Startup Gainesville, a new media project filming local founders, says it has reached 100,000 viewers since Sept. 14. Its founder says what stood out most.
A new Gainesville media project that films interviews with local founders says it has reached more than 100,000 viewers since it started on Sept. 14.
Startup Gainesville was founded by JP Dishinger and tells the stories of “entrepreneurs, innovators, and local businesses that shape our local community,” Dishinger told the Gainesville Journal. Compound Companies is helping with the community-building side of the project.
“Through visual storytelling, founder interviews, and short-form videos we give the audience an inside look at what it takes to start something from the ground up,” Dishinger said.
Its interviews so far have ranged, Dishinger said, from former SpaceX engineers developing new technologies to college students launching businesses and entrepreneurs building companies from their dorm rooms.
“I wished this existed”
Asked what had been the biggest surprise about the founders, Dishinger pointed to why they started.
“What surprised me specifically about the founders is that almost all of them set out with the goal of creating something that they wanted in Gainesville,” Dishinger said. “Before I started learning about these businesses, I was under the impression that most successful entrepreneurs would focus on market gaps and what metrics that might signify if a certain business would be successful or not.”
“That being said, these founders focused on simplicity. They created their businesses when they realized ‘I wished this existed because I would love it.’ This mindset clearly helped them to grow their business because they have so much passion for what they are creating.”
From a sauna house to a candy cart
The range of businesses was the other surprise.
“I was also extremely surprised with the diverse amount of businesses we have here in Gainesville,” Dishinger said. “From a sauna house, Swedish candy cart, saltwater fish shop, an extremely fast growing run club, and a future country club, there is basically anything you could imagine right here in Gainesville.”
One of those interviews was with Connor Cornell, co-founder of Gainesville Sauna House, pictured with Dishinger at the top of this story.
Why it started
In a first note to the Gainesville Journal, Dishinger said the conversations had revealed “an incredibly ambitious entrepreneurial community whose stories deserve greater visibility.”
“Our goal with Startup Gainesville is to help bridge that gap by making entrepreneurship more accessible, highlighting local innovation, and connecting the community with the people building businesses right here in Gainesville,” Dishinger wrote.
More interviews are being photographed this week, Startup Gainesville said.
What it means for you
If you run, or are starting, a business in Gainesville, Startup Gainesville is looking for founders’ stories. Its interviews and short videos are published on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
The Gainesville Journal will be talking to some of the founders Startup Gainesville has interviewed. If you have a new Gainesville business story, write to hello@gainesvillejournal.com.
Have your say