Think Big! Live Large! Be Nice!
Advice of a dear friend who never stopped challenging the instigators
The Iowa startup community has lost one of its greatest champions.
Jay Byers epitomized entrepreneurship, dispelled myths, bucked conventional wisdom, and showed up in rooms rarely frequented by his peers. He was a true friend and a ready confidant since our first meeting at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. The title of this article is his rallying call.
Jay and I graduated around the same time from two different liberal arts colleges that fiercely competed in the classroom and the football field. Though our individual paths to the Iowa startup community were different, we seemed to connect despite our competitive backgrounds. The Simpson-Central rivalry was always a reason for us to smile together, rib each other, even as we shared a beer or coffee as old friends. As trustees of our alma maters, we’d jokingly pry about our institutions, smiling at each other even as secrets remained behind sealed lips.
The Greater Des Moines Partnership became a staunch supporter of the startup community under Martha Willits’ leadership, a tradition that Jay continued throughout his Presidency. Martha, Jay and Tiffany, now, continue the spirit of optimism and growth. Unlike many professional organizations funded by large businesses, the Partnership continues to believe in the spirit and promise of emerging companies - small businesses and startups - and commits resources to growing them.
When Brad Feld published the first release of his book on Startup Communities in 2012, Jay ensured he was in the room to deeply understand the spirit of Boulder, CO distilled into the book. He internalized a core tenet of the book that urged economic development leaders to resist the urge to ‘own’ the startup community. He became what the book called ‘feeder’, a person and organization with power to energize entrepreneurs — people who build startup communities.
This quiet cheerleading must have been SO hard for him because he was an entrepreneur himself. As a creative who was as much at ease with a guitar on stage as he was addressing an audience of thousands or walking the halls of Congress, he understood the risks undertaken by those who choose to create and share. He and his wife Katie were the entrepreneur couple who invested their capital and network into creating their own startup, HomeDitty. He championed Katie’s own creative arts business at Mainframe Studios and lent a supportive hand from the shadows. He was simultaneously the social media influencer and proud dad for his daughters creative and entrepreneurial ventures, proudly sharing their work online, stories and pictures of Sophie and Charlotte’s work at the ready to share from his phone.
He comfortably combined his professional responsibilities of a ‘feeder’ with his entrepreneurial drive to become an instigator over time, nudging others to never stop building, never stop investing, and never stop taking calculated risks.
A member of an entrepreneurial family at home and broadly in the community, he understood the lone rangers that are entrepreneurs. For a life-long learner who read voraciously, sharing his readings online and in-private, he kept a copy of the “Startup Communities” book on his shelf at his office at the Partnership, reminding all that the startup community was an integral part of his group of stakeholders.
Jay brought his considerable experience with state and federal government to his counsel and guidance. Jay identified issues I was passionate about and sought opportunities to amplify where my citizen voice would be useful. He pulled me into the rooms that mattered and provided guidance to hone my message. He instilled diplomacy in me to become an ally to legislators in the Iowa legislature and halls of congress in DC. He understood the liability of adversarial dialogue and guided me without ever being preachy.
Although his appointment as President of Simpson College wasn’t a surprise, it came with a multi-dimensional succession for his beloved entrepreneurial community. His executive team already believed in the small and startup communities. He hired an equally passionate person in Diana Wright to continue supporting the remarkable foundation created in the previous 15 years by Mike Colwell. And his remarkable successor, Tiffany Tauscheck, continues with energy and love for the creative and entrepreneurial communities.
Of the hundreds of things Jay did for the entrepreneurial community, I will always cherish one close to both our hearts. An initiative that has created an outsized impact. Des Moines needed a new type of investment in an entrepreneurial ecosystem in early 2013 and Jay dialed quickly into a rudimentary strategy. He proceeded to open doors in a way only the chief executive of a chamber of chambers could, lending his name and office without seeking credit. Those open doors to Insurance CEOs across the state are the reason behind the creation of the Global Insurance Accelerator in 2014, a venerable global icon in insurance leadership.
It is tragic irony that we would lose Jay in the very hours when delegates from across the US were celebrating innovation in insurance in his favorite city. And entrepreneurs from across the nation were simultaneously finding a welcoming ecosystem at the Black and Brown summit nearby in West Des Moines. He would’ve been right at home at either venue, greeting old friends just as he made new ones.
You’re gone way to soon bud, and I will miss you dearly. Your music and optimism now exclusive to the heavens 💔
I am a proud member of the Iowa Startup Collective, a group of writers exploring entrepreneurship across Iowa. Click the link above to checkout my peers’ work
I remember meeting him back when I was an intern through some Partnership event and thought "I want to be just like this dude".
Sorry for your (and Des Moines' loss). This captured some sweet stories that Im glad you shared.
A beautiful tribute.