A community is not a finished puzzle as much as it is a continuously evolving machine. There is no end point, but an endless plane of possibilities as each new member is added. At Galvanize, a startup incubator in Old Town, Fort Collins, this machine is kept in check by Jana Knapp, the Events and Membership Manager.
I talked to Jana about her role, and how community can make or break the start-up environment.
Q
What are your main responsibilities at Galvanize, and a little bit about yourself?
A My job is to curate the community we’re building at Galvanize by seeking out the right members for our building. And to provide programming and events that help those members and the community grow to the next level. I have a background in both Theatre Management and non-profit fundraising, as well as working in publishing and marketing for several years. I ran my own company helping people tell the stories that transform their business and developing pitches.
Q
Why would you prefer to work in a start-up/entrepreneurial community rather than with a long-established business or chain?
A There’s an energy and sense of possibility in the entrepreneurial community. Anything is possible. Problems can be solved. And the way it’s always been done will not be what’s next. That’s not to say that long established businesses can’t be innovative. But in the start-up world, it’s a matter of course.
Q
What is a past or current, community-related challenge you have had to work through at Galvanize?
A We’ve only been open for two months, so I can’t say we’ve faced a ton of community challenges yet. Our biggest at the moment is helping people understand what it is that we do and the goals we’re trying to accomplish. Fort Collins hasn’t had anything quite like Galvanize before. And it shows. We have a joke among the staff where we keep a running tally every day of the number of people who come into the building and ask, “What is this place?”
Q
Do you have a favorite story or memorable moment from working at Galvanize?
A Our first Tequila Shot Friday was when I realized that we might be getting it right; that we’ve laid the foundation for an amazing community of entrepreneurs. The idea is that anyone who has a win for the week can come down on Friday afternoon once a month and tell the group their win, and get a free tequila shot. If it’s been a bad week, and you share that, you get two shots. As we stood around in a big group and person after person talked about the amazing wins they’d had, I had a clear sense that we have a group of people who are committed to getting things done and were generous with their time and knowledge. That’s the community we want.
Q
Is there something special about being based in Old Town? (location/atmosphere/culture)
A There’s something very special about being based in Old Town. It’s a sense of place. The heart of a community. And when your heartbeat is strong, the rest of the community is as well. Between us, the Artery, and now InkPad, there are more than 150 people on Linden street who are creating or building things. There’s an energy that wasn’t there before, and it’s growing.
Q
Has working at Galvanize changed your perspective on anything, or taught you something valuable?
A You always hear that Fort Collins is filled with smart, capable people. I’m honored to get to see more than 100 of them in action every day.
