By Marta Rose-Thorpe
Meet the newest member of the TechFarms team, Joshua Koterba. As the marketing force of this bustling tech incubator that’s situated in the Grand Lagoon’s industrial park across from the Navy Base, Josh wears many hats. “In the nature of a new venture, lots needs to get accomplished,” he says. “I help with branding and community development, help organize and gather people, and tell the story of what’s happening at TechFarms. The biggest question we get is ‘What do you do?’ TechFarms helps startups that need to grow, by providing workspace, capital, resources, and services so that they can be bigger and better.”
As Josh and I discuss the current state of things at TechFarms, the question that keeps resurfacing is, “How do we build a thriving ecosystem of entrepreneurship here in Bay County?” “The number of entrepreneurs in Bay County is growing,” he observes. “We have an entrepreneurial spirit, and I hope we can grow what’s happening here.”
According to Josh, there are three parts to growing this ecosystem. “The way we start is that we gather everyone,” he explains. “We then tell the story of what has been happening, and finally, we educate and encourage people.” He references Boulder, Colorado as a thriving startup community with numerous multi-million-dollar tech companies that have been grown and sold. “I see more physical, product-based companies starting up here locally, over software,” he shares. “Drone development that is tech-enabled. Chaos Audio, an iPhone-controlled guitar pedal. It’ll take more people to take mitigated, measured risks in order to achieve more startups.”
A startup seeks a new business model, he says, something that is scalable. It’s trying to solve a need. “Our goal is to come alongside that startup and help them incubate that idea and turn it into a full-scale company.” TechFarms has multiple resources for the budding start-up. TechFarms Capital is a venture capital fund that has raised a couple million dollars into tech startups. TechFarms Coworking Space offers space for people to work, host events, and gather. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) located inside the TechFarms facility helps small businesses get set up with an LLC, build their financial model, and secure funding, etc.
“When we do things together, we’re better,” Josh asserts. “Community wins over competition, every single time.” To that end, “Startup Stories” is a new TechFarms event that takes place on the first Wednesday of every month from 9 to 10 a.m. “The idea is to bring the Tech and Startup Communities together. People tell the story of their entrepreneurial journey. A couple of people share each time. We serve coffee sponsored by Amavida and do a little networking. Around 35 people attend – entrepreneurs and people who want to support entrepreneurs.”
Mark your calendar for the next “Startup Stories.” To learn more about TechFarms, visit TechFarms.com and check out their Facebook page @techfarms.
