Big Omaha: Two minutes with David Hauser of Grasshopper
Geoff Wood
June 3, 2010
Fresh off moderating a panel of entrepreneurs at Big Omaha, I spoke with David Hauser about his impressions of the event and the Midwest. David, a Boston resident, is the co-founder of Grasshopper, Chargify and Grasshopper Labs.
He was in Omaha for the first time to participate not only as a moderator but to open up the event (left, Photo by Malone & Company Photography), following the local welcome by Roger Fransecky.
In addition to his thoughts on entrepreneurship and the telling of the Grasshopper story, David will be remembered for his challenge to welcome each speaker on stage with complete gusto, not the standard polite applause. The crowd met the challenge and for the next day and a half each speaker was greeted with a standing ovation, raucous applause, and cheers. It’s an experience that I’ve never had and Big Omaha 2010 was better for it.
David’s next contribution was the aforementioned panel which followed a presentation by Melody McCloskey of StyleSeat. One of Melody’s slides struck a nerve with attendees when she advised the crowd on where to establish a tech startup: “If you’re not in San Francisco, Boulder or New York: MOVE.” David (below) had to not only address the discontent amongst the attendees (primarily from the Midwest) but also keep the flow of the event moving.
I caught up with David after the close of the latter session. David shared his thoughts on Omaha, the Big Omaha event, Melody’s advice and more. See the video.