SportsEngine Adds Four Vice Presidents to Its Lineup
SportsEngine pulled off an impressive “Quad VP Addition” play today, announcing four new vice presidents to the Minneapolis company’s roster. A release outline the new teammates.
A Workday With Sai Bezawada of Giftbomb
Physical gift cards are so 2017. As the CEO of Giftbomb, Sai Bezawada has helped bring surprise gifting to the Minnesota masses with an easy-to-use app. Just select your local business, choose the recipient and dollar amount and boom — your new best friend gets a text with personalized gift card (that they’ll hopefully then share with you). Fried rice, challenges with team rhythm, and a very no-nonsense iPhone background — this is A Workday With Sai Bezawada.
The tech.mn Podcast Live Show at Minnebar 2020
Join Kevin McArdle and Jac Stark for a special live show of The tech.mn Podcast at Minnebar 2020. We’ll be discussing the history of tech.mn and recapping the last year. Guests from the first three seasons of the show will join to give updates and answer questions from the audience. The show will conclude with surprise guests and a special announcement. Find the event on the Minnebar schedule here.
Code42 Appoints New Member to Board of Directors
Kathy Crusco has been appointed to the Code42’s board of directors. Crusco most recently served as the CFO of Kony, Inc., a, “cloud-based digital banking application and low-code platform solutions company” and is currently a member of the board of directors for QAD Inc., Poly, and Calix, Inc.
“Code42 has established itself as a leader and disruptor in the insider threat protection market,” Crusco said in a statement. “The company is on a high growth trajectory in a market that is full of opportunity. I couldn’t think of a better time than now to join the team at Code42.”
Code42 recently hosted the Minnesota Women in Tech (MNWiT) Pioneer Women in Tech awards. Read more about the award winners here.
Art and Tech Collide: Atomic Data Announces Partnership With Walker Art Center
If you attended last year’s Rock the Garden and thought, “This free wi-fi sure makes it easy to send Snaps of me singing totally on key to my friends,” then you have Atomic Data to thank. The Minneapolis IT company provided the connection to the festival in a partnership with Minnesota Public Radio and the Walker Art Center. Now, Atomic Data is becoming even tighter with the venerable Minneapolis art destination by signing a multi-year partnership.
The tech.mn Podcast: Technology for the Creative Economy with Jasmine RuKim
20 | Technology for the Creative Economy with Jasmine RuKim
Find this podcast epidsode on Apple, Google, and Spotify.
On Episode 20 Kevin McArdle, owner of SureSwift Capital and special guest host, Bri McCullough, welcome Jasmine RuKim, CEO and Co-founder of Monicat Data, on a special TCSW edition of The Tech.MN Podcast to talk about technology and art.
Jasmine shares the origin story of Monicat Data, their focus on creative teams and artists, and how word of mouth has propelled them forward Jasmine thoughtfully breaks down the transition from years one to year two in a startup. A member of cohort 1 at Lunar Startups, Jasmine tells us about the value she received from the experience.
We talk about The Yellow Summit, a data for art workshop that brings together the art and tech community, the 2019 event, and the future of the affair. On top of it all Jasmine works with GiveMN, serves as an adjunct professor at MCAD, and Minneapolis Parks Foundation. We talk about how she balances all of this and how she balances working with her partner.
Sponsor:
Thank you to Arthur Ventures for sponsoring the Twin Cities Startup Week Live tech.mn podcast booth. Arthur Ventures invests in B2B software founders beyond Silicon Valley and takes a partner approach to venture capital. They support tech entrepreneurship in Minnesota. You can learn more about them at their website and hear about their latest raise here.
Socials:
Tech.MN on Twitter
Kevin McArdle on Twitter
Bri McCullough on Twitter
Jasmine RuKim on Instagram
Monicat Data on LinkedIn
GiveMN on Twitter
Links:
Monicat Data
The Yellow Summit
GiveMN
Questions? We’ve Got Answers: Introducing FAQ Fridays
In February, we’ll be debuting a new tech.mn original series called FAQ Fridays. Every Friday, we’ll be featuring subject matter experts from around Minnesota to answer your questions on technology and entrepreneurship. Join us by asking us questions on Twitter or submit your questions here.
Casey Shultz Named Executive Director of BETA
The search is over — Casey Shultz is officially the new Executive Director for BETA. Shultz is the first woman to lead the organization.
“I’m thrilled to continue working with the broader entrepreneurial community to inspire the next generation of Minnesota-based entrepreneurs and carry on BETA’s ‘founders-first’ values,” Shultz said.
Shultz takes the reins from Reed Robinson, who announced plans to step back into a Board of Directors position late last year, and should be a familiar name for anyone tapped into the Minnesota tech scene. She previously served as the director of Twin Cities Startup Week, successfully boosting the event’s diversity by working with organizations including 26 Letters, Lunar Startups, and the Glen Nelson Center. That effort to increase inclusion in the community will continue to be a focus.
“80 percent of founders in our most recent cohort are women or people of color,” she said. “I plan to continue building strong relationships with leaders in our community who can share BETA as a resource to underestimated founders who may not otherwise know that we’re a valuable (and free) resource for them.”
We caught up with Casey Schultz and Reed Robinson last fall to talk all things BETA and Twin Cities Startup Week. Take a listen, and be sure to subscribe for future episodes.
A Workday With Mary Kay Ziniewicz of Bus Stop Mamas
Family. Business. Community. That’s what Bus Stop Mamas is all about. With those hefty themes in mind, how does Founder/CEO Mary Kay Ziniewicz find time for something like lunch? Short answer — she doesn’t. It takes flexibility, focus, and a lot of work to help connect stay-at-home moms (and dads) with temporary, part-time, or full-time work that fits into a hectic schedule. Mary Kay still carves out a little time for some good old fashion Netflix binges, though. From A.M. to P.M., here’s a peek inside a workday of the lead mama.
They’re Watching: Top 10 Countries Filmed by Drones in 2019
Even though the outdoor buzz you hear is usually mosquitoes (Minnesota, amirite?), the sound can increasingly be attributed to a much more robotic source. More and more drone enthusiasts are sending their devices skyward and capturing incredible footage in the process, but wouldn’t it be interesting to know what countries were filmed the most?
…oh, there’s a list? Well, that’s convenient.