When Matt Konar asks what I think the premise is of his event series, groundworkk, during an afternoon meeting at Cocoa Cinnamon, I respond, “Like ‘Shark Tank’?”
“Right,” he says. But it’s also nothing like the popular entrepreneur competition on TV.
Instead of sharks, Matt says, imagine a community. And instead of fighting for a piece of a project, imagine that community collaborating and supporting one another.
“All these people are dedicated to Durham,” Matt says. “They want to do something for Durham.”
Three presenters share their ideas for four minutes each, followed by an eight-minute Q-and-A with the audience. Always, Matt says, the community dives into suggestion mode, trying to make the ideas presented stronger. Often, he says, even the “competing” presenters will jump in with recommendations.
“We’re just one big group having fun,” Matt says. “There’s no friction whatsoever.” The group gathers all across the Triangle, but the location with the most energy, Matt says, is Durham. From the get-go, the Bull City groundworkk community partnered with Mercury Studio to offer intimate events featuring small bites and big ideas quarterly.
Attendees (usually about 30 to 40 people) are asked to donate $5, which goes into a pot and becomes the winnings – startup money for the top presenter. The ideas shared can range from small-scale to large, but are typically arts- and food-based. Some of Matt’s favorite winners include groundworkk’s first-fund, the Durham Photography Parade, as well as Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge and Katie Coleman of Durham Spirits Co.
Katie presented her vision to form a nonprofit that helps people overcome employment barriers through culinary training at Durham Spirits Co. After her presentation, Katie was floored by the number of people willing to offer their expertise and help.
“I think, at its core, groundworkk is not just crowdfunding,” Katie explains. “It is creating a roundtable, allowing you to bounce ideas off a group of creative people and also make connections with people who, just by their presence at the events, want to see small businesses and/or creative ideas grow and succeed.”
After Durham Spirits Co. settles in at its new location on Old Chapel Hill Road, Katie plans to launch the nonprofit this summer.
Presenters for each event are announced a week in advance on social media. To get the full experience, Matt encourages everyone to come out and take part. The next Durham event is Tuesday, July 26 at Mercury Studios, and events are also offered regularly in Raleigh and Carrboro. Check out groundworkk.com for upcoming dates.
“The great thing about [groundworkk] is that it is small, community- based – kind of guerrilla,” Matt says. “We just get together, we have fun, we get to hear great ideas and great people talk about things they are passionate about. It just doesn’t get much better than that.”
