Carlos Fernandez sees his role as helping other startups
Carlos Fernandez is an entrepreneur who sees his second startup’s work as helping his peers.
Fernandez’s newest venture is Clutch Studio, which specializes in branding, video, social media and customized mobile app development for businesses, including start-ups like his.
“We’re kind of zooming forward, pursuing more things that help entrepreneurs,” said Fernandez, 33.
Clutch, which has eight employees, is in its second full year of business and now has clients in the Midwest, and the East and West Coasts, Fernandez said.
Fernandez has been growing his personal and business roles in the community in the past couple of years.
He helped establish 1 Million Cups in Wichita, a weekly gathering for people interested in business startups. He was also selected as a fellow in the Pipeline high-growth entrepreneur program in 2013 and continues to be an active member of its alumni group.
More recently, Clutch has become a regular stop on the monthly Final Friday art crawl since moving to its 416 S. Commerce address last fall.
Wichita’s greatest strength: Its diversity. In recent years, Wichitans have come together to embrace and celebrate each other’s differences through artwork, collaborations and small business start-ups.
Wichita’s greatest challenge: People often believe that Wichita doesn’t offer all the opportunities of a bigger city. If someone has an idea, it doesn’t matter where it is they are in the world, they can make it happen. It just takes hard work.
The first thing you tell people about Wichita: That we’re a growing city with a lot to offer. From restaurants and coffee shops, to the art and music scene, you name it and we probably have it.
Favorite restaurant: Molino’s Mexican Cuisine.
Favorite thing to do in Wichita: Connect with other entrepreneurs and youth in the community in hopes to inspire them to grow and create by thinking outside of the box.
Jerry Siebenmark
This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Carlos Fernandez sees his role as helping other startups."