This story is part of our Boomerang Series, where we talk to Minnesota natives who left for the coasts and have since returned to the Twin Cities startup scene. Think you know a “Boomerang” with a story to tell? Reach out: mkennedy@americaninno.com.
When Nick VanWagner returned to the Twin Cities six months ago, he didn’t quite know what to expect. The Bloomington native had spent the last six years in Silicon Valley working at LinkedIn, where he was a team leader in the company’s SaaS division.
Last year, VanWagner said he and his wife began thinking about returning to their home state to be closer to family. They started networking, researching and reading up on Twin Cities tech, and they were surprised by what they found.
“Things are dramatically different from six years ago,” VanWagner said. “There’s more energy, activity and companies pushing for disruptive solutions. That was always there for certain industries, but now it’s across the board.”
Before his move to the Valley, VanWagner spent five years in various roles at a Minneapolis consulting firm.
Originally, VanWagner said he planned to keep his LinkedIn job for a while, working remotely from Minnesota. But after connecting with When I Work CEO Chad Halvorson, VanWagner said he found a company he was excited about, one that was “looking to take big swings.” He joined When I Work in January, and now leads the product development team.
“The reality is that had there not been a company like When I Work, I would still have been working remotely,” he said. “But I found people taking risks and building something unique, which is something Minnesota needs more of.”
VanWagner said that while both the company and tech scene at large have grown dramatically in the last half-dozen years, there’s still much more growing to be done. When I Work (typically considered one of Twin Cities tech’s biggest success stories) would still be considered early-stage in the Bay Area, he said.
He added that Minnesota’s talented workforce and track record of building successful businesses have the potential to help the local startup community make an impact on regional and national scale.
“In the Valley, all the best talent wants to work for tech, and we’re starting to see that here now too. Smart, ambitious people are choosing tech over other industries around here. These people weren’t making those decisions in the past,” VanWagner said.
