Community Advocate

New Launch DFW publisher on why doing business in Dallas is a no-brainer

Editor’s note: In advance of ourCultureMap Social: The Innovation Edition, we chatted with our event partners about the Dallas startup scene. Finishing up the series: Michael Sitarzewski of Launch DFW.

Michael Sitarzewski, veteran entrepreneur and new publisher of Launch DFW, has his finger on the pulse of the Dallas startup community. The founder of Zerologic and CEO of Epic Playground also serves as mentor to many local startups.

This summer, Launch DFW began its renaissance under Sitarzewski’s leadership to include regional editors across Dallas-Fort Worth and new partnerships with Dallas Innovates and Startup Dallas.

We chatted with Sitarzewski about Launch DFW and why the Dallas startup scene is ultimately a social community.

CultureMap: What makes the startup community in Dallas special?

Michael Sitarzewski: The answer to that question requires a deeper understanding of what “Dallas” means to me as it relates to “community.” It represents the whole of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Our community is made up of several cities, colleges and universities, corporations, startups, coworking spaces, accelerators, and everything in between.

We have density and urban living in downtown Dallas, the small town in Denton, big business in Frisco, and gaming in Plano. Fort Worth has lots of activity too, but the best of all is that we’re all connected through one single startup community with a true “give before you get” foundation. That’s what makes Dallas special.

CM: What is something that people don’t know about doing business here?

MS: Every ecosystem has advantages. While we’ve done a great job at building community for the past two years, the best is easily yet to come. We have a tremendous resource in the colleges and universities, and more important, they’re becoming active in the community. From hackathons to HackDFW, activating 350,000 students across the area will provide a scalable and replicable weapon: talent.

CM: Why do you think Dallas is as important an entrepreneurial hub as cities like San Francisco or Austin?

MS: Snapshot: 7,000,000 consumers, 18 Fortune 500 companies, and two dozen or so billionaires. Doing business in Dallas is a no-brainer. Being connected to the startup community means you’re no more than a few introductions away from all of it.

I don’t spend brain cycles comparing our accomplishments to other cities. They’re all unique recipes, all with individual success stories and paths. People choose to move here from those cities because of the culture we’ve built, and the opportunity for growth is significant.

Most of the “mature” ecosystems have been at it for a decade or more. Dallas has been focused on our ecosystem, in earnest, for two years. Through that lens, the data speaks for itself. Start here, exit here. No matter the industry.

CM: Sum up Dallas in three words.

MS: Collaborative, giving, powerful.

CM: How does your organization fit into what's happening on the startup scene?

MS: Launch DFW is one of the first brands that comes to mind when “startup community” is mentioned in the area. It’s our responsibility to continue to provide stories, events, and resources for the greater community to connect and collaborate. You’ll see more of these collaborations in the coming months. The story of our community is ever evolving — we cover that like no one else can. We live it day to day.

CM: What does innovation look like to you?

MS: There are a million answers for this, but I’ll start here: “I know it when I see it.” When you see a product, service, or company for the first time, and your first thought is “Wow!” a good follow-up is “How did they do that?” We don’t need more social networks for blue-winged bird owners. We need more “WOW!” And even better than wow is “Please take my money.”

CM: What is Launch DFW doing that's different than anyone else in Dallas?

MS: We are a startup community catalyst. Most other publications take a traditional approach to content and readership, and some even dabble in events. Launch DFW is powered by a 20-year veteran startup founder, and it is supported by regional editors that play a role, day to day, in the startup ecosystem. We’re embedded here, and view this as our community and our people.

Launch DFW covers a wide array of issues — some playful and fun, and others more serious and professional. The core is seed-stage startups and the ecosystem that surrounds it. We’re media organization agnostic, and provide content for anyone to use and repurpose.

If it hasn’t happened by the time this is published, we’re moving to a Creative Commons license similar to the one used by Wikipedia. Take our content, remix, and reuse. Just attribute the source.

CM: Is there a hidden value to nurturing startups?

MS: The value isn’t hidden, or it shouldn’t be. We should all want to help other people succeed so our area builds on the already established and recognized legacy of entrepreneurial success. The more people activate and join the community, the better the chances of a big win. The better their chances for growth. That’s why we nurture startups. It’s not hidden or covert.

CM: How does Launch DFW educate entrepreneurs?

MS: More than the publication, it’s the reality that meeting new people will always broaden your horizons. Our content is just the tip of the iceberg. For example, it starts with founders and the purpose for their company. If it’s solely a money grab, there’s not much I can do for them. I work best with passionate people, and I like those around me to exude it.

Once that’s established, introduce them to people that can help present the product to audiences that the founder/founding team don’t have access to. If you’re making an IoT device, who better than Texas Instruments or AT&T to talk to?

Those are the people that read Launch DFW. They’re the people I’m happy to introduce to founders. Education is more than books and college. It’s social.

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Buy ticketsto the CultureMap Social: The Innovation Edition, which takes place September 30, 6 pm, at 129 Leslie.

Michael Sitarzewski is the new publisher of Launch DFW.

Photo courtesy of Michael Sitarzewski Facebook page

Michael Sitarzewski is the new publisher of Launch DFW.

interview qa

Eco Warrior News

Dallas restaurants doing amazing little things for the environment

Southwest Airlines

Cute bamboo cup from Southwest Airlines

One unfortunate legacy left by the pandemic has been a huge increase in the use of plastics — setting back progress that was being made pre-pandemic.

Plastics are bad. They harm everything they touch: the environment, health, food security, and economies. But they're convenient, subsidized, and in some cases necessary.

Before the pandemic, a growing awareness had started to snowball regarding the negative impact of plastics, particularly plastic straws and single-use plastic containers — and it was significant enough to make the plastics industry very nervous.

"In the two years leading up to the pandemic, the public backlash against plastic was a major concern for industry leaders," says a story about plastics and the pandemic in The Guardian. "As a corporate executive remarked during an industry event early in 2019: 'We need to get the image of plastic in oceans out of the public’s mind. Otherwise, we could lose our social license to operate.'"

But then the pandemic came along, igniting mass hysteria about contagion, and suddenly, bans on single-use plastics that had been in the works were reversed in countries around the world: North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“Overnight, plastics went from public enemy No. 1 to consumers asking for everything to have as much packaging as possible and to be single use," said one gleeful analyst for Shell Oil, who are a major plastics player.

The urgency of the plastics situation remains invisible to most people, lined up at the drive-thru for their coffee or Chick-Fil-A, piling up nearly 250 pounds of plastic waste every year. (That's what the average American amasses — more than any other country.)

But there are brave, pro-environment efforts being made by Dallas companies and organizations, big and small.

La Casita Bakeshop cup Revolutionary compostable cup at La Casita Bakeshop.Facebook

Dallas efforts
The Dallas restaurants and organizations listed below have taken steps to fight waste, even though it costs them money.

Plastic Free Lunch Day is November 22
Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services will participate in Plastic Free Lunch Day on November 22, to help reduce the amount of single-use plastic in school cafeterias.

Plastic Free Lunch Day was started by middle school students in Brooklyn. The initiative was such a success that it was adopted by all New York City public schools in 2022. The concept has since spread to public schools across the country — including Dallas ISD, which was the first in Texas to participate, when it joined up in 2022.

It creates an opportunity to educate students and the community on ways to positively impact the environment, including skipping plastic. Dallas school cafeterias will replace the plastic items they regularly use during lunch with biodegradable alternatives. (Plastic cutlery, cups, and straws will be available upon request for the crybabies.)

Southwest Airlines bamboo cup
Southwest Airlines Co., the Dallas-based airline, has introduced a new bamboo cup for inflight cold beverages, and a wood stir stick in place of a plastic stick. The airline expects the new items to reduce its inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually.

In July 2024, Southwest transitioned to a paper overwrap for its napkins made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials — fully eliminating plastic from this service item. The airline is making an effort to eliminate single-use plastics from inflight service by 2030.

La Casita Bakeshop compostable cups
La Casita Bakeshop, the award-winning bakery and cafe operation, recently debuted fabulous new cups that are 100 percent compostable, soil- and marine-biodegradable, breaking down naturally after 90 days, and made from natural materials.

"We are always trying to find ways to be more environmentally friendly and this is a big way we can," they said in their post announcing the new cups. "We just want to be proud of our paper trail and being a restaurant it's hard to do that."

Smoothie King biodegradable cups
Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, previously used styrofoam cups, but began testing a biodegradable cup in 2019. They now offer it as the default choice. They're using Vio Foam, specially made cups that biodegrade 92 percent in four years. They'll still accommodate whiny selfish customers who insist on getting a plastic cup instead, but their Vio foam cup not only helps the environment, it also keeps their smoothies cold a little longer.

Kate Weiser Recycle Box Program
Kate Weiser, the Dallas chocolatier, sells its gorgeous eye-catching bon-bons in a variety of boxes, from 4 pieces all the way up to 35 pieces. (OK, they'll sell them individually, too, but who goes to a chocolate shop and buys a single chocolate?) They have a program where you can bring your empty box to the store and get a refill and get 5 percent off. (Weiser amusingly calls it a "secret hack.")

Dude Sweet Chocolate freezer packaging
Dude Sweet Chocolate, the Oak Cliff chocolatier, has a next-level campaign in which they will accept cold-ship packaging you've received in the mail and re-use it. Say, for example, that you ordered an 8-pack of ice cream pints from Double Rainbow in San Francisco, and it arrived in a box with freezer packs and a foil liner. You can drop that packaging off at Dude Sweet's factory location at 1340 Inwood Rd., and they'll re-use it in one way or another when they're doing shipments of their chocolate. They'll take not only the freezer packs but the boxes, too.

Restaurant Beatrice repurposing programs
Restaurant Beatrice, the Cajun restaurant in Oak Cliff, has an entire suite of programs that address climate and environmental issues. Including: Composting, Re-Purposing of Oil (They have continuously recycled their fryer oil to be re-used as bio-diesel), and Repurposing of Single-Use Items by encouraging guests to return their mason jars and bring their own re-usable to-go boxes to limit single-use containers.

Note: Whether you're putting it in the blue bin or the gray bin, your plastic is not being recycled. The best course when it comes to plastic, especially single-use plastic, is to not use it at all.

sustainability