At its national convention in Seattle the Technology Councils of North America awarded TechSTL with its 2023 “Major Impact on Tech Community” award. TECNA is made up off more than 60 Tech Councils across North America, and TechSTL is amongst its newest members — as it was essentially bootstrapped over the past two years by its Executive Director, Emily Hemingway. bizblip sat down for a conversation:
Paul Riat, bizblip:
“Gushy stuff first, how were the ‘feels’?”
Emily Hemingway, TechSTL Ex. Dir.
Emily Hemingway, TechSTL:
“I was totally shocked. I was at the conference in Seattle. And we had a big event at the end of the conference. And I knew that we had been nominated. But we were going up against some of the biggest tech councils in the country. Honestly, I almost didn’t even go to the dinner, because I was so tired. So when I was sitting there, and ours was the first award and the TechSTL logo popped up, it was like the whole room started spinning. I just never thought that we were, like, seriously a contender for the award. So it was I was so pleased, I was really honored to receive it from, you know, people that I’ve respected for years. It was really something special.”
Paul Riat, bizblip:
“You landed in St. Louis with a grant for a year, but had to figure out how to fund yourself practically overnight — from nothing. Personally, I’ve seen you exhibit consistent primary driving goals like to embrace entrepreneurship, to be supportive and yet disruptive, and somehow be the the connective tissue for the ecosystem. But I’ve also seen you pivot several times, can you tell me about the process that you’ve gone through to develop it and what your mission is today?”
Emily Hemingway, TechSTL:
“Yeah, so I think that the whole process has been a very public customer discovery process.Every step we’ve take has been actively testing what is relevant to this community, and what’s really going to motivate St. Louis to engage in what we’re doing. None of this works if we don’t have engagement. As a membership based organization our power comes from our members which means I’ve constantly had to lean in, ask big questions, and then really listen to what this community tells me. I think launching this on the other side of the pandemic has been such a moving target that really no one knows right now, what’s going to get folks to come out and be part of things, because there still isn’t an overwhelming sense of people showing up and wanting to get engaged in something else. Coming into this I had the experience of having worked with other cities and other tech councils, and I knew the model of the organization. But I knew that when it came to St. Louis I had to be so agile and responsive to the community that I could never stick too firmly to my assumptions, or even into be attached to the models that have worked in other cities over the past five or 10 years. Because the reality is, is right now, what makes any of this work relevant is a constant iterative process. And especially in the world of innovation. Right? When I started this, I had no idea what was going to happen with AI and ChatGPT, I mean, so much has just happened even the past 12 month that if you get comfortable in this space, if you lean on what you thought might happen two years ago, you’re already done. You’re no longer relevant. So leaning into what’s possible, and what’s constantly changing means that you can never really get comfortable with what’s going on.”
Paul Riat, bizblip:
“Okay, and if somebody is aware of you, or just becoming aware of what you do, what would you ask of them to engage in a way that actually might be beneficial to both them and you?”
Emily Hemingway, TechSTL:
“So the first big opportunity is to just come to some of our events, right check us TL we’ve we’ve made it really, really easy for folks to get engaged and really, test drive, what it looks like to be a member of tickets to the events are a really powerful mechanism to just get connected with new folks and to learn more about what’s going on in all these industries. That then gives us the chance to show you what it would look like to become a member. And the membership is really for those that want to go deeper into that process that they want to go to the more exclusive Industry Focus events that they also want to join. We now have our network committees, which is really kind of pulling back the curtain and allowing our members the chance to get a seat at the table to really advise around our advocacy and our priorities and our fundraising. So, you know, what we’re really focused on is how are we opening doors for individuals in the community To get more engaged in what’s happening in the world of emerging technology, and the first way to really try that out is to just come to some of our events and connect with our people.”
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