Posts by Andrea Van Essen
Local startup, Helen’s Plan, looking to expand reach through strategic partnerships
Walter Portz hopes to change the way people deal with death. After spending a year slogging through the paperwork and preparations that fell to him after his mother, Helen, passed away in 2017, Portz realized he hadn’t been given the space to actually grieve. Settling the affairs of a loved one is no easy task—yet…
Read MoreAccounting firm provides support for entrepreneurs from day one
Eide Bailly is a sponsor of Startup Sioux Falls. If you’ve ever attended a financial panel event at our facility, been part of a CO.STARTERS cohort, or if you’re planning to participate in Startup Office Hours this Thursday, you might already know Elliot Hitt of Eide Bailly. As a tax partner at the firm’s Sioux…
Read MoreGet to know some of this year’s Hey Sioux Falls winners
At the 2021 Hey Sioux Falls event, six local businesses, organizations and entrepreneurs were recognized for their hard work over the last year. The following winners were chosen by a panel of judges from the startup ecosystem: New Startup of the Year: Prismatic (Michael Zuercher, founder and CEO) Startup Champion of the Year: Eric Weisser…
Read MoreUniversity of Sioux Falls entrepreneurship class hosts successful student pitch night
A group of students at the University of Sioux Falls (USF) organized a successful pitch event at the end of April, sending several student-run ventures home with nearly $20,000 in cash and prizes. Entrepreneurial Team Projects is a required course for USF’s entrepreneurial studies degree, and it focuses on project management skills specific to running…
Read MoreHey Sioux Falls Nominations Announced
Announcing the nominees for Hey Sioux Falls 2021 It’s that time of year again—Hey Sioux Falls returns on May 20. The annual event celebrates the trials and triumphs of entrepreneurship with a lineup of awards for local founders, startup champions, and more. While there’s never a bad time to celebrate the hard work…
Read MoreGet to know entrepreneurs making up Zeal’s second CO.STARTERS cohort
Get to know the entrepreneurs making up Zeal’s second CO.STARTERS cohort Zeal is preparing to launch its second CO.STARTERS cohort on May 4, and they’ve assembled another exceptional group of entrepreneurs hoping to improve their communities through innovative startup ventures. Some are just working with ideas, while others have already launched businesses, but they’re all…
Read MoreFomeno team moves toward a summer launch with $100k in seed capital
A local business venture aiming to make fashion more sustainable is one step closer to its launch after receiving $100k in seed capital from the global competition, the 2020 Hult Prize Challenge. Fomeno is an app that gathers online thrift stores in one place, streamlining the often overwhelming process of secondhand shopping. Founder and CEO,…
Read MoreGet to know your second CO.STARTERS facilitator: Tove Hoff Bormes
Applications have been submitted, participants have been selected, and the team at Zeal is preparing to launch its second CO.STARTERS cohort. This time around, the group will be led by two facilitators — Tove Hoff Bormes and Ty Vuong — a pair whose combined experiences promise to offer wisdom and inspiration for new entrepreneurs. If…
Read MoreZeal celebrates graduates of inaugural CO.STARTERS cohort
On March 16, the team at the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship hosted a graduation ceremony for its first CO.STARTERS cohort. The hybrid event began with a Zoom gathering that featured commentary from Zeal executive director Brienne Maner, cohort facilitator Eric Weisser and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken. Event attendees included Zeal board members and startup…
Read MoreLittle Tykes University founder, Corri Poore, brings his dream to life with new location
Corri Poore got his first taste of early childhood education as a child himself, helping his mother out in her classroom. “Summers looked like helping her break down the classroom, and then we’d come in and set it up again in the fall, putting up bulletin boards and laminating things, all of that,” Poore said.…
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