Episode 13

full
Published on:

24th Oct 2024

574 Degrees of Connection: Cat Edmonds on the Edge of Technology, Community and Bringing People Together

This week host Susan Ford sits down with Cat Edmonds, Co-Founder of Connect 574, an organization aiming to boost social connections in the South Bend region. Cat discusses the origins of Connect 574, born out of a recognizably common issue for many adults: making friends and finding activities to engage with locally. The platform offers monthly events and digital tools ensuring newcomers, and locals alike, can develop social networks in South Bend.

Listen as Susan and Cat discuss how Connect 574 fosters community and combats loneliness through engaging events, leveraging technology, and partnering with corporations to enhance social engagement.


QUOTES

  • "If we want South Bend to be a thriving place to live, work, and play, people have to have friends.” -Cat Edmonds [01:35]



TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Building Community Connections in South Bend

(05:20) Building a Passion Project with an Entrepreneurial Operating System

(08:33) Creating Connections Through Structured Social Events

(16:44) Kat Edmonds' Journey From Camp Fun to Startup Moxie

(20:27) Developing Connect 574's Platform for Long-Term Engagement

(25:03) Implementing EOS Concepts for Startup Success

(32:52) Funding Strategies for Early-Stage Startups

(35:44) Corporate Partnerships and Social Engagement for Employee Retention



RESOURCES

Connect 574: https://connect574.com/ 


CONTACT

Martin Mechtenberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-mechtenberg-515a648/ 

Susan Ford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-howard-ford-8446441/

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About the Podcast

Rooted and Reaching
Stories about local Startups and Founders in South Bend and Elkhart
There’s a job to do, and in the South Bend - Elkhart region, a midwestern work ethic is changing the narrative from rusty to ready. Our cities are opening up and working together as a region—universities are engaging beyond their campuses, sharing their brainpower and realizing that they’re bigger and better with the community behind them. Organizations are reaching out to newcomers and helping them build local networks, leveling the playing field. Infrastructure is being creatively adapted to be gathering places where new deals are made, new collisions happen, and new entrepreneurs take root. Join the Rooted & Reaching podcast, where we discuss the startup life with entrepreneurs with connections to the South Bend - Elkhart region.

In doing this, we will inform the general public and ourselves about what resources are available and the major pain points of entrepreneurs in our region. This podcast is also intended to tell the amazing stories of our local entrepreneurs in the hope that it will inspire another person in the region considering an entrepreneurial pursuit to take that leap of faith and see the supportive atmosphere in the area.