It’s FlashbackFriday and in that spirit, we’re taking a look back at the month of July to showcase some highlights from two major events that reflect what Fission Strategy is all about.
With summer in full effect, it’s that time of the year when people want to mingle and talk about their passions.  It’s convention season!



For Fission Strategy, we’re all about giving a digital boost to organizations and initiatives taking on the most important issues, so two conferences we participated in were SXSW V2V 2014 and Netroots Nation 2014.

Here’s our recap of highlights from these two great events and how Fission Strategy and Attentive.ly are staying at the forefront of innovative discussions. We’ve been tapped to weigh in about the most cutting-edge innovations in the startup community while also engaging with progressives on new and more effective ways to change public debate over issues effecting all of us.


SXSW V2V 2014 Recap #SXSWV2V




SXSW V2V from SXSW V2V on Vimeo.

The SXSW V2V 2014 festival in Las Vegas is an off-shoot from the main SXSW interactive festival with a tighter focus on the “creative spark that drives entrepreneurial innovation.”  Plus Vegas!

For Fission and particularly Cheryl, SXSW V2V was an opportunity to discuss how entrepreneurs and tech startups can adapt social change principles into their work.


“Build & Unite An Audience for Social Change” Panel

Cheryl and the rest of this amazing panel quickly went into the importance of tech in driving online & offline activities that help people engage more effectively in the issues most important to them.

Here are a few great quotes highlighting their compelling and insightful discussion courtesy of panel organizer Alison McQuade of EMILYS List (@akmcquade):

• Cheryl (@Ch3ryl): "There's a reason why @beatsbydre was acquired by Apple. They needed the coolness factor of the consumer base."

• Rachel Sklar (@rachelsklar): “Nobody presents coding as an outlet for creativity or part of the arts realm. We need to take it out of just STEM.”

• Cheryl on the #YesWeCode effort to improve diversity in the computer programming industry: “Everyone is hurt by the current portrayal of technologists.”

• Rachel Sklar: "Find your gateway drug that helps people get into your cause."

• Ashley Bryant (@ashb_knows): “Digital helps us reach a broader audience at once but offline engagement is how we reach people where they are."

After that discussion, this tweet was no understatement:

@akmcquade "Everyone wants to talk to the Build and Unite an Audience for Social Change panelists! #sxswv2v..."

Safe to say, SXSW V2V 2014 certainly held up to the SXSW brand of being always incredible and one observation we were happy to make: the diverse array of attendees, speakers, and organizations engaging at the festival. It’s anything but a guarantee that wonderful events like SXSW V2V would have that kind of turnout.

Great job SXSW!  Now on to Netroots.

Netroots Nation 2014 Recap #NN14



NN14 this year brought together the biggest names in the progressive community like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vice President Joe Biden, and Rev. William Barber. Leading organizations who have been Fission clients like MomsRising, UFCW & the Walmart Workers Campaign, and the Sierra Club were also in the halls. For Fission, our primary goal at #NN14 was to provide leaders in the progressive community with knowledge and tools that speak directly to the mission of Netroots Nation.
The event highlighted some of the biggest challenges everyday people are facing nationally and locally. NN14 brought a national spotlight to the Detroit water crisis that was front and center during the entire conference, bringing actor Mark Ruffalo to march with locals and winning a halt to water cutoffs for ordinary citizens.
Our participation kicked off with Fission’s own Austen Levihn-Coon (@AustenLC) providing a capacity crowd of over 100 people with powerful insight during his panel entitled: “Make your data talk (and understand what it says)”

@Ch3ryl "Big crowd for big data mgmt w @fissionstrategy - 'culture eats strategy for breakfast' re effective data use"

Cheryl Contee (@Ch3ryl), Fission’s CEO,  is a proud member of the Netroots Nation c(4) board of directors and also spoke several times at the conference:

• during the AskaSista panel on pop culture & politics,

• the Black Caucus (#blackroots14) discussing the launch of #YesWeCode with Van Jones

• and demoing Attentive.ly at the New Tools Shootout sponsored by Google and New Media Ventures.

Reflecting back on the the two events, one of the most significant takeaways is that we can reap powerful rewards when we diversify our perspectives on solving pain points. In other words, we can make data more actionable, and make workplaces more inclusive.

A busy week to say the least but truly amazing with countless brilliant conversations on startup ventures, progressive initiatives, technology and social change.