What’s Different About the Grand Rapids Tech Community? Collaboration

Many tech hubs are thought of as cutthroat environments, where co-workers often go head-to-head and businesses exist in a silo. In Grand Rapids, the word ‘coopetition’ is the word often used to describe the city’s tech community. Coopetition combines competition and cooperation — two hallmarks of Grand Rapids’ collaborative tech scene. The highly collaborative community is always working together, says Josh Barker, CEO, Managing Partner at City Innovations. 

“If you’re high on collaboration, the whole community will be better,” he says. By doing things together you’ll go way further. If you have a scarcity mindset and think there are limited resources, you close up. But, if you know that there is work to go around, and there is more together, you can have an abundance mindset.”

The Grand Rapids community comes together — and works together — often. A rarity, especially in bigger cities where companies try to get ahead at all costs, Josh says. In Grand Rapids, the tech community comes together, even when they do the same things. 

For example, during The Right Place’s Tech Week Grand Rapids, an annual unconference for tech companies, the whole community joined in. More than 70 events were held by the community across the conference’s six days. Someone would host an event and have a competitor speaking at it, or competitors would be speaking on panels together, Josh says. 

Image courtesy of City Innovations

“Competitors were co-hosting events together, funding a lot of it together, serving on committees together,” Josh says. “I often say that bleeds into working together. Grand Rapids has a level of humility where everyone wants to see others succeed and grow.”

The Right Place puts on events for the business community regularly — the economic development organization also formed the Technology Council of West Michigan.

Josh says that the Tech Council, specifically, has a high level of honesty. Business leaders come together and talk about what they’re experiencing, what they’re struggling with, and are very open about their businesses. And they’re met in kind.

“By putting competitors together in the same room, you get high amounts of collaboration and a high degree of honesty,” Josh says. “The Right Place brings these teams and businesses to the table and provides that environment.”

Josh’s business, City Innovations, is built on collaboration. The company is a venture studio that helps businesses roll out new ideas, new products, and new technologies. City Innovations not only works with local startups and enterprise-level businesses to launch new ideas, they also engage and hire within the Grand Rapids community.

“Our main premise is to build the right thing,” Josh says. “We made an intentional decision to not staff full-time developers. We partner with people that do that so we can assemble the best team for the job.”

This collaboration starts within the community, where City Innovations engages partner companies to help staff and build the business or product together. To foster these partnerships, Josh and the City Innovations team are active in the Grand Rapids tech community. 

“I’m meeting new people all the time through events and councils — they are constantly growing,” Josh says. “They’re growing our city, community, partner list and helping to build businesses together.” 

For anyone new to the city — or community — Josh recommends coming into events with the mindset of, “What can I offer or give?” To make networking events feel less overwhelming, he says to talk to one person and ask them for introductions to two more people. 

But Josh’s best advice is to be real with people.

“People can tell when you’re putting up a front,” he says. “Be real with how your business is doing, how you’re doing. The Grand Rapids environment is way more open. If things aren’t going well, people will help you succeed.”