#53: Why Tech Census Data Is Critical to Startup Growth Between the Coasts - A Roundtable Talk

If you want a tech community to grow, develop and thrive, it helps to know where it stands right now—how far it’s come, what advantages it has and what’s still holding it back. That’s exactly why Powderkeg teamed up with Raidious, an enterprise-grade digital marketing agency, and a slew of other organizations earlier this year to take the temperature of the tech community in our hometown of Indianapolis, IN. The results of our research were compiled in the first-ever Indianapolis Tech Census Report and released to the public back in February. Drawing on responses from 359 tech professionals, entrepreneurs and investors representing 138 companies in the Greater Indianapolis area, the census uses a combination of hard data and interviews with industry insiders to paint an accurate picture of the Indy tech ecosystem as it stands today. For this episode of Powderkeg: Igniting Startups, I gathered a few of Indy’s most innovative tech entrepreneurs and business leaders to break down the report and get at the root of what’s good and what’s not so good about the state of Indianapolis tech. We shed light on the secrets behind Indy’s rapid tech growth, explore possibilities for bringing more investment capital into the city and share our best strategies for building more diverse and inclusive teams—in Indianapolis or in any tech community across the country. If you’d like access to all the growth and development insights the 2018 Indianapolis Tech Census Report has to offer, click here to download a copy free of charge. And if you want to help us compile a report on the tech ecosystem in your city, get in touch with us here! In this episode with four visionary Indianapolis tech leaders, you’ll learn: *Secrets behind the rapid growth of the Indianapolis tech community (8:30) *What tech communities can do to overcome a shortage of investment capital (20:12) *Why building relationships in your community is the best way to grow your business (26:41) *Strategies for finding and developing young professional to close the tech talent gap (31:21) *How to drive diversity and inclusivity in your company and the whole tech industry (40:28) Please enjoy this conversation about the Indy Tech Census Report with Danielle McDowell, John Qualls, Haley Altman and Yaw Aning! If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.