About

01 — About ConnectHV

What is ConnectHV?

ConnectHV is the community for Hudson Valley creatives, professionals, and small businesses. It includes an online directory, a Slack community, and a series of monthly in-person events.

ConnectHV started out as an online directory of Hudson Valley creatives, professionals, and businesses. The idea was 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.

In April 2024, we branched out by launching a Slack community, which quickly grew to almost 1,000 members. That was followed by a series of monthly in-person events that bring local creatives and professionals together at different venues across the Hudson Valley.

02 — About ConnectHV

Who's behind ConnectHV?

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 [email protected], or find me on ConnectHV.

03 — 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 exists to fix this. Not through algorithms or networking events with name tags, but by making it dead simple to discover who's here and what they do. Your next collaborator might be in the next town over. You just need a way to find them.

04 — 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)

05 — Guiding Principles

Broaden the definition of creativity

When I say "creatives," I don't just mean artists and designers. I mean anyone who makes things or solves problems in interesting ways. The accountant who finds an elegant solution to a tax problem. The restaurant owner who reimagines their space every season. The teacher who builds a curriculum from scratch.

ConnectHV is for all of that. Big names and local icons and the person next door who just started freelancing. If you make things, build things, or think creatively about your work, you're a creative. You belong here.

06 — Guiding Principles

Be a network of networks

The Hudson Valley is a big community made up of small communities: towns, counties, scenes, industries, each with its own events and organizations and ways of connecting people.

ConnectHV should be a network of networks, strengthening and connecting the existing creative communities. It can be the connective tissue for the Hudson Valley's creative ecosystem, making it easier for all of us to find each other and discover new opportunities across communities and disciplines.

07 — Guiding Principles

Build bridges between pixels and atoms

I don't think the internet should replace real life. I think it should make real life better.

ConnectHV exists online because that's where it's easiest to search, browse, and discover people across a huge geographic area. But the point isn't to keep you staring at a screen — it's to get you to meet someone for coffee, or show up to an event, or actually work together on something.

The online portion nudges you towards meeting people in person. In-person is, often, where the magic happens. And then you can keep the conversation going online again. Each piece feeds the other in, hopefully, a virtuous cycle.

08 — What's Next

How to get involved

Join the directory. If you're a creative, professional, or small business owner in the Hudson Valley, add yourself to the directory. It's free, and it takes about two minutes.

Join the Slack. Our Slack workspace is where people share opportunities, ask for recommendations, and have conversations about work and life in the region. You can sign up right here.

Come to an event. We host monthly meetups at venues across the Hudson Valley. Check the events page for the next one. Show up, introduce yourself, meet some people.

Spread the word. If you know someone who should be part of this — a designer in Newburgh, a developer in Rhinebeck, a business owner in Beacon — send them the link. The more people who know about ConnectHV, the more useful it becomes for everyone.

Get in touch. If you have ideas, feedback, or want to collaborate on something, email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you.