About

Startup Sioux Falls empowers founders.

We are an ecosystem organization that empowers founders by offering resources to network, launch, and grow their ventures. If you have ever aspired to launch something of your own, we want you to join our community. Start with Startup Sioux Falls.

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Our Values

Inclusive

We welcome all entrepreneurs.

Innovative

We solve problems through testing and collaboration.

Collaborative

We work with our community and bring people together.

Authentic

We are honest, even when it is hard.

Curious

We make the possible probable by stepping into the unknown.

Vision

Founders are nimble. They learn and adapt quickly to their rapidly-changing environment. They work tirelessly to ensure the success of their venture, and they deserve an ecosystem that supports them as they breathe life into their ideas.

Startup Sioux Falls exists to empower founders and startups. We work to expand the depth and reach of our resources because we want entrepreneurship to feel accessible to anyone who aspires to launch something of their own. As we continue to chart our course forward, we will grow our community, increase our impact, and carve out our place as a major regional startup ecosystem—realizing a dream leaders in our community developed nearly two decades ago.

Much like the founders we support, our community is ever-evolving. As an organization, we believe it is crucial that we support and engage in the major changes taking place in our community—working collaboratively to move our city forward. In light of this, we have resolved to plant our organization in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls, believing that, by doing so, we can most successfully fulfill our mission for years to come. It is there that we will write our next chapter, and it is there that we will merge our efforts with those of countless others working towards a common goal of writing our city’s future..

We have broken out of our four walls. We are here to help you build a strong foundation for your venture. Will you join us?

Start here. Start with Startup Sioux Falls.

History

Like all good stories, ours began with an idea. What could happen if a city in the heart of the Great Plains decided to chart its own course into the future? In 1999, it was this idea that led Forward Sioux Falls to form a committee focused on tech-based economic development in the city of Sioux Falls. Just three years later, the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and Development Foundation opened the doors to the South Dakota Technology Business Center (SDTBC). A bold vision for the future of our state, the SDTBC offered programming and physical space to incubate and accelerate high-growth tech businesses in South Dakota’s largest city.

We didn’t stop there. In 2014, we asked ourselves what more we could do. We realized innovation isn’t exclusive to tech. Inspiration isn’t exclusive to high-growth businesses. We were here to support entrepreneurs at all stages. We needed to be more. With that, we evolved to become the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship—the physical hub for Sioux Falls’ budding startup scene.

In 2019, the Zeal Center merged with Startup Sioux Falls, a startup community organization founded by Matt Paulson. This merger created the organization we know as Startup Sioux falls today, which provides real resources to those who dare to chart their own course. We empower founders in our community as they work diligently to launch and grow their ventures. We are more than a building; we are an ecosystem organization. We are a collective of doers, thinkers, and innovators working tirelessly to support those who dare to dream.