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by Michael Matesic
“People ask me, ‘When do you have time to do your art?' and my answer is, ‘My art and my company are the same thing.'”
So says Nathan Martin, CEO of DeepLocal, a regional company specializing in software design, development, and strategy that helps clients develop innovative trans-media solutions to the problems associated with the collection, management, analysis, and publication of information.
The reason Martin references art is that his background and training comes not from the traditional business track, but instead from the world of the visual arts. His six-person brainchild, DeepLocal, has enjoyed a successful startup and continues to gain clients and revenues – and all without the benefit of an MBA in the bunch. He'll tell you in his trademark enthusiastic and straightforward style that an education steeped in business doesn't guarantee anything when it comes to doing business.
“Not having a business background has not been an impediment at all in building our business,” Martin affirms. “It's interesting to see more of this happening here in Pittsburgh with companies like SimOps, where the people leading the companies come from the artistic world. I've found that an MBA doesn't necessarily help get people from multiple disciplines to work together with limited time and resources, encouraging them to contribute and to feel good about what they're doing.”
Take a look around the local startup landscape and you'll begin to appreciate Martin's viewpoint. The Carnegie Mellon Entertainment Technology Center , where tomorrow's breakthrough video games blend the best of art and technology. The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, where bioengineers apply their creative thinking to develop new treatments for diseases and injuries. And who knows how many more innovative thinkers who may be hard at play at this very moment.
In Martin's case, he has spent years leading an internationally exhibited media art group, two musical groups, an international touring band, and an experimental sound art group. He has taught art and design at the university level, earned a master's degree in fine arts, and spent three years as a Research Fellow and Artist in Residence at Carnegie Mellon – all before starting DeepLocal. Nary an accounting credit in sight. Yet he's enjoying the fruits of his labors in every possible way. “Am I an artist, an activist, or a business person? It depends on the context I'm in at the time,” Martin says. “I look around at our team at DeepLocal and I think we could just as easily be a band trying to get an album out.”
The collaborative mapping system that serves as DeepLocal's trademark product began as a Carnegie Mellon research project that was considered “art” enough to be commissioned by an international exhibitor, in fact. Martin's career to this point proves the notion that a completely fresh and uninhibited approach to business can sometimes trump the well-worn path to business success.
At Idea Foundry these non-traditional leaders may not be as immediately familiar and conversant with the “left brain” linear thinking business jargon we use or the business tactics we recommend, but the extra effort we expend working with them can certainly pay real dividends. Entrepreneurs like Martin who come from the “right brain” world of the creative arts typically bring the excellent communication and interpersonal skills so critical to building relationships and increasing sales. In the end, innovative thinking and solid strategy can blend to the benefit of entrepreneurs, investors, and customers.
Start Me Up appears monthly in the print edition of TEQ Magazine.
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