Cultivating Tech Innovation in Rural America

Meet Bea Smith, the visionary Director of the Northern Innovation Startup Center in Aberdeen, South Dakota. In a landscape where tech startups are often associated with bustling urban centers, Smith is rewriting the narrative for rural America. Her mission? To ignite a tech revolution in the heartland, proving that innovation knows no geographic boundaries. With a passion for big ideas and a knack for uniting diverse minds, Smith transforms Aberdeen into an unexpected hub of technological advancement.

1. Tell us your name and a little bit about your role at the Northern Innovation Startup Center.

Hi, my name is Bea Smith, and I have the pleasure of being the director of the Northern Innovation Startup Center in Aberdeen, South Dakota. We are hereto encourage the startup of a tech startup entrepreneurial ecosystem in rural northeast South Dakota, encouraging individuals to embrace technology and get started with their big ideas.

2. How are you enjoying Future Festival?

Future Festival is an absolute blast. A group from our community came to experience this together, which has been reinvigorating. Being able to brainstorm not only colleagues, but community members to help our region adapt to new technologies is exciting.

3. Who's been your favorite keynote speaker so far?

If I were to name a favorite, I'd have to say Courtney, but only because we had her come out to South Dakota, and she was really the start of the True Future Festival drive that we're seeing in Northeastern South Dakota. She had this incredible way of sparking several different flames that have now truly united, and I believe it will push our region to truly drive towards innovation, not only for ourselves, for the betterment of our community and region, but just for rural America in general, which is really exciting. But I have gotten something out of each one of the speakers that we've had the pleasure of hearing thus far.

4. What do you think your biggest takeaway has been?

To name one takeaway, I would not be doing my due diligence as there have truly been so many. There are so many takeaways to the point that I ran out of paper in the notebook to write them down on. There's just so many things.

5. What does innovation mean to you?

Innovation has a number of different meanings to me, both personally and professionally. Innovation means doing something different than what's traditionally done. Innovation to me, means change. More importantly, innovation means excitement because something exciting will truly happen when you innovate whatever task or project you're doing.

6. What is the biggest challenge you face when innovating?

Personally, one of the biggest challenges I face when innovating is just embracing my big ideas. They're a little disruptive against the norm. But what I've found to overcome that challenge is finding others within different community silos to rally around that big idea truly.

7. What makes an innovative culture? How do you create a culture of innovation?

I love doing this, and I have the pleasure of doing it at my everyday job. What works the best is uniting all the people with the same problem to be innovative together. Allowing them a space where there's no stupid answers; no suggestion will be ruled out. Allowing those individuals to develop innovative ideas and concepts together creates a whole different body that one can never replicate. When it comes time to apply those ideas or maybe get additional buy-in from other people, you already have a roomful of supporters. So, you know, the idea is going to be that much more successful. And again, as long as you're filling a need, that innovative culture is really built from within, having a lasting impact.