ConnectHV
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ConnectHV

A love letter to the Hudson Valley

and a vision for the Hudson Valley creative community

ConnectHV connects Hudson Valley creatives, professionals, and businesses through a homegrown online directory, Slack community, and in-person events.

Guiding Principles

01

Cultivate “Digital Terroir”

Let's build a network with a sense of place — software and community imbued with the flavor and character of the Hudson Valley.

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02

Spark serendipitous connections

Make it easier to find creative kinship and encounter new ideas, despite (and because of) our region's size.

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03

Broaden the definition of creativity

Painter or programmer, artist or accountant — if you’re creating value, you’re a creative, and you belong here.

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04

Be a network of networks

ConnectHV seeks to strengthen and connect the existing local and affinity-based networks in the region, rather than supplant them.

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05

Build bridges between pixels and atoms

ConnectHV lives in the cloud, but its feet are firmly planted in Hudson Valley soil. Let’s use software to augment and amplify our physical communities, not replace them.

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About ConnectHV

06

Designed for long-term sustainability

ConnectHV lives in the cloud, but its feet are firmly planted in Hudson Valley soil. Let’s use software to augment and amplify our physical communities, not replace them.

↓ Read more
07

Built with passion by a team of one

This is a homegrown project, built entirely from scratch in and for the Hudson Valley. We deserve better than some off-the-shelf tool copied and pasted from elsewhere.

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01 — guiding principles

Cultivate “Digital Terroir”

In the culinary world, terroir is the idea that the things we eat and drink carry the flavor of the place they’re made. A wine from the Loire Valley tastes different from a wine from Napa, and a cheese from the Pyrenees tastes different from a cheese from Vermont. The soil, the climate, the traditions of a place all leave their mark on the final product.

Can software have terroir, too? I don’t know about that, but I do know that the world is more interesting if not every website feels like it was made by the same handful of people in the same handful of places. ConnectHV is an experiment in building a digital community imbued with a sense of place — by and for the Hudson Valley, with all the quirks and character that entails. Not just another social platform; a network that tastes like home.

(Read the original talk I gave about Digital Terroir at CatskillsConf 2018)

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02 — guiding principles

Spark serendipitous connections

The Hudson Valley is big — ten counties, 150 miles from end to end, and a population of over two million people. How does a filmmaker in Beacon find a composer in Rhinebeck? Or a startup in Peekskill find an attorney in Kingston?

ConnectHV is a platform for serendipity. We want to make it easier for people to find each other, to discover new ideas and new collaborators, to stumble across the unexpected connections that make creativity thrive. We’re building a network that’s not just about who you know, but who you could know — a place where your next great collaboration might be just a click away.

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A gathering of Hudson Valley creatives at Barnfox Kingston for the June 2024 ConnectHV meetup
03 — guiding principles

Broaden the definition of creativity

Creativity isn’t confined to artists and designers. It’s in the way a local business owner solves a problem, or how an educator plans their lessons. It’s in the code of a software engineer and the calculations of an accountant.

ConnectHV is a home for all kinds of creators, at any scale — from big names to local icons to the artisan next door. Whether you’re a creative, a business owner, a community leader, or just someone who loves the Hudson Valley, you belong here. The Hudson Valley’s creative future will be built by all of us, working together.

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04 — guiding principles

Be a network of networks

The Hudson Valley is a patchwork of communities — towns and counties, scenes and subcultures, each with its own flavor and character. Many of these communities are already networks in their own right, with their own events, organizations, and ways of connecting.

ConnectHV should be a network of networks, strengthening and connecting the existing creative communities. We want to be a hub for the Hudson Valley’s creative ecosystem, making it easier for people to find each other and discover new opportunities across communities and disciplines.

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05 — guiding principles

Build bridges between pixels and atoms

In-person gatherings are special because they’re tangible and ephemeral — an embodied experience that can’t be replicated on a screen. But they’re also limited by geography and time. Not everyone can make it to every event, and not every event can happen in every town.

ConnectHV is a bridge between physical and digital community. We can gather in-person once or twice a month, but we can connect with each other every day. We use the internet to create an ambient sense of community, to keep people in touch between events, and to maintain a sense of continuity and connection.

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A barn in the Hudson Valley surrounded by fall foliage
06 — about connecthv

Designed for long-term sustainability

ConnectHV is my passion project — a digital love letter to the Hudson Valley, built for longevity rather than hypergrowth and expansion. I aim to craft a lasting resource for the community that’s shaped me, one that will grow and evolve alongside our region’s vibrant creative scene. This isn’t about chasing an exit or becoming the next big thing; it’s about cultivating a piece of essential “creative infrastructure” as enduring as the Hudson Valley itself.

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07 — about connecthv

Built with passion by a team of one

Hi! I’m Jordan Koschei, and I build and maintain ConnectHV. I’m a product designer and software engineer who’s worked at various agencies, startups, and big tech companies between here and San Francisco; this is my passion project, taking the skills I use professionally and applying them for the benefit of the community I love most.

My Hudson Valley cred: I was born and raised in Wallkill and have lived in New Paltz, Beacon, and now Poughkeepsie. My summers as a teen were spent lifeguarding at the Ulster County Pool; I was also a lifeguard instructor with the Ulster County Red Cross. I’m the long-time stadium announcer for our first local soccer team, Stockade FC. I was, briefly, the most frequent attendee of the Hudson Valley Tech Meetup.

You can reach me on Instagram, email me at jordan@connecthv.com, or find me on ConnectHV.

Jordan Koschei Photo taken by Daniel Agee at the first-ever CatskillsConf, held in 2015 at the Ashokan Center.

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