Week 8/10 — How Groundswell builds community

First things first, QUICK PROMO:

Last week I had the opportunity to write a blog post for Groundswell on why college students should consider working for a startup instead of a company right after graduation. You can read it here.

Week eight! Two weeks left and I’m getting as much done as I can before I head back home. This week’s topic is about how Groundswell builds community, so let’s get started.

Groundswell is a co-working space and startup incubator, but most importantly Groundswell itself is a community.

Being a co-working space and business incubator creates a community on its own. As a co-working space, Groundswell attracts a diverse group of people like remote workers, digital nomads, freelancers, student entrepreneurs and other independent workers into the space . As a business incubator, they attract startups, small businesses, and even some established companies in the community — each company having a pool of diverse talent of their own. This immense diversity creates a community of it’s own.

How Groundswell connects with the community overall.

• On my first week at Groundswell, Micah (The CEO) brought me with him to an EDC (Economic Development Council) meeting. In this meeting they looked at a list of applicants comprised of businesses and startups that needed funding.
• On my second week, Groundswell hosted the Melbourne Founder’s Festival, where the Melbourne community celebrated the founders of Melbourne and how they were people of color.
• Groundswell hosted Garage to Groundswell, where Propel Professionals brought the community out for a art, music, food, and a good time all around.
• Groundswell hosted numerous networking events such as Tech Tuesdays and Brew & Brainstorm. Both are opportunities for the community to connect with entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders of the space coast.
• Groundswell connected with Club Esteem, an after school program mentoring children.