We had the good fortune of connecting with Alycia Brown Owens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alycia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The idea for Storyboard came after I met a nonprofit leader who was doing incredible work for his community, but every time he ran out of resources, he had to stop what he was doing to fundraise, recruit volunteers and spread awareness. I heard story after story of the lives he was impacting through his work, and I knew that, if other people had the chance to hear these stories, they would want to be a part of what he was doing.

After 10 years in content marketing and volunteering in the nonprofit space, my Co-Founder, Zach, and I decided to start Storyboard, connecting people to local nonprofits through the art of storytelling.

Local nonprofits are serving marginalized communities every day with limited resources and without fanfare, and Storyboard exists to tell their stories to “everyday philanthropists” who can get involved by making a donation, volunteering their time, or spreading awareness for causes they care about.

What should our readers know about your business?
Most local nonprofits are underfunded, understaffed, and (mostly) invisible, so we built a platform for people to discover their stories and get involved through the app. When more people are making donations, volunteering their time, or spreading awareness about the critical work being done to sustain their communities, local ecosystems experience lasting change.

Our team has spent the last 18 months telling nonprofit stories in the Denver Metro area, and we’re currently excited about fundraising for our Seed Round.

Due to the nature of what we’re doing, there has been a lot of trial and error. To be a start up founder is to be resilient. When something doesn’t work, you have to try something new…over and over again. It’s exciting and exhausting and a process that is so full of disappointment, creativity, and optimism.

At Storyboard, we believe that people are generous, they just don’t always know how to be.

We believe that nonprofit leaders are heroes, dedicating their lives to caring for the marginalized every day without fanfare.

We believe that empathy-fueled generosity is the missing piece to the philanthropy puzzle.

We believe that the storyteller and the person witnessing their story become more empathetic, kind, and generous through this simple act of connection.

We believe that stories tear down walls, soothe tensions, and eradicate polarization that data and debate can’t.

We believe that connecting through story will fuel communities to meet the needs of their neighbors.

Storyboard will change how people engage with local nonprofits and relate to the needs in their communities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our favorite coffee shop is Lost Coffee in Littleton. We’re there almost every day drinking lattes and eating orange scones. We love the sushi at Smokin Fins, and our favorite spot to eat in downtown Littleton is Cafe Terracotta. Our two favorite breweries are Platt Park Brewery and Denver Beer Co. We love to mountain bike at South Table Mountain and hammock near the river with a book at Lair O’ the Bear.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Storyboard wouldn’t be what it is without my husband and Co-Founder, Zach Owens. We both spent over 10+ years volunteering or working in the nonprofit space, so our passion was aligned for this venture.
Zach’s background in organizational strategy and leadership, product, and entrepreneurial projects makes him the perfect tech startup CEO. He has contagious energy, he knows how to structure and motivate a team, and he simplifies objectives while keeping the team aligned on what’s most important.
His vision for Storyboard has played a foundational role in how we’ve developed as a business.

Website: https://www.storyboardco.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyboardorg/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/storyboard-co/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/storyboardorg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyboardorg

Image Credits
Brooks Upham Autry Jones Julie Ho

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