At every monthly Startup Drinks event, Emerging Prairie selects a few individuals to be event Captains. These Captains are people in the community who are doing cool work in the startup community, have recently spoken at 1 Million Cups, or have taken leadership roles in making Startup Drinks possible! As Captain, they come to the event and do things like facilitate conversation and grace us with their presence.
We recently decided to start featuring a Q&A with each Captain here on the site, so that you can get to know them a little better. Because they’re awesome.
First up, we have Peter Schott, Team Lead for Architecture & Design at Myriad Mobile. Schott will be a Captain at this month’s Startup Drinks, on May 19. Sign up here!
Peter Schott, Myriad Mobile : Traveler, Dad & Darth Vader
Mr. Peter Schott
Q: Do you have a nickname? If so, what is it?
A: I don’t have any nicknames but when I lived in the Dominican Republic people would randomly say “Mas Alto” when I walked by…evidently me being almost 18″ taller and white left an impression.
Q: Any awkward tattoos?
A: No awkward tattoos but I do have a cool scar on my belly from the time my cousin dared me to punch out a door window.
Q: If you could describe your startup as an animal what animal would it be?
A: I want to say Myriad Mobile is like a platypus because they are so amazingly unique that everyone wants one or wants to be one but then I think of Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb (yes, I have kids but I watch it on my own) and think maybe not…but then again he is a secret agent with a cool lair…so yes definitely a platypus.
Q: What is one of the most influential books you’ve ever read?
A: “On the Road” by Kerouac. One of my favorites that stirs up a sense of adventure, mystery, and longing to explore new places. Also how Kerouac is drawn to the “mad ones…” I want to be a mad one and be surrounded by them…
“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
A: Tough call, I’d probably say that I would love to travel to Spain. I’d love to drink Sangria all night, eat every type of food imaginable and just soak in all the cool music and culture.
Q: What is one the coolest places you’ve traveled?
A: I did a semester abroad in Malta…such a unique place. It’s this tiny island in the Mediterranean that has been influenced by African, Italian, British, and French cultures. You can visit neolithic temples, see places where St. Paul was shipwrecked, go snorkeling in Camino, drink wine, and eat some amazing food all in the same day.
Fun fact – I played a minor role in a documentary about the temples when I was there…and managed to track down a VHS recording of it from the production company many years later.
*Schott also dresses up each year for Halloween. He says he enjoys hearing other kids ask their parents, “why don’t YOU dress up like that?”
Schott as Vader with his family on Halloween.
Be sure to come and get to know Peter Schott at this month’s Startup Drinks on May 19!
Photos courtesy of Peter Schott.
