Monetery | Dwolla Raises $10,265 for Pi515
Monetery started as a concept about creating value and it evolved into an event for our community.
On March 20, Dwolla assembled a diverse set of investors from across the country to talk about growing and fostering a tech ecosystem. More than 250 members of our community attended Monetery, contributing to the confluence of ideas and thought provoking panels.
Through Monetery and the generous support of our attendees and speakers, we are absolutely thrilled to share that we raised $10,265 for Pi515, an after-school program that educates Iowa’s underserved population, mainly refugee 7–12th grade students, on basic computer coding.
With discussions focused on building The Community, paired with real advice on how you take The Concept and turn it into The Company, diversity and inclusion were at the forefront of every discussion. Monetery presented entrepreneurs, leaders, and members of our community with three simple takeaways:
- Diverse Teams Outperform
Diverse teams simply outperform non-diverse teams AND they are much more likely to receive funding.
2. Start with Diversity
As you grow your team, think about diversity NOW, recruit diverse team members from the beginning.
3. Linking Your Words with Your Actions
It’s easy to say something, it’s hard to live that continually, don’t just talk about diversity and inclusion.
In addition to the robust discussion about building, and growing value in the Midwest, a delightful outcome of Monetery were the fantastic book recommendations from all of our speakers. Here is the complete list of ‘must-read’ books our speakers shared:
- Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang
- Customers Included: How to Transform Products, Companies, and the World by Mark Hurst
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
- Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City by Brad Feld
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
- Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead by Laszlo Bock
Our vision for Monetery was to create an event that connected people who believe in creating value in the Midwest. A sincere thank you to everyone who attended and helped us achieve that vision. A very special thank you to our speakers for sharing your insights, experiences, and for helping us continue to build value in the Midwest.
- Debi Durham, Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority
- Brad Feld from Foundry Group in Boulder
- Lynn Hicks, Communications Director at the Iowa Attorney General’s Office
- Martina Lauchengco from Costanoa Ventures & Silicon Valley Product Group in Palo Alto
- Molly McCartin from Drive Capital in Ohio
- Lesa Mitchell from Techstars in Kansas City
- Chris Moody from Foundry Group in Boulder
- Danny Schreiber, Head of Marketing at Zapier
- Brian Waller, President of The Technology Association of Iowa
- Albert Wenger from Union Square Ventures in New York
We’re proud of the connections that were made at Monetery. If you have a story to share, please let us know. We’d love to hear it.
Originally published at www.dwolla.com on March 27, 2018.
