2019 Startup Spotlight | Columbus
Q
What have you as the founder and/or CEO learned about yourself since you began this journey?
Nick: Just how stubborn I truly am. I always knew it was bad, but now I know how bad.
Amanda: I am way more capable than what I thought and what I had been told.
Q
If you were to invest in one thing in Columbus (aspect, infrastructure, etc.) what would it be? Why?
Nick: People. The only thing that can stop Columbus from becoming a hot bed for startups and tech companies is talent. If we can attract more talent in other ways, Columbus becoming a startup hub would turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Amanda: Infrastructure. We are starting to see this with CoverMyMeds building a new space, but there are amazing companies here, with awesome talent but we need to
Q
move faster on building the right infrastructure in the right areas to help the companies and community.
It would appear that there is more buzz surrounding the Columbus entrepreneurial and startup community than ever before. What key factors are driving this growth? What’s missing?
Nick: The missing component is capital. With easier access to capital, you’ll begin to see additional innovation. What is happening in Columbus is the snowball effect of others that have laid the groundwork. CoverMyMeds’ success has helped other entrepreneurs in ways that they’d never imagine. Now Root is charting that same path. New companies and entrepreneurs are able to stand on the shoulders of those two giants and appear bigger than we are.
This phenomenon has shown outsiders, both talent and VCs, that Columbus has the perfect ingredients to innovate and
build sustainable businesses. We simply needed a catalyst.
Amanda: Columbus is an amazing city with a huge wealth of tech talent and a strong community of companies willing to work together and invest in developing people. Columbus has recently been named one of the best cities for rising startups. There are tons of different ways companies and organizations in the area are working together to create and grow talent. Community events like startup meet-ups, hack-a-thons and mentoring programs have helped turn Columbus into a thriving tech community. Being a part of this region and tech community has been a huge part in ScriptDrop’s growth, innovation and success.
The missing component (I agree with Nick) is capital. Ohio still is struggling to help the west coast investors analyze our companies the way they would a company in the valley. We have great resources, people and companies doing their best to educate investors about the Midwest startup landscape, but it will take time.
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