What Inspires Us?

Rick Gregg August 25,2025 What do you think?

We frequently get asked the question “what sources of inspiration do we draw upon when thinking about the community, culture, and experience that we are creating at The saaskamp Community Startup?” Three immediately come to mind – Meow Wolf, Banana Ball, and The Fountainhead. All focus on disenfranchised creative individuals or groups of individuals that challenge the status quo. In our case, ninety-nine (99%) percent of entrepreneurs in any startup ecosystem are routinely shunned and shut out from social acceptance and funding opportunities. We are striving to disrupt the status quo in a very similar manner. Let’s examine these one by one. I encourage you to dig deeper if you really want to know about our story.

Meow Wolf

Luke Armstrong, who is a key collaborator of mine and The saaskamp Community Startup’s Chief Innovation Officer, told me about Meow Wolf early on during our initial efforts to put some form around saaskamp. I was immediately hooked. What is Meow Wolf?  Meow Wolf’s backstory is a pretty wild and creative one—it’s not a typical “startup” story at all. It began as an artist collective in Santa Fe, New Mexico around 2008, when a group of disenfranchised artists, musicians, and misfits wanted to make big, immersive art experiences but had no traditional gallery or museum willing to host them. They were routinely shunned by the status quo art community in Sante Fe. Today, Meow Wolf is one of the most famous art companies in the world. Want to know more? The Meow Wolf Orgin Story chronicles the jaw-dropping 10 year journey of an anarchic art collective into a multi-million dollar business.

Banana Ball

Yes. Banana Ball. What an incredible backstory. Banana Ball started in 2018 when a wild, fan-first experiment known as the Savannah Bananas, turned the sport of baseball into a circus of entertainment that blends sport, theater, and comedy. The Bananas invented their own fast-paced version of baseball: Banana Ball, with rules designed to keep games moving and fans engaged. The key innovation: Banana Ball is a new sport-entertainment hybrid aimed at the TikTok generation. 

Banana Ball players make money through a modest but steady salary from the Bananas organization, supported by ticket and merchandise revenue, with housing and travel covered. The real upside is the national exposure, creative freedom, and potential career opportunities that come from being part of one of the most talked-about teams in sports entertainment. The players become independent paid social media celebrities that can become more wealthy than many of their Major League Baseball (MLB) counterparts. 

Banana Ball breaks the status quo rules of baseball and the traditional league owner/player relationship. Most all of the players having been disenfranchised at one point in their careers by Major League Baseball. Today, The Bananas now sell out stadiums across the U.S., including several MLB stadiums, drawing comparisons to the Harlem Globetrotters. You can catch Banana Ball on several media outlets including ESPN. For more on the backstory, check out the five part documentary series on ESPN+ entitled Bananaland.

The Fountainhead

Anything Ayn Rand is compelling. The Fountainhead, Rand’s first commercial success, is the story of Howard Roark, the brilliant architect who insists on the right to pursue “my work, done my way” and dares to stand alone against the hostility of the second-hand souls who envy, hate, and try to destroy him. Twelve publishers rejected The Fountainhead before it was finally published in 1943. The Fountainhead became a best-selling novel which passionately defends individualism. Made into a movie in 1949 with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal, this is a must-see for anyone who needs  inspiration to disrupt the status quo. You can get a free copy of the book and be sure to watch The Fountainhead movie.

Our inspiration is the soul of the culture, community, and experience we are creating at The saaskamp Community Startup. Won’t you join us? Let me know what you think in the comments below.