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Lindsay Randall
Strategic Thinker - Community Builder - Consultant
Lindsay Randall is a versatile professional with a diverse background in areas such as culinary arts, environmental studies, and business administration. With an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder, Lindsay excels in strategic planning, management consulting, and marketing.
Lindsay's career has seen roles in various esteemed organizations, including Flytedesk, Sterling-Rice Group, Giving Compass, and FARMIGO, where she has held positions ranging from Account Manager to Business Development and Growth Director.
Moreover, Lindsay has contributed to impactful projects such as the US Climate Leadership Corps, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Obama for America in roles like Program Manager and Field Organizer.
An advocate for social impact initiatives, Lindsay is currently looking for opportunities in strategy and management consulting roles at socially conscious companies where her innovative mindset can be leveraged efficiently.
With a keen interest in unconventional problem-solving and collaboration, Lindsay thrives in team environments that encourage creative thinking and out-of-the-box solutions.
Highlights
Well, it’s been over a week since the end of #SeattleTechWeek and I am finally feeling a little bit recovered.
Here are some of my belated #takeaways from both my seat on the organizing committee and as someone who hosted 6+ events… Be aware, #3 is a bit of a #hottake...
#1 - People are itching for more opportunities to get together. We need more people throwing more events throughout the year. Period.
#2 - We had a great number of investors from outside Seattle come for Tech Week. To me, this is a leading indicator for future deals, and future deals mean more capital for our founders that we dearly need. Year over year, this is what we want to see more of. If you end up getting deals out of Tech Week connections, please share them with our Tech Week Organizing Committee.
#3 - We need to talk about what happened with the RSVP and "awaiting approval" lists. To me, Seattle Tech Week is intended to be inclusive of everyone who might want to be involved in tech - whether as a founder, operator or just enthusiast. I think we missed the mark on that this year.
Due to some stumbles at the outset, it was a bit confusing for event organizers to understand when registration opened. As a result, instead of one date when registration opened, we ended up with dozens of events that stayed as “approval required” and stayed that way. This turned what should have been an inclusive experience into one that felt like you had to know someone, be at the right company, or have the right title. We can’t know who has the next great idea if we keep people out of the room. Tech week has inspired founders to take the lead from their jobs to start companies, and I would hate for someone to instead decide NOT to do it because they didn't find the community welcoming.
That isn’t to say that every event should be wide-open. Fostering connection requires diligent curation of the group. If your goal is to connect founders with investors, say that. If it isn’t, then letting everyone in (until you hit capacity) is the right thing to do to expand the circle. We’ve got plenty of room in our ecosystem for more founders, more ideas and more connections to resources we may not already have. We can and should be making space to open our doors wider, not closing them behind the talent we already know.
It’s a fine line between curation and exclusion. It's tough to get right, and so that's why we have to talk about it.
But, maybe I am just tired of being told I am not welcome because now I am a service provider.
Is it just me? Tell me how you feel in the comments!
#SeattleTechWeek is finally here! I wanted to share some thoughts about the week.
Serving on the planning committee with Jen Haller, Sarah Studer, Raghav Baldania and the crew at Madrona has been an exhilarating experience. It has been my deepest hope and ultimate goal, that Seattle Tech Week be a celebration and exhibition of all that makes our ecosystem great that is open to everyone who wants to be a part of it. I know many on the committee share this commitment.
This year, through the hard work of our committee, Seattle Tech Week is twice the size it was last year, and with nearly triple the attendee registrations. Most events are oversold, and so here are some things I think are important to keep in mind:
1️⃣ - Come with an open mind and be kind to the people putting on the events. 🙂 It is difficult to host an event where you dont know if 50 or 150 people will come.
2️⃣ - 👯 If you RSVP'ed yes, go. Nearly every event is overbooked. If you can't make it, update your RSVP so others can get off the waitlist.
3️⃣ - 🕥 Try to be on time - You get more out of the event, and the hosts will appreciate getting started and running on time.
4️⃣ - 👩 Be open to talking to new people! You never know where that next job will come from.
Take pictures, follow up with people you meet, and get ready for a great week of events! See you there!
