Atlanta Startup Community – Hypepotamus Phase Two
In April 2012, we opened the doors to Hypepotamus in the Arcade level of the Biltmore in Tech Square. To us, it was 5,000 sq ft of blank canvas for awesome user research, feedback loops and serendipity. Open doors, no strings attached and fuzzy goals seemed like the only way to the realization of a vision… a belief that Atlanta can become THE place for startups, through a long-term strategy of mass awareness, diverse collaboration and shared education.
Every day since we first opened the doors, you and many others have proven that we are not alone in this belief. On a daily basis, we have witnessed the serendipity of diverse people coming together, great ideas being shared, needed resources finally gained and unknowns becoming knowns. For us, it wasn’t about the chicken or the egg… it was (and is) about the nest. You never know who’s going to just show up, reach out, ask for help or ask to help, but one thing is for sure - People are looking for an answer, a resource, a relationship, a community and many of them don’t even know where to begin.
Your enthusiasm and willingness to contribute your time, expertise and experiences have both validated our hypotheses and helped to build the bridges necessary for our vision to become a reality. That’s why, we are proud to announce the start of the next phase of Hypepotamus and welcome Scott Henderson as Executive Director.
Scott comes to us with a strong national network in the startup space from his work helping to launch Startup America Partnership, advising MassChallenge (the world’s largest startup accelerator), and serving on SXSW Interactive Festival advisory board. He knows what it takes to build strong startup communities and we’re very pleased he and his family decided to move back to Atlanta from Boston.
At the heart of Hypepotamus lies our kids and their future, the future of the Atlanta community as a whole and the future of every college student that chooses Atlanta as the place to spend arguably the most important years of their lives.
You can expect to see more great things happening at Hypepotamus, as we continue to build our vision. And, of course, we welcome your ideas for how we can bring it to life.
Let’s build this,
Heath and Kevin
P.S. Feel free to send Scott a welcome email (scott@hypepotamus.com) or stop by to say hello to him.
Welcome, Scott! The Hype has been an awesome experience so far, and I can’t wait to see what it grows into. For anyone who may be curious, since a simple google search for “Scott Henderson” doesn’t reveal much, here is Scott’s twitter: https://twitter.com/scottyhendo and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottyhendo.
Welcome Scott! Following closely — I love this space and the purpose behind it.
Excellent! Best wishes and a very belated welcome Scott! You’ve definitely plugged into the Hype atmosphere quite nicely already. Hope to see more of you around! Cheers!
Jerome