennials, the Hartford area ranks sixth in the nation. It is understandable why Infosys announced plans for a major tech/innovation hub in Hartford that will create 1000 high tech jobs by 2022.

Job training, strategically focused on present/future workforce needs, is fast complementing Hartford’s many corporate and pubic internship programs. Goodwin College exemplifies institutions with specialized degree programs in manufacturing technology and other jobs in highest demand. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has announced major grants to boost employment among Hartford residents and an innovation grant to the Hartford Public Library’s “Crossroads to Connectivity Project” that narrows the city’s “digital divide.” These kinds of efforts reach down to the Hartford Boys & Girls Clubs, which initiated a new program to promote college/career readiness.

The vitality of Hartford as a place to live, work and play continues to unfold in highly visible ways. CIL’s renovation of the historic Capewell Lofts, their housing/retail plans at the Main/Park street entrance to Park Street’s vibrant Hispanic commercial area, and Spectra Boutique Apartment’s unique amenities (including a theater) that will be replicated in the apartments being created at Pearl and Trumbull streets are transforming housing in the city.

Complete new multi-purpose neighborhoods are on the drawing boards adjacent to the Dunkin’ Donuts Stadium and along Capitol Avenue. New residents and the 3,000+ members of the new Downtown UConn Hartford campus community are generating more “feet on the street.”

Merchants and Downtown institutions are responding; TheaterWorks plans a $ 2.5 million renovation, and free admissions are available to the Wadsworth Atheneum and to Hartford Stage in partnership with Hartford Public Library. Infinity Music Hall and Sea Tea Improv Comedy Theater are huge draws, and new restaurants like The Republic, Sorella, and Spectra Café are three of many.

This dynamic transformation is strong fodder for revamping our historic self-image. And that strong and proud belief in who we are will be the foundation for more ambitious and comprehensive goals than ever before.

About the Author
Greg Andrews is the Program Director for Leadership Greater Hartford’s Executive Orientation Program and Hartford Encounter Tours.

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YES Empowers Young People to Strengthen CT

February 25 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford Initiatives 0 comments Tags: community, Connecticut, Connecticut Main Street Center, CT, Hartford, Partnership for Strong Communities, YES, Young Energetic Solutions, young professionals

Young Energetic Solutions (YES) is a joint initiative of the Partnership for Strong Communities and Connecticut Main Street Center.

Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price spoke with Christine Schilke, Communications Director at Connecticut Main Street Center, and Kayleigh Pratt, Policy Analyst at the Partnership for Strong Communities to learn more about the initiative and its future goals.

NAN PRICE: Give us a little background. When, how, and why did the initiative form?

Christine Schilke is Communications Director at Connecticut Main Street Center.

CHRISTINE SCHILKE: The idea for Young Energetic Solutions (YES) started around 2013 with the Partnership for Strong Communities. It was an evolution based on a recognized need.

One of the aims of The Partnership is to reduce homelessness and increase affordable housing throughout Connecticut. At the time, it was thought that if more young people could get involved on boards and commissions advocating for this type of housing they would be able to better influence the system. So that was the early start of YES.

Connecticut Main Street Center became involved because we have a statewide network of members in local Main Street programs. These members can be volunteer-based, professionally managed, or a municipality. A lot of those members comprised city employees who are planners, economic development officials, and Main Street professionals as well.

We decided to have a joint event with YES and Main Street people to encourage a conversation about what young people are looking for in their neighborhoods and how to help create that change through the eyes of planners and zoners.

It was a great conversation, actually. We hosted two events, one in New Haven and one in Hartford. Everyone agreed: I want to be in a place where it’s okay if I have to drive to work, but when I get home, I really want to be in a walkable neighborhood. That was the young people’s perspective. And the older people’s response was: That sounds really good, can we live there too? Let’s be neighbors!

NAN: How has YES evolved since those initial discussions?

CHRISTINE: Over the next few years, YES became more focused and underwent some transitional changes. There was always recognition of this need in Connecticut: How are we going to attract and retain young people? How are we going to empower them to create the type of neighborhoods they’re seeking?

Then, around 2015, we formalized the relationship between Connecticut Main Street Center and the Partnership for Strong Communities because our goals are so closely aligned: The ideas around developing vibrant towns, creating more affordable housing, and attracting young people.

Kayleigh Pratt is Policy Analyst at the Partnership for Strong Communities.

Once Kayleigh came on board, we really started to coalesce those ideas and think about how we could restructure this initiative to better engage young people, so we can really activate them and move our ideas forward. Right now, we are trying to provide education and awareness around the issues millennials are facing.

KAYLEIGH PRATT: We relaunched YES this year and really defined our mission, which is to empower young people to create a vibrant Connecticut. We created a statewide YES network to give young people the tools they need to help their communities within Connecticut become places where young professionals want to live, work, and play.

NAN: Does YES have members or does it act as a resource that makes connections to other organizations?

KAYLEIGH: Right now, we are an advisory committee. Christine and I are the co-chairs.

CHRISTINE: In the future, we may move toward a membership because it seems like a lot of people want to get involved and we’ve had inquiries about how to join YES. Right now, we don’t have the capacity to offer membership.

What we’re trying to do is to be that resource and say: Here’s how you can get involved. You don’t need to join YES. You can write a blog for your local paper or you can join a board or a commission.

NAN: In what ways does YES collaborate with other local young professional groups?

KAYLEIGH: We acknowledge and recognize that there are a lot of thriving young professional groups in Connecticut. We’re not trying to recreate the wheel; we’re working with them to further this idea of fostering a space where young people want to be.

Our hope is to engage people from local chambers of commerce and local business owners, entrepreneurs, and innovators.

We also tried to make sure we had representation from young professional groups like Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (HYPE) on the advisory committee. The idea is to have this kind of parallel track of networks where we have access to young professional groups—and not just young professionals, young people in general of all types who can provide us with a link to Connecticut’s young people.

At the same time, we’re connecting with day-to-day influencers and organizers to perpetuate change—so policymakers, businesses, kind of the flipside of the coin. Who can help create that change?

We think of ourselves as a bridge between them to say: This is what young people are looking for. This is how we need to attract and retain them. And then, we come back to the young people and say: Here are the opportunities available. Here’s how you can become more involved in your community, so you can create the change you want to see.

CHRISTINE: I think that’s what YES is all about, convening all these young professional groups. There are obvious efforts trying to get young people involved. Let’s bring it all together.

KAYLEIGH: Also, in the past we’ve reached out to organizations including the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS), Leadership Greater Hartford, and the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association (CCAPA) to help promote YES events and share relevant information.

NAN: How are young people finding out about young professional groups and getting involved?

UConn students bring vitality and fun to Connecticut Main Street Center’s awards celebration in Storrs Center.

CHRISTINE: We try to work with others to spread this message. For instance, we partnered on an event with HYPE, which was great because that gave us access to their audience and we were able to bring in Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, Middletown Mayor Dan Drew, and Windsor Deputy Mayor Jody Terranova, who talked about different ways young people could get involved in their communities.

That led to some very interesting revelations. For example, someone in the audience asked: I thought about joining a board or commission, but it’s not necessarily my profession, so am I qualified?

It was helpful to be able to dispel those kinds of myths about how to get involved. And we realized we needed a way to provide answers to those types of questions.

So, right now we’re talking with one of our advisory committee members, Emily Hultquist, who is a Principal Planner and Policy Analyst at the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), about creating a brief educational how-to guide explaining how young people can become involved in their local government from general to more complex issues.

NAN: What kind of feedback have you gotten about YES?

CHRISTINE: Nan, you probably have similar experiences—you were telling us the Hartford-area entrepreneurs you talk to feel like they can make a difference here. They want to be here. That’s been our experience as well talking to young people. They’re glad our initiative is happening, and they have ideas about how we can do more and get more people involved. People think there’s opportunity here in Connecticut.

NAN: What’s next for YES?

CHRISTINE: At this point, we are working with the advisory committee to really articulate our goals. We’re starting with education and awareness. But I think long-term, we would like to act as advocates and put forth perhaps policy recommendations or commentary about specific ways municipalities, the state, or businesses can change what they’re doing. We’re just not there yet.

I think there’s a tremendous need for young people in Connecticut. We need the kind of dynamic places that will attract them and keep them here—not just bring them here for college and then watch them move away. How do we keep everyone here?

KAYLEIGH: We’re also redoing the YES website with information we’re compiling, such as best practices from other states. Like Innovation Destination Hartford, we want to act as the connector, not necessarily the generator of all the resources, but point people to the resources available.

Learn more about Young Energetic Solutions (YES)

VISIT: www.pschousing.org/YES
FOLLOW: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter @PSCHousing

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Hartford-Based Coffee Startup Story and Soil

January 10 2018 Innovation Destination: Hartford CT Lifestyle 0 comments Tags: coffee, community, Connecticut, entrepreneur, Hartford, social impact, startup

Michael Acosta is Founder of Hartford-Based Coffee Startup Story and Soil.

You could say Story and Soil Coffee Founder Michael Acosta lives and breathes coffee. The young entrepreneur was pursuing neuroscience at Trinity College when he became involved in the coffee scene. His coffee-related work experience began when he was a graduate assistant running The Underground Coffeehouse, which is a student-run shop on campus.

Michael spent some time traveling to shops around the United Stated and then working with coffee shops in Connecticut. “I found myself in a position where I became obsessed about coffee,” he admits. “I wanted to know everything about the supply chain and the culture and the more technical aspects of it. I made it my job to know as much as possible about the local coffee scene, as well as the national coffee scene—this is even before getting any formal training.”

FORMING A BUSINESS IDEA

“It’s always been a dream to have some sort of impact with the coffee industry,” says Michael.

Through a connection with J. René Coffee Roasters in West Hartford, he became involved with The Specialty Coffee Association of America. “That’s where I found a way to have an impact on coffee that involved events and community engagement” says Michael. “I wanted to take a more approachable and service-orientated approach to specialty coffee, which was something I feel has been missing within industry in general, but particularly within Connecticut.”

Michael traveled to Colombia, where he says he had “a fairly transformative experience.” When he returned, he knew he wanted to do something locally in his last year at Trinity.

Michael’s first startup venture was N2 Coffee, which he founded with business partners Jesus Gomez and Ted Do beck.

“When we launched N2 Coffee, it was the first mobile nitro cold brew in Connecticut,” he notes. “We started N2 as a way to pop up at fun events and bring coffee to people in an approachable way that added to the experience. The idea was to use coffee as conduit to combine media, art, events, and community engagement.”

RESET IMPACT ACCELERATOR EXPERIENCE

To help get the startup off the ground, Michael tapped into more of his connections, namely with Christopher Mazziotto [former Program Director at reSET), who he had known for a while.

Michael Acosta pitching his idea for N2 Coffee at reSET.

“I approached Chris with my idea for N2 a year before I even executed,” recalls Michael. “I told him about cold brew and how it was becoming interesting. A year later, cold brew and nitro brew were popping up in Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and available in cans. Chris took note of that and told me I should participate in the reSET Impact Accelerator.”

Michael is grateful for the suggestion. “It was a great experience,” he notes.

“I was able to put together a 40-page, a 25-page, and a 15-page business plan. It helped to put everything on paper, take all my observations, and create projections. I also enjoy public speaking, giving presentations, and communicating my business model,” he adds.

Michael’s original idea was to have short-run bottling of cold brew to expand the N2 brand and create a presence on grocery store shelves. “I had never really wanted to open up a coffee shop if I couldn’t do something interesting—this all happened very serendipitously,” he admits.

“I found myself in a position with N2 where I knew I needed to pivot—it’s why I signed up for the Accelerator. I needed to find a way to have more of an impact, get more revenue, and have a more sustainable business model. I needed to see what was possible and whether I was just spinning my wheels,” Michael explains.

“I remember telling Chris: I don’t see N2 having the same social impact as the coffee shop I’m working on can have. So, I started switching my focus completely onto opening a coffee shop,” he says. “I had originally signed up for the Accelerator as N2. My initial pitch was for N2. The last pitch I did was for Story and Soil.”

FUNDING THE STARTUP

Michael worked with the team at reSET to help secure a Small Business Administration loan from Farmington bank.

“There’s a lot of coffee industry growth within Connecticut. Within the last six years, more than 20 stores have opened. Of those stores, a handful are hyper-specialty, like we are. So, there is still no proof of concept,” Michael explains. “It was surprising that Farmington Bank took this chance. It was awesome because that let us get to the point where we could outright buy a lot of our equipment. We also used the funding for licensing and doing the build out.”

Other forms of funding came from angel investors and family members. “We have no investors,” says Michael. “We have sole ownership of the business, so we got away unscathed.”

FINDING A PLACE IN HARTFORD

Story and Soil opened its doors on Capital Avenue in Hartford in July 2017.

Story and Soil opened its doors on Capital Avenue in Hartford in July 27, 2017. With regard to location, Michael says, “It just made sense. If a coffee shop is going to go anywhere within Frog Hollow, it’s going to go here.”

Sarah McCoy, one of three partners including Michael McCoy, approached Michael at a local farmer’s market and introduced the idea of the space on Capital Avenue. “The building owners were interested in seeing a coffee shop come in because they knew the value it would add to the neighborhood,” Michael notes.

“I needed to pivot in some way. I saw an opportunity and jumped on it,” says Michael. “I went with my gut feeling. I think I had enough passion combined with the experience I have within the coffee industry, so that gut feeling was an interesting intuition.”

He adds, “It felt right. And it was something where I knew I could make a difference. There’s an opportunity here. We’re all anticipating the momentum that’s already been happening within the whole food scene in Hartford.”

Getting the word out about Story and Soil wasn’t too much of a stretch, since Michael had already made connections through N2 Coffee. “I had this contingency that was interested in N2, which encouraged them be interested in this coffee shop. It was an active effort.

Story and Soil popped up at different markets and events, including The KNOW Good Market, which is run by Breakfast Lunch & Dinner.

Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price interviewed Story and Soil Coffee Founder Michael Acosta on a busy morning at the café (inset, table at right). Locals sat on the adjoining stoop enjoying their coffee beverages and the autumn weather. (Photo courtesy Ali Oshinskie)

“I saw the value of being on the front lines and being able to tell our story. I had taken the lean model of: I’m going to do my research, see whether there’s a market for this, and see what the reactions are. I had done five years of that, so I had a good understanding,” he says.

AN INNOVATIVE COFFEE SHOP EXPERIENCE

One of Michael’s goals is to have Story and Soil be a staple within the neighborhood.

“We want to offer something unique—whether that’s with experience or by curating a space that’s welcoming,” he says. “What makes Story and Soil different is the approach we’re taking—we want to reflect the community we are in. We want to do more than just serve a cup of coffee. We want to be able to connect people and make an impact through media and events and by bringing people together.”

FUTURE GROWTH

“If you’re intentional from the very beginning about your growth and what you value as a business, you can make it a sustainable place for your employees to grow as well. It’s very much an inward/outward focus. That’s always been valuable to us, emphasizes Michael.”

“We want to keep the team we have now. We want to allow our team to grow with us and give them more leadership opportunities and opportunities for growth to ideally make this a sustainable career for a lot of us,” he adds.

Learn more about Story and Soil Coffee

VISIT: www.storyandsoilcoffee.com
FOLLOW: Facebook /storyandsoil and Instagram @storyandsoilcoffee

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Women-Owned, Hartford-Based Yoga and Spa

November 27 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Women In Business 0 comments Tags: Arbor Arts Center, community, Connecticut, CT, entrepreneurs, Hartford, small business owners, VASU Tribe, woman entrepreneurs, women business owners, women-owned business

Innovation Destination Hartford met Holly Wheeler in May 2016, before she joined forces with her twin sister Natalie to launch VASU Tribe. At the time, Holly was focused on her organic beauty bar Field to Face Organics (read the interview: CT Entrepreneur Launches Organic Beauty Startup), which has been absorbed into the new startup.

VASU Tribe Co-Founders Holly (left) and Natalie Wheeler wanted to create a “conscious community.”

VASU Tribe has built a brand and found its place in Hartford. IDH Website Curator Nan Price chatted with Holly and Natalie to find out more about their startup journey.

NAN PRICE: A lot has happened since Holly launched Field to Face Organics in October 2015. Tell us about the evolution. How and why did you two decide to join forces?

HOLLY WHEELER: Natalie and I had always talked about working together in the future.

NATALIE WHEELER: The thing was, we were never in one place at the right time! Then we finally were.

HW: Natalie’s yoga studio closed and my lease where I was operating Field to Face Organics was ending.

NP: The stars aligned.

HW: Exactly. We saw green lights. And, once we saw the space here at the Arbor Art Center it was go time.

NP: Was it important for you to have a presence in Hartford?

HW: We always had our eyes on the Arbor Art Center. Parkville is a very creative district and it’s a great community of “creative entrepreneurship”—entrepreneurs whose business is an extension of their art.

There’s a lot of passion and energy with a lot of young movers and shakers. We work in healing arts, so the energy around us is important.

Also, Hartford is where we live. We thought: If we’re going to live here, let’s bring our business here.

NW: We moved quickly, too. It was just six weeks between seeing the space and launching the studio.

VASU Tribe treatment room, located inside the Arbor Art Center in Hartford, CT.

NP: Tell us about the studio. What makes it unique?

NW: We chose the name VASU because it’s Sanskrit for “the light that dwells in all being; the universal soul.” Our goal was to create a “conscious community,” so we offer empowering yoga classes, organic spa treatments and products, and soulful events.

NP: VASU Tribe is larger than just the two of you. How many employees do you have?

NW: In addition to Holly and me, there are six other teachers and two other therapists.

NP: Let’s talk about community—it’s obviously very important to you.

HW: Definitely. We wanted the yoga studio to become a hub of community. It’s one of the reasons we started. It’s important to that we’re making connections and helping to build and support a strong community.

NW: I want to note that it’s been great to tap into the college scene to extend our community. Our classes draw a lot of students and student artists from the University of Hartford and Trinity. It’s helped build our “conscious community.”

VASU Tribe Co-Founder Natalie Wheeler teaches an outdoor yoga class at the “Talcott Mountain Magic” event.

It’s also important to us to support and attend events so we can be in the scene and collaborate with the local community. And we support other local businesses, too—as well as our teachers, students, and clients. For example, we have locally sourced artwork, clothing, and wall décor.

HW: And being here in the Arbor Art Center has been a great way for us to barter and trade services with other small businesses here. It’s like a creative hive!

NW: Right, and we’re cross-pollinating with like-minded entrepreneurs and small business owners whose businesses are driven by passion and creativity. There’s a lot of cross promotion. We all support each other.

NP: What’s next for VASU Tribe?

HW: We’re working on a space expansion, which will be open in January 2018. Our focus is to bring lifestyle into our brand. We offer classes and services and now we’ll be offering a lifestyle lounge. Our tagline is “Sip, shop, learn.”

We’ll have a tea bar, a library of books, and a DIY classroom. We want to extend and enhance the experience at VASU—encourage people to stay after a treatment or class and connect with others.

Learn more about VASU Tribe by visiting vasutribe.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram vasutribe.

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CT Arts and Entertainment Organizations and Entrepreneurs

November 15 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford CT Lifestyle 0 comments Tags: arts, community, Connecticut, CT, entertainment, entrepreneurs, events, Greater Hartford, Hartford, Hartford ArtSpace, Hartford Stage, Real Art Ways, Sea Tea Improv, Speak Up

If you’re looking for arts and entertainment in Connecticut, Greater Hartford has got it covered. With opportunities to experience—or participate in—live theater, visit eclectic galleries, watch films at an indie cinema movie theater, or participate in community events, there is never a shortage of things to do in the Hartford area.

Hartford Stage Enhances Arts, Community, and Innovation in Hartford

Mike Stotts, Managing Director of Hartford Stage, discusses how the arts contribute to Hartford’s economic growth and sense of community. “I think the arts are often underestimated in terms of what our contributions are to not only the economic vitality of the community, but also what we provide for the community in terms of social and educational impact,” he emphasizes.

>>Read the interview

Founded in 1975, Real Art Ways is a multidisciplinary arts organization that is committed to the Hartford community.

Real Art Ways Drives Hartford’s Alternative Arts Community

Real Art Ways Executive Director Will K. Wilkins talks about the many ways the arts organization is connected to the Hartford community. “Real Art Ways is a magnet for people who tend to be creative, innovative, and open to new ideas,” he says. “It’s an organization that is perhaps more worldly than you would typically find in a community of this size.”

>>Read the interview

Hartford Entrepreneur, Innovator and Artist Amy LaBossiere

Amy LaBossiere and her husband Tao (of Art of Tao LaBossiere LLC) touch the arts and entrepreneurial community in Greater Hartford in many ways. Both locally recognized local artists, the duo organizes frequent openings and events at the Hartford ArtSpace Gallery.

>>Read the interview

The Sea Tea Improv cast (Photo courtesy Nick Caito)

Startup Improv Troupe Finds Its Place in Hartford

Julia Pistell, Co-Founding Member and Managing Director at Sea Tea Improv, speaks about the challenges and rewards of launching a startup. “Our business plan was centered on growing the community around our product,” she notes. “We were always questioning: How can we be inclusive? How can we make people in the audience feel comfortable? How can we grow the love of the art form in the audience and the community? That’s how we grew organically.”

>>Read the interview

Author, Educator, and Entrepreneur Co-Founds Speak Up

Matthew Dicks and his wife Elysha started Speak Up, a Greater Hartford-based storytelling organization, in 2013. A local author, educator, and entrepreneur, Matt says, “I think of storytelling as making the world a more interesting place. When I teach storytelling, I like to think I’m helping people become more interesting. And by telling stories I open my heart. I make connections. I get closer to people.”

>>Read the interview

Members of the Connecticut YOUTH Forum

The Connecticut Forum

The Connecticut Forum supports the arts and community in Connecticut with live conversations among well-known celebrities and experts and community outreach programs including the Connecticut YOUTH Forum.

>>Read IDH’s review of The Connecticut Forum: The Next Big Thing

>>Read IDH’s review of The Connecticut Forum: Disruption: Innovators in Business, Media, and Culture

>>Find out more about the Connecticut YOUTH Forum

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Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford: Kate Callahan

October 17 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: business growth, community, Connecticut, entrepreneur, Hartford, Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs, HYPE, reSET, startup

The Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford blog series is a collaboration between Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE) and reSET Social Enterprise.

The videos showcase the commitment Greater Hartford entrepreneurs have for their work and the city of Hartford, examine how young entrepreneurs have chosen their work, and provide examples of the ways in which they are making an impact in their communities.

Hartford-based Singer/Songwriter Kate Callahan launched Art of the College Essay five years ago. The startup helps coach high school seniors on their college application essays. “I’m equally interested in the artistic side of my career as I am in the practical and business side of my career,” she notes. “I like to challenge myself both ways and give myself the best opportunity to do both things.”

She says one of the reasons she enjoys living in Hartford is because she’s immersed in the startup culture.

Watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppd9j4tPUc0&feature=youtu.be
Learn more about HYPE in our interview with HYPE Executive Director Kim Bishop and HYPE Program Director Jackie Valliere:
Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE)

Interested in meeting more entrepreneurs who love Hartford? Watch more videos:

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Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford: Night Fall

September 28 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: art, community, Connecticut, Greater Hartford, Hartford, Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs, HYPE, Night Fall

LB Muñoz, Artist and Educator at Kinetic Dreams, has been working on Night Fall since 2012

The Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford blog series is a collaboration between Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE) and reSET Social Enterprise.

Greater Hartford entrepreneurs are committed to their work and the city of Hartford. The videos examine how young entrepreneurs have chosen their work and provide examples of the ways in which they are making an impact in their communities.

In this HYPE video from 2015, Night Fall co-creator LB Muñoz describes Night Fall as “a seasonal celebration of community, art, and culture in the city of Hartford” that she notes is “uniquely Hartford.”

Night Fall 2017 will take place Saturday, October 7 at 6:00 p.m. in Hartford’s Bushnell Park.

Find out more about Night Fall our featured story: Night Fall Celebrates Hartford

Learn more about HYPE in our interview with HYPE Executive Director Kim Bishop and HYPE Program Director Jackie Valliere: Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE)

Interested in meeting more entrepreneurs who love Hartford? Watch more videos:

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CT Social Influencers Launch Startup Marketing Agency

July 17 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Startups 0 comments Tags: community, Connecticut, Eat IN Connecticut, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, startups

Eat IN Connecticut Founders Jeannette Punsoni Dardenne (left) and Kristen Fritz. (Photo credit: Cheyney Barrieau for Eat IN Connecticut)

Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price chatted with Eat IN Connecticut LLC Co-Founders Jeannette Punsoni Dardenne and Kristen Fritz about their startup ambitions and Connecticut’s growing food and drink scene.

NAN PRICE: Eat IN Connecticut originally started on Facebook in 2015. How has it evolved in the past two years?

JEANNETTE PUNSONI DARDENNE: The Eat IN Connecticut Facebook Group began as a way for restaurants, foodies, and the community to connect. The Facebook group really took off—it currently has well over 6,000 members and is growing daily. The Instagram page has also gained a lot of momentum with nearly 9,000 followers.

KRISTEN FRITZ: Last summer, with the help of our good friend Cheyney Barrieau, we started working with a client who hosts food-related and other events in West Hartford. And the agency side was born. We got our LLC that summer and we slowly began to bring in more clients. Now we’re working eight accounts in the area and we specialize in culinary and food-related events.

We recently decided to move the marketing side of the business under INGroup Creative, a subsidiary of Eat IN Connecticut, to help differentiate the agency side the social influencer side of our business.

INGroup Creative is our marketing/PR agency that specializes in food and drink and lifestyle brands.

The Eat IN Connecticut brand—which now includes the Facebook Group, an Instagram profile, and a website—is its own media brand. The Instagram account serves as the social media influencer brand, where we feature great eats and drinks from around Connecticut. The website highlights stories about great restaurants and events happening throughout the state, while shining the spotlight on some incredible food and drink brands.

JD: In terms of evolution and growth, our business was growing so fast that we needed help. We used services from Untapped Potential to help match us with a professional. Through that organization, we were connected with Christine Dixon, who became our office manager. We’ve grown to the point where we now we have five part-time employees and three contractors.

NP: Tell us about your entrepreneurial and startup experience.

JD: I’ve always been entrepreneurial. I’ve always tried to reinvent myself. I launched six or seven startups throughout my career from a young age. What’s always made me successful in each of my businesses is my marketing background.

I worked for United Technologies Corporation for about seven years and I went through their leadership development program. I always say UTC really helped me because I worked in human resources, operations, finance, and marketing. So I went through the four main areas of business and that really helped me to become an entrepreneur.

KF: This is my first startup venture and I feel grateful that I got the opportunity to dive into this with my closest friend. Before I moved to Connecticut, when I was working in Manhattan, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work at Dentsu Communications, a boutique public relations agency under the Advertising giant, Dentsu America. I primarily worked with large restaurant, food and beverage accounts, which is what spring boarded my career in the hospitality field.

“Social Media, PR, & Marketing Story Tellers” Cheyney Barrieau, Jeannette Dardenne and Kristen Fritz of Eat IN Connecticut at Taste of Blue Back Square & The Center on July 27, 2016. (Photo courtesy of Eat IN Connecticut)

NP: How did you two come together?

JD: We’re both busy moms. We met at our kids’ preschool. Kristen has always been more interested in the beverage side of things—especially wine and beer—as she worked on many international beverage accounts in New York City. And I had been working on some food accounts with local restaurants.

We had always talked about doing something together with marketing eventually. With both of us having different backgrounds—hers in PR and mine in marketing and social media—and both of us having the same passion of trying to get that story out about what we’re doing, it was a natural fit to launch an agency together.

I still remember the day we were in the preschool parking lot and Kristen said: We are doing this! So we just kind of formed this marketing agency and it just took off from there.

KF: I remember that day!

JD: What I’ve learned from working with Kristen as an entrepreneur is we have such different skill sets, yet it really helps when we’re working together. We are able to bring different experiences to our clients.

It’s hard to be out there on your own. And it’s really challenging to find someone who compliments your work style so well.

KF: For me as an entrepreneur, I don’t know if I could truly do this without the help of our friends and our community. I feel like the community is what really launched us. Because that’s where it all started. Especially with the Eat IN Connecticut Facebook group.

We’ve worked really hard to build a brand to support the community. And I feel like, in turn, the community really does support us.

JD: And it’s important for us to give back, too. Just about every event we do has a charitable arm to it.

NP: How are you marketing and promoting your startup?

JD: I had been doing social media and marketing before Eat IN Connecticut. A good friend of mine is a well-known restaurateur and was looking for social media help. He asked me to do it and I did.

My friend referred me to another well-known chef in Connecticut. That was the big catapult for me to really grow. I remember people asking: How did you get these clients? It was purely because of relationships. Once I started the work, they saw how hard I would work for them. And then merging with Kristen, she was able to offer so much more to them as well. That really helped us promote our brand.

KF: I feel very fortunate that our clients come to us on referral. We’re not out there actively promoting ourselves for new business, but rather find that new business is generated by word of mouth.

JD: That has been a blessing, but one of the challenges for us is that we don't promote ourselves enough because we’re so busy promoting our clients’ brands.

KF: This interview is a step in that direction! We get to tell our story!

NP: Would you say your company is making a social impact?

JD: I would. Everything we do is really for the benefit of others. We are all about promoting our clients—many of whom are our friends. We are trying to make people really recognize the food and drinks scene in Connecticut. It’s phenomenal.

NP: It’s also helping to promote the region. Connecticut is becoming a destination for food and drink.

KF: How lucky are we? I feel like it hasn’t even peaked yet.

JD: There’s so much the state has to offer and we’re so excited we get to be a part of that.

NP: The two words that are really resonating with me are: passion and balance.

JD: You nailed it. We have so much passion for what we do and for helping others.

KF: And we work incredibly hard for our clients while trying to balance our personal lives of being wives and moms to two young children.

JD: As moms and entrepreneurs, you really have to know how to balance that whole side and your business. It’s really hard to do, but probably our greatest learning experience is figuring out how to balance that time budget.

Learn more about Eat IN Connecticut at www.eatin-ct.com or follow Facebook, Twitter @Eatin_ct, or Instagram eatinconnecticut.

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Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford: InstaCraft

July 07 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: community, Connecticut, entrepreneurship, Greater Hartford, Hartford, Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs, HYPE, startup

The Entrepreneurs Heart Greater Hartford blog series is a collaboration between Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE) and reSET Social Enterprise.

Erin Drennan founded InstaCraft while she was a student at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). There she studied business management with a focus on entrepreneurship. She came up with the business concept for InstaCraft based on a class assignment to propose a business idea that solved a problem. With the help of mentors and advisors, Erin hopes to take her startup to the next level in the upcoming years.

Erin joined HYPE while she was still at CCSU and says she “Really felt a connection to the people I met there. Everyone was really excited that I was starting a business and super welcoming about any way they could help and any contacts they could give me.”

She notes that, “Hartford was more of a community than I was expecting.” She adds, “Hartford offers so many opportunities [including] contacts and some connections and partnerships I’ve already found. I find that really useful to anyone starting a business.”

Learn more about Erin’s entrepreneurial journey. Watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBQ6tdTWJW8

Learn more about HYPE in our interview with HYPE Executive Director Kim Bishop and HYPE Program Director Jackie Valliere:

Hartford Young Professionals & Entrepreneurs (HYPE)

Interested in meeting more entrepreneurs who love Hartford? Watch more videos:

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Hartford Entrepreneur, Innovator and Artist Amy LaBossiere

June 27 2017 Innovation Destination: Hartford Entrepreneurial Insights 0 comments Tags: community, Connecticut, CT, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Hartford, Hartford ArtSpace Gallery, small business, small business startup, University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center

Hartford entrepreneur, innovator, and artist Amy LaBossiere is a huge fan of Hartford.

Hartford-based entrepreneur Amy LaBossiere is an award-winning mixed media artist and innovative thinker. She is also Administrative Director of Art of Tao LaBossiere LLC, Managing Partner at Still Waters Pond LLC, Co-Director of Hartford ArtSpace Gallery, and a marketing consultant with the University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center.

Innovation Destination Hartford Website Curator Nan Price took a walk through Elizabeth Park with Amy and her beloved dog BeeBe to learn more about Amy’s entrepreneurial endeavors.

NAN PRICE: You are incredibly entrepreneurial. What does that term mean to you?

AMY LaBOSSIERE: I really think that the entrepreneurial spirit is more about people who look to create and manage small business. And small business can vary depending on who you’re talking to—it could be a solopreneur, someone who has several restaurants, or anybody in between.

With regard to entrepreneurship, I never thought I would be a small business owner. Even though my mother and my stepfather were small business owners, so it was part of my childhood. I always imagined myself working for someone else. To this day I’m still in awe. I still ask myself: Am I really doing this? I guess I am.

NP: It appears that you are! Can you share any takeaways from your overall experience as a small business owner?

AL: It’s taken some time, but over the years my husband Tao and I have developed the skill sets we need and we learned to ask other people for help in the areas where we need help. Learning to do that instead of thinking I have to do everything has been an important key to kind of maturing as a small business owner over time.

Amy and Tao LaBossiere (seen here at ArtSpace with BeeBe) are a dynamic artistic and entrepreneurial duo.

NP: You’re involved with so many things from a business owner lens. Let’s start by talking about the Art of Tao LaBossiere.

AL: The Art of Tao is a creative services company. That company is sort of a fusion of Tao and me. He used to have a company called Fine Art Painting. When we got together and decided that we would start working together I kept telling Tao, Fine Art Painting isn’t really who you are and what you do. Tao has such a breadth of capabilities as an artist. I told him: We need to make you the brand. Because this brand is you. That’s how we moved toward creating the Art of Tao LaBossiere.

NP: What have you learned from the process of creating and marketing that business?

AL: There are so many lessons. I think that one of the most important things I learned in my advertising industry business background is that listening is so important—and this business is no exception.

Really the art business, much like the marketing advertising business, is a problem-solving business. I hadn’t expected that. But art is solving problems. That’s something that Tao taught me.

When either of us are creating a work of art or we’re coming up with some kind of creative brand execution for a client, we’re solving a problem of some kind. Even when we start with the initial concept, we’re asking: What problem am I solving? And then, when we’re executing something, again we’re asking: What problem am my solving? And, also: What kinds of things are going to come up that are unexpected?

Amy LaBossiere is Managing Partner at Still Waters Pond, a hospitality retreat center in Voluntown, CT.

NP: That’s a good segue into Still Waters Pond. You underwent—and are hard at work to overcome—an unfortunate and unexpected event with that business. Can you talk about that experience and what you learned from it?

AL: Still Waters was originally a retreat center serving small groups. We had a devastating fire three years ago, which stopped our business in its tracks.

One of the biggest things I learned from that experience is in business you always have to expect the unexpected. I used to hear people say: You have to have a crisis management plan for your business. I thought: I know what that means, I have a crisis management plan in my head.

Anyway if anyone has a hospitality business, have a crisis management plan! Because it was a crisis!

We are currently in the process of rebuilding and we’ll be relaunching the business later this year. Still Waters will be open as a bed and breakfast and small group retreat center and then we’ll build upon that as we go.

NP: You became involved with reSET for both still Waters and the Art of Tao. Tell us about your experience.

AL: I was in the reSET accelerator program for social enterprise. It was a really great program. The fire happened at Still Waters while I was involved with the accelerator. It was really a weird time for me to be engaged in the middle of the process and have to have a major business calamity happen at the same time.

I went through the accelerator with the intention of converting both Art of Tao and Still Waters to social enterprises the first day it was possible in the state of Connecticut. And I did.

So I converted both companies from comfy, little, safe LLCs to benefit corporations. I was so caught up in the rose-colored glasses of what it meant to be a benefit corporation. I had no idea logistically of what I was getting myself into of running a corporation, what that was going to mean, and how that was going to change even simple things like my bookkeeping.

And when I had the conversations with my accountant and my bookkeeper—the in-depth conversations I should’ve had before I pulled the trigger on those things—I learned very quickly that I had made a grave mistake.

I spent the next three months converting both companies back to LLCs. What I realized was that Tao and I can still do all the social good we want to do in the world. And we don’t necessarily have to be a benefit corporation to do so.

Amy and Tao LaBossiere organize the Hartford ArtSpace Gallery as a gallery for the Greater Hartford community.

NP: Speaking of social good, tell us about your involvement with Hartford ArtSpace Gallery. In what ways is it helping foster a community?

AL: I codirect Hartford ArtSpace Gallery with Tao. We are both volunteers. There’s no staff. Tao has been directing the space it for 20 years and I jumped in with him in 2008. I support the gallery helping artists with their shows and then I manage the Facebook group and the Facebook page.

Hartford ArtSpace Gallery isn’t actually a business of any kind. It’s just a space we organize as a gallery for the community. It’s a grassroots organization that exists because we organize it to be that way.

NP: Let’s talk about your involvement with the University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center.

AL: I’m going into my fourth year of working with the Entrepreneurial Center. I actually started as a client—I still am a client. Shelli McMillen, who is the Program Manager, knows my background and knows me on a personal level. She asked me if I would ever be interested in working with the Entrepreneurial Center as a consultant. I said absolutely!

I started by doing assessments on the small businesses coming into the Center. I would do write ups about who the businesses were, what they were looking to do, and where they needed help.

I just loved it because I would meet these amazing entrepreneurs either looking to create something or involved with creating something. I got to find out about where they were at and what their passions were.

And then the other piece of it is the marketing consulting, where I will help these businesses create basic marketing plans and strategies for where they are going to go next.

NP: So you’re in a mentoring and advisory role there.

AL: Yes. The key is meeting business owners where they are. If I looked at a certain business and tried to present a plan that was not something they could execute, what would be the point? That would be a waste of time, even if it was the best thing for their business.

Especially with small businesses, I think it’s very important for people to know what they are capable of and they need to work with in their own sphere of where they are. Then we look at how they can get to the next level for themselves. I help nudge them with the goal of taking it up one more notch. Then, once they reach that notch, they can go up another level.

NP: In addition to participating in the reSET accelerator program and your work with University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center. Have you worked with any other business resources in Connecticut?

AL: I’m very involved with the Entrepreneurial Center, I work with Business Advisor Lacey Banks and I’ve taken many of their workshops. I’ve worked with their consultants including lawyers and bookkeepers.

It’s amazing. I get so much out of it because in small business we don’t necessarily know what we don’t know—and we need to figure it out.

Because as far as I can see, we can read books and do all sorts of things, but it’s the life experience that really teaches us. And if we can find advisors who can help us skip some of the pitfalls we are likely to trip into, that’s a huge benefit.

I also continue to work with the Connecticut Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and I have a great advisor there. The SBDC was very pivotal in helping with me secure the loan for the rebuild at Still Waters Pond. They helped me put together the loan package.

What’s great is, the advisers at all these organizations are always going to offer new ways of seeing things.

NP: You live and work there in Hartford. What do you enjoy most about the city?

AL: One of the reasons why I absolutely adore Hartford is there are many artists. Particularly Tao. He’s one of the people who literally puts the art in Hartford with his under-the-radar work at Hartford ArtSpace Gallery, all his efforts as an entrepreneur, and his efforts to give back to the community.

There’s something very special about Hartford. When I first came to the Hartford area in the mid-90s I remember thinking Hartford is having its renaissance. Here we are 25 years later and we’re still saying the same thing. So you know, Hartford is always in the middle of a renaissance. Isn’t that beautiful?

Learn more about Amy LaBossiere on Twitter @AmyLaBossiere11.

Visit the Art of Tao LaBossiere at www.artoftaolabossiere.com or follow on Facebook or Instagram @taolabossiere.

Find out more about Hartford ArtSpace Gallery at Facebook or the Hartford ArtSpace Gallery public group.

For more information about Still Waters Pond, visit www.stillwaterspond.com or follow on Facebook.

Learn more about the University of Hartford Entrepreneurial Center at www.hartford.edu/ec or follow on Facebook or Twitter @UofHartford.

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Hartford’s Groove Is Coming Back!

Hartford’s Groove Is Coming Back!

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Hartford Entrepreneur, Innovator and Artist Amy LaBossiere

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