Siouxland Magazine - Volume 3 Issue 2

Siouxland Magazine | Inspire /26
1st Friday Coffee at Springboard.
Nurturing and Networking
By Dr. Cyndi Hanson
What makes the Siouxland business community
strong and what can make it stronger?
Collaboration is the one-word answer provided by
Dave Bernstein, founder of Siouxland Venture Initiative
(SVI). He goes on to explain, “People are generally
proud to be from here. They want to help other people
here succeed and continue to fuel that cycle: help
people, get help from others when you need it. Some
of it is paying it forward; some of it is receiving help
when you need it.”
Siouxland Venture Initiative is a fairly new entity
established when Springboard Coworking Space was
looking for a new owner. The co-working space was
established in 2013 and is now on its third owner,
indicating the viability and need for such a space in
Siouxland. Located at 700 4th street, Springboard
provides individual offices and collaborative working
spaces for entrepreneurs, freelancers, side-hustlers,
and others who don’t want to rent a full office space
or work from their home. “There’s great wi-fi, common
worktables, and private offices. Although the private
offices are all booked right now, you can rent a desk or
a meeting room. It’s a great place if you have a sidebusiness
and don’t want to meet your clients in your
living room,” said Bernstein.
When you are starting out with an idea and
don’t know what resources (financial and
other) are around in the community, it can be
daunting. There are a lot of resources!
In addition to the physical amenities, Springboard
also provides the ambiance of creativity and
collaboration. It’s not the small business incubator of
the past. Bernstein notes that doesn’t exist in Sioux
City anymore. It is a communal, sharing atmosphere
that provides support for people just starting out, or
those who don’t want to be isolated in their homes.
“Springboard is just one component of a bigger
umbrella for me of wanting to nurture entrepreneurial
activity in the area. There are a lot of different resources
scattered around, and Siouxland Venture Initiative
(SVI) is built on the desire to bring some of it together
in one place. There has been a group of us discussing
the ecosystem for entrepreneurship here for quite a
while. We know there is a need to connect people with
angel investors, venture capital, but also mentoring
and advice. We have all that here in Siouxland – we
have forever,” said Bernstein.