To say the startup world is full of stories is no surprise to anyone. When I popped into Gravitate for portraits last week, setting up shop for the first of four stops on the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Summer Startup Tour, I eagerly snapped shots through candid conversation.
The stories ranged between those who have made it and those who hope to soon, those who want to create the next best thing and those who already have. Be it young bloods or been-around-the-block, each small snippet of a story I captured through a few minutes of conversing, foundationally included the same thing: belief.
From tennis apps to LA Lakers influencers, the sharing of a pie crust recipe to the financial stability of shapeware, from the gift of a cold beer after a long bike ride, the pop of inspiration from a rainbow bowtie and the mecca created by Mwirotsi, there wasn’t one person who gathered that day, who didn’t believe in what they were there to create.
I might not always think I fit in with the startup crowd until I get there. And then I realize that every person in that room believes in you because you showed up. Because without belief — in ourselves or in something else, what else do we got?
I hope to see you on Thursday. Because I believe in you.
