Startup Highlight — T.E.A.M
1. What’s the meaning behind your company’s name/brand?
T.E.A.M is an acronym for Tech, Entrepreneurship, Art, & Media. We believe merging those 4 pillars with our local creative economy is the best way to build innovative solutions to help solve the inequities in education.
2. What’s great about starting something in the Minnesota region?
Our business and growth strategy specifically focuses on scaling culturally relevant content and curriculum into the classroom. We do that by collaborating with diverse creatives within our own communities. Despite MN being predominantly white, the Twin Cities has a range of small, pocket communities that are racially diverse. That’s amazing for us as a company because our competitive advantage becomes our authentic and unique differences.
3. What’s challenging about starting something in the Minnesota region?
I think our startup community lacks a journey map or resource tool that is conducive to helping people maximize growth based on their own unique stage of business. We have tons of people, organizations, and institutions that have great intent to support entrepreneurs on their journey. But there isn’t really a clear understanding of where to connect people if they are just starting a new venture vs. scaling locally, vs scaling globally. Amazing connections often happen serendipitously, but as a community, I believe we could accelerate the growth of our entrepreneurs if our support resources were organized more systematically.
4. What fuels you and your company?
Currently scattered around our metro, one can find major billboards and 40- foot bus wraps that read “Minnesota Schools are Worst in Nation for Children of Color.” Dario Otero, and I (Mondo Davison) look at this challenge as a huge opportunity for our creative economy to be the solution to our own problems. We co-founded T.E.A.M Studios as two former educators interested in impacting education at scale, and we’re fueled to make a sustainable difference.
5. What stage are you at with your business?
We are in the growth phase nearing a tipping point that is slightly unclear, yet exciting. The 4th quarter of 2019 will help us crystalize that tipping point and determine what the next 18 months will look like.
6. How can the community support your work?
We are a for-profit business, but our growth relies heavily on our creative economy collaborations. Finding ways to partner with foundations that fund the growth of artists through our content creation model would be #1 on our support list.
7. Anything else you’d like to add?
Whatever positive thing you’re pushing towards… DON’T STOP!
