Software Pulse Works to Build Idaho’s Rep as a Software-Savvy State

by Alisa Bondurant, Business Solutions Specialist, Idaho Department of Labor;  Idaho Technology Council Volunteer

Reputation is one of the most valuable assets a community can develop. That’s why the Idaho Technology Council’s Software Alliance needs help growing Idaho’s reputation through Software Pulse, a website space designed to promote Idaho’s thriving software community. Just as a beating pulse establishes the healthy state of an individual, Software Pulse demonstrates the vibrancy of Idaho’s software community.

The need to grow Idaho’s reputation is clear. Many Idahoans travel outside our state and meet people who are skeptical when they hear about our thriving software community. During last year’s Venture Capitalists Unplugged event, many financiers commented they didn’t know what was going on in Idaho. This comment was echoed by David Cohen, founder and CEO of TechStars, when he came to Boise a few months ago to speak to our community at a special event hosted by the Idaho Technology Council. It’s clear that many people still associate Idaho with potato chips and aren’t aware of our burgeoning high tech and software businesses.

For example, Idaho has an urgent need to bring new sources of capital to our state to fund start-ups and new businesses. Venture capitalists and other financial backers need to realize Idaho is a place where we grow ideas and build high-potential companies. Likewise, in order for us to attract new companies to our state, we need to demonstrate why Idaho is a viable place to do business. As we increase awareness of Idaho’s thriving software community, we also increase our ability to attract new talent, which is needed to meet demand from growing Idaho companies.

Idaho has a lot to be proud of. We need to help the rest of the world understand what sets our state apart as a thriving—and growing—software community. We do a great job talking to each other about Idaho’s robust software industry. But we need to communicate our success stories beyond Idaho. That’s why the Software Alliance recognizes the important need to aggregate content that showcases our thriving software community to people outside Idaho.

You can follow the Software Pulse at http://software.idahotechcouncil.org and if you have any breaking news and success stories about Idaho software companies please submit articles on topics like:

• Advantages of doing business in Idaho, such as tech-experienced talent, business/tax incentives and a good ratio of income/cost of living
• Awards/accomplishments to companies and employees
• Creation of local software companies, offices, and startups
• Recent hires or expansions
• Resources available to software-related entrepreneurs and startups
• Trends in Idaho’s software industry

We also need your help with sharing content through your extended network via email and social media. If every techie in Idaho helped promote Software Pulse, just think of the impact it would make in growing Idaho’s reputation and helping create new business opportunities for our state. Y

In a crowded marketplace with many competing voices, we can’t afford to let others tell our story for us. We need to take the initiative and let people outside Idaho know why our state is a great place for technology companies. Let’s make Idaho to be famous for something more than our iconic potatoes. Contact: Alisa.Bondurant@labor.idaho.gov, 208-332-3575 ext. 3545