Midwest House Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/midwest-house A podcast experience born from the intersection of innovation and community—amplifying thought leaders, startup builders, and culture-makers in the Midwest, hosted by Midwest House in collaboration with ThinkTank. 2025 Midwest House d3c4bf28-f188-5d9a-8261-4c23b1fab3e2 no f4297bc0-3b05-11f0-9a77-8310fc3af7ce en Fri, 08 Aug 2025 15:11:11 -0400 Wed, 03 Dec 2025 01:34:21 -0500 https://www.midwesthouse.org/ https://img.transistor.fm/wAFKvXc8mnka3Cbkh4pEaw08xUu8-dG-hghGl46yY6g/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jMTc1/NmFmMDAwMmJiYWJi/ZTZiNTk3MDNiZTlk/NzNhYS5wbmc.jpg Midwest House https://www.midwesthouse.org/ episodic Ted Velie A podcast experience born from the intersection of innovation and community—amplifying thought leaders, startup builders, and culture-makers in the Midwest, hosted by Midwest House in collaboration with ThinkTank. A podcast experience born from the intersection of innovation and community—amplifying thought leaders, startup builders, and culture-makers in the Midwest, hosted by Midwest House in collaboration with ThinkTank.. Thinktank marketing@cityinnovations.com No No From $5K and Ikea Desks to a Statewide Startup Movement: Amanda Lewan on Building Bamboo 2 2 From $5K and Ikea Desks to a Statewide Startup Movement: Amanda Lewan on Building Bamboo full 18dea703-67db-488e-9e4f-b7b482cfd4bc https://share.transistor.fm/s/9755372a Can you really launch a startup hub with $5,000, no space, and a dream? Amanda Lewan did—and it didn’t stop there.

In this energizing episode of the Midwest House Podcast, host Ted Velie sits down with Amanda Lewan, co-founder and CEO of Bamboo, to explore how a scrappy coworking experiment in Detroit became one of Michigan’s most impactful startup communities. From Detroit's post-bankruptcy days to launching a 40,000-square-foot flagship in Grand Rapids, Amanda shares the behind-the-scenes story of how Bamboo has evolved into a statewide platform for founders, innovators, and underestimated entrepreneurs.

Inside this episode:

  • How Amanda helped Detroit’s startup scene take shape from scratch
  • What building real community looks like when there’s no playbook (or budget)
  • Why Bamboo’s new Grand Rapids space is more than a building—it’s a signal
  • The power of density, open access, and designing spaces where everyone belongs
  • What’s next for Michigan's east-meets-west startup ecosystem—and why now is the moment

Bonus: lessons from Detroit Startup Week, what Amanda learned from Brad Feld’s Startup Communities, and a sneak peek at her favorite up-and-coming Midwest startup.

🎯 This one’s for the builders, the connectors, and anyone who believes the Midwest is just getting started.

]]> Can you really launch a startup hub with $5,000, no space, and a dream? Amanda Lewan did—and it didn’t stop there.

In this energizing episode of the Midwest House Podcast, host Ted Velie sits down with Amanda Lewan, co-founder and CEO of Bamboo, to explore how a scrappy coworking experiment in Detroit became one of Michigan’s most impactful startup communities. From Detroit's post-bankruptcy days to launching a 40,000-square-foot flagship in Grand Rapids, Amanda shares the behind-the-scenes story of how Bamboo has evolved into a statewide platform for founders, innovators, and underestimated entrepreneurs.

Inside this episode:

  • How Amanda helped Detroit’s startup scene take shape from scratch
  • What building real community looks like when there’s no playbook (or budget)
  • Why Bamboo’s new Grand Rapids space is more than a building—it’s a signal
  • The power of density, open access, and designing spaces where everyone belongs
  • What’s next for Michigan's east-meets-west startup ecosystem—and why now is the moment

Bonus: lessons from Detroit Startup Week, what Amanda learned from Brad Feld’s Startup Communities, and a sneak peek at her favorite up-and-coming Midwest startup.

🎯 This one’s for the builders, the connectors, and anyone who believes the Midwest is just getting started.

]]> Tue, 20 May 2025 03:30:00 -0400 Ted Velie Ted Velie 2470 Can you really launch a startup hub with $5,000, no space, and a dream? Amanda Lewan did—and it didn’t stop there.

In this energizing episode of the Midwest House Podcast, host Ted Velie sits down with Amanda Lewan, co-founder and CEO of Bamboo, to explore how a scrappy coworking experiment in Detroit became one of Michigan’s most impactful startup communities. From Detroit's post-bankruptcy days to launching a 40,000-square-foot flagship in Grand Rapids, Amanda shares the behind-the-scenes story of how Bamboo has evolved into a statewide platform for founders, innovators, and underestimated entrepreneurs.

Inside this episode:

  • How Amanda helped Detroit’s startup scene take shape from scratch
  • What building real community looks like when there’s no playbook (or budget)
  • Why Bamboo’s new Grand Rapids space is more than a building—it’s a signal
  • The power of density, open access, and designing spaces where everyone belongs
  • What’s next for Michigan's east-meets-west startup ecosystem—and why now is the moment

Bonus: lessons from Detroit Startup Week, what Amanda learned from Brad Feld’s Startup Communities, and a sneak peek at her favorite up-and-coming Midwest startup.

🎯 This one’s for the builders, the connectors, and anyone who believes the Midwest is just getting started.

]]> No Ted Velie Amanda Lewan The Origin of Midwest House: How a Canceled Event Sparked a Movement - Midwest House Podcast - Episode 1 1 1 The Origin of Midwest House: How a Canceled Event Sparked a Movement - Midwest House Podcast - Episode 1 full 02c9ddd2-fbab-4053-b9e2-0beaf167ad89 https://share.transistor.fm/s/b1ae14db What happens when COVID cancels your big event… and instead, it unlocks a movement?

Welcome to the first official episode of the Midwest House Podcast, hosted by co-founder Ted Velie, alongside community builders and innovators Wolf Starr and James Feagin. This is more than a South by Southwest recap—this is the story of how a cancelled conference turned a Michigan-led idea into a Midwest-wide movement.


You’ll hear:

🧭 The wild early days of Michigan House and Columbus House
🌍 How Midwest House became a cross-state collision zone for founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders
🏠 Why South by Southwest wasn’t the finish line—it was the launchpad
💥 How a $40k pilot trip led to millions in ROI for underrepresented founders
💡 Why "flyover country" is becoming the heartbeat of U.S. innovation


From angel investing playbooks to eco-mapping ecosystems, this episode lays the foundation of a community-driven force that's reshaping what innovation looks like between the coasts.


🔗 Whether you're a founder, funder, or ecosystem builder—this is your invitation to the table.

]]> What happens when COVID cancels your big event… and instead, it unlocks a movement?

Welcome to the first official episode of the Midwest House Podcast, hosted by co-founder Ted Velie, alongside community builders and innovators Wolf Starr and James Feagin. This is more than a South by Southwest recap—this is the story of how a cancelled conference turned a Michigan-led idea into a Midwest-wide movement.


You’ll hear:

🧭 The wild early days of Michigan House and Columbus House
🌍 How Midwest House became a cross-state collision zone for founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders
🏠 Why South by Southwest wasn’t the finish line—it was the launchpad
💥 How a $40k pilot trip led to millions in ROI for underrepresented founders
💡 Why "flyover country" is becoming the heartbeat of U.S. innovation


From angel investing playbooks to eco-mapping ecosystems, this episode lays the foundation of a community-driven force that's reshaping what innovation looks like between the coasts.


🔗 Whether you're a founder, funder, or ecosystem builder—this is your invitation to the table.

]]> Thu, 15 May 2025 13:07:12 -0400 Ted Velie Ted Velie 3750 What happens when COVID cancels your big event… and instead, it unlocks a movement?

Welcome to the first official episode of the Midwest House Podcast, hosted by co-founder Ted Velie, alongside community builders and innovators Wolf Starr and James Feagin. This is more than a South by Southwest recap—this is the story of how a cancelled conference turned a Michigan-led idea into a Midwest-wide movement.


You’ll hear:

🧭 The wild early days of Michigan House and Columbus House
🌍 How Midwest House became a cross-state collision zone for founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders
🏠 Why South by Southwest wasn’t the finish line—it was the launchpad
💥 How a $40k pilot trip led to millions in ROI for underrepresented founders
💡 Why "flyover country" is becoming the heartbeat of U.S. innovation


From angel investing playbooks to eco-mapping ecosystems, this episode lays the foundation of a community-driven force that's reshaping what innovation looks like between the coasts.


🔗 Whether you're a founder, funder, or ecosystem builder—this is your invitation to the table.

]]> No James Feagin Ted Velie Wolf Starr