Listen up, gang. We’ve got some really big news. The Innovators Peak you know and love is getting a major makeover. And gurl, we’re looking good.
There’s a time in every website’s life when they have to make a choice to remain where they are and fade into obscurity, or evolve into a new, sleeker, sexier design. Innovators Peak is obviously going to choose the latter. We’re making the transition from our beautiful space here on Tumblr to an even sexier and trendier space on Wordpress. It’s going to be great.
While we’re a tad bummed to be departing from a medium that’s been so great to us, we’re even more excited to show you just how innovative we can get on Innovators Peak. Soon you’ll be gliding and diving into our stories about Denver’s best and brightest on a redesign smoother than Luther.
The Nerd Agenda: The Top 10 Cannot-Miss #DENStartUpWeek Events, Part 1
Forget pink button-downs and tighty-whities, Denver knows the true risky business players rock jeans and t-shirts. Members of startup communities prove themselves as some of the bravest and baddest—in the hip sense, of course. Entrepreneurial underdogs might seem small, but they have a big bite. Put them all together and you have a wolf pack of power. This year, you can find them at Denver Startup Week, kicking off Monday, September 15th. The weeklong celebration of startups pools the smarts of thousands of innovators. In collaboration with corporations, government agencies and their fellow startups, goes network, learn and geek out. Between presentations, workshops and beer hangouts social opportunities, attendees have roughly 200 options to fill their agenda. What’s a design-conscious, free-food-loving techie to do?
No need to fret. We’ve narrowed down the top 10 must-see events of #DENStartupWeek ’14. Follow this list for inspiration. And a possible buzz.
10. Ask an Ex-Hacker Anything
Let’s be honest. Magicians reveal their secrets more than hackers. This panel is the exception. Matt Rosentrater, the Houdini of hacking, has made a living of it. He did his time and now does some good. He can boast a title as one of the first Ethical Hackers and top IBM Executives. Don’t miss the rare opportunity to ask an expert security questions or simply pick one’s brain. Thursday 9/18 8:00am — 9:00am!
9. 625 Breweries 3,000 Craft Beers, 50,000 Attendees + The Agile Process = 1 Award-Winning App!
When The Great American Beer Festival needed a mobile app, The 1stMovement came to their side with skills and a stein. Grab a beer and learn how the incredible digital agency used their talent and the Agile Process to brew up success. Friday, September 20th from 11-12:30
8. The Startup Crawl
Two things you should never pass up: 1) any type of “crawl,” and 2) any chance to experience the best city ever—in case you need filling in, that’s Denver. The third annual Startup Crawl combines both of them. See the roots of our tech culture with stops at 14 quintessential startups. That includes MapQuest, PaySimple and Universal Mind to name a few. Feed your curiosity and get a taste of behind the scenes. Eat up. Drink up, kids. Wednesday 9/17, 4:00pm — 6:00pm.
7. Where Do I Start: Idea to Physical Product
You may have asked “Seriously, dude. Where?” Well dude, Denver’s a good place to start. Whip out your map and head towards this amazing session hosted by Sport Bumper. Julie Adams of Pakems, Bill D’Allessandro of Elements Brands, Mike Maloney of Kota Longboards, Bo Pitto of Sport Bumper, and Dave Young of Young Circuit Designs will set you on the right path. Chat with the panel that will help you turn an idea into a prototype into production into pure awesomeness.
6. The Internet of Things Showcase
Sure, we’re all intellectual adults with passion and drive here—but let’s face it. We want to play with some tech toys. Colorado-based IoT companies Notion, Revolv, Rachio, Occipital, Soundwall, Roximity and WÜF will exhibit their pioneering technologies. And yes. You’ll get to touch them. Fulfill your nerdiest desires with the ultimate hands-on “meet and greet” networking event. Friday 9/19, 6:00pm — 10:00pm.
Covering business, design, and manufacturing, these first five events will guide you on your quest for the perfect DENStartupWeek schedule. Remember to register and look out for the rest of our top five picks - TOMORROW! Godspeed, soldier.
Something (as a device) created for the first time through the use of imagination; The act or process of introducing new ideas, devices or methods.
A brainchild. A concoction. A contrivance. A wrinkle.
I set out to discover how people define innovation in Denver. I took to the streets and headed to the city's newest arts district and hub for creativity, RiNO.
Just on my walk I felt surrounded by innovation. Art galleries, breweries and distilleries tucked between co-working spaces, architecture and design firms. A winery and tasting room. A coffee roaster and their neighbor a choclatier who both direct source and produce single origin products. Tiny cars taking over the city with the new Car2Go car share. B-cycle stations for our city’s bike share. Corporate sponsored graffiti?!? I felt like Kate Hudson in Almost Famous when she says, “It’s all happening.”
Innovation coming alive. I could see that innovation is a brainchild— a wrinkle — but it is also the act(s) of bringing these things to life. It is the thinking and the doing.
I arrived at the Higher Ground Music Festival — what better place to to find people to describe innovation than streets littered with artists and entrepreneurs — and I began to ask people to finish this sentence:
Innovation is …
I learned an important lesson very quickly. When you tell people they will be featured on a blog nearly everyone takes the opportunity to engage in a little self-promotion (one guy actually told me his facebook page was the definition of innovation. I haven’t seen it yet but I have my doubts). I had to give them a little credit. Harnessing the power of social media is certainly an innovation that can’t be ignored.
Many answers had common themes.
Innovation is breaking boundaries & expectations.
Innovation is a creative process.
Innovation is taking chances.
Innovation is solving big problems.
Innovation is taking something that has been done and making it better.
And this answer, I heard this a lot. The idea that innovation is kinetic, it is unstoppable energy.
Innovation is doing it fresh … keeping it fresh.
Innovation is always keeping it moving.
And there were those who couldn’t avoid the opportunity to try to be innovative in their answers (pretty great).
Innovation is trains and hops and breaking ground.
Innovation is crowd-sourcing your research on Facebook. (I posed this same question on social media and this was by far the funniest answer of the day).
An entire day spent talking to people, and I didn’t know if I had gotten to the heart of it all. After eating panko encrusted fried avocados, a cream cheese green chile pizza, buying a pair of sunglasses made from recycled skate boards, checking out a band with a lead singer playing a snare drum, and more female fronted rock bands than not (all innovations I love) I was still looking.
And then it happened.
All around me people were pushing boundaries, taking the expected and making it new. But there is a difference between boundary pushing and boundary crushing.
A band took the stage. The lead singer strapped on his guitar and immediately started playing. This guy had it all.
And then I noticed, he had lost a hand. He had lost a hand and figured out how to keep playing the guitar. The implement that allowed him to do this, his creative way of attaching it with a sweat band, all of this was innovation. As one person told me, “Innovation is the ability to do what you want with what you’ve got.”
And there it was. Innovation.
You can try to explain it but sometimes you just have to feel it.
