How the startup that attracted 700 investors out of Des Moines, Iowa is impacting the world with a unique approach and creative culture.
WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR
It’s
a pretty big deal to be named a Top 10 Startup of 2011. But it’s an even bigger deal to be named a
Top 10 Startup of 2011 and be from Des Moines, Iowa.
A
few days ago, ReadWriteWeb
counted down the Top 10 Startups of 2011, which included a list of some of the
most popular new businesses of the year like Zaarly, Fab.com, Pinterest,
Dropbox and Evernote. And among these
well-known names was one company that was launched out of Des Moines, Iowa: Dwolla.
Dwolla
is a mobile payment platform that sends and receives payments to bypass credit
card fees. With Dwolla, a user can sign
up, load their accounts and head over to a retailer that uses Dwolla for mobile
payments. Dwolla offers a cheaper, safer and overall better payment experience.
But
in founder Ben Milne’s mind, Dwolla is much, much more than “a different and
better way to access money.”
Instead,
Dwolla has become Milne’s haven for creation, innovation and
collaboration. The company has allowed
Milne to build a culture unlike any that PayPal or Visa contribute to the user
experience.
“My
favorite part of this venture has been the ability to create,” says Milne of
launching the Dwolla startup. “It’s
empowering to come into the office with an idea and at the end of the day, it’s
built. At Dwolla, creation is just a
part of everyday life. Solving problems
is part of our culture.”
And
these problems are not ones that can be shooed away. Dwolla has been known to be a product that
solves “million dollar issues”.
According to Milne, the creation of Dwolla has positively affected people,
small business and even large corporations.
Although
Dwolla is extremely successful (with over 700
interested investors and with moves between $30 and $50 million per month),
Ben still believes that the company is just at the beginning on the startup
journey.
“We
have a long way to go,” he says. “But
these successes have truly validated our efforts.”
But
what’s it like building a successful startup out of the Midwest? Obviously, Ben has not received the same
resources or support that he would if he moved the company to Silicon
Valley. So how has the Des Moines
startup gotten by?
“The
truth of the matter is, startups are hard everywhere,” says Milne. “We actually had an advantage because we have
a strong team and great community members.
If we had the opportunity to move, I would say no. It’s good that it’s here. We want it to be here.”
How
does Ben Milne of Dwolla Think Big? “I
don’t just want to pay the bills. I want
to do something that makes an impact. I
want to solve a problem that impacts the world.”
We
believe that Dwolla does just that.
Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig
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