52. Andy Stoll

The Iowa Idea: Andy Stoll

“Creativity is the synthesis of diverse elements.”

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down Andy Stoll.  Andy is a serial social entrepreneur and producer and has co-founded six entrepreneurial-focused organizations and currently serves as a Senior Program Officer in Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation. His career has focused on building pioneering programs, communities, classes and events to help entrepreneurs and creatives turn their ideas into reality.

Andy’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and his portfolio of projects includes collaborations with AOL Founder Steve Case, Microsoft Founder Paul Allen, and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.

We dig deep into creativity, networks, collaboration, and what it means to innovate and be an entrepreneur in the connected age.

Through Andy’s work in building creative and entrepreneurial ecosystems, Andy has noticed four patterns of the connected age

  • The democratization of creativity
  • The individual has been globalized
  • Networks are replacing hierarchies
  • Geography does not have a monopoly on good ideas

It was an honor having Andy join me on the show. I really appreciated Andy’s stories and perspectives. I thank him for sharing his time and insights. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Andy

Andy Stoll is a serial social entrepreneur and producer and has co-founded six entrepreneurial-focused organizations and currently serves as a Senior Program Officer in Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation. His career has focused on building pioneering programs, communities, classes and events to help entrepreneurs and creatives turn their ideas into reality.

Stoll’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and his portfolio of projects includes collaborations with AOL Founder Steve Case, Microsoft Founder Paul Allen, and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh.

Andy is a sought-after speaker on leadership, creativity, entrepreneurship, communities and travel, and has been a featured speaker at SXSW, numerous TEDx events and more than 50 American universities — including serving as the 2013 Commencement speaker for the University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts.

Stoll served as an adjunct faculty member at Cornell College; has taught courses at The University of Iowa; has served as a Global Facilitator for Startup Weekend, and completed a 4-year, 40-country solo trip-around-the-world.

Andy holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Media Production and Business Management from The University of Iowa and a Masters Degree in Media Cultures from The City University of Hong Kong — he also moonlights as a photographer, sometimes chef and occasional cooking class instructor.

Credits

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible (https://paisleybible.bandcamp.com/).