Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly De La Rocha
Hi Kelly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was 17 and my parents were divorcing, I turned to poetry writing as a way to help make sense of my turbulent emotions. Laying my confusion and sorrow down on paper helped me heal. During the pandemic, when I once again felt like my world was going to pieces, I found new meaning in those old poems by rearranging their words. That experience became the scaffolding for my business, poem RENOVATION.
In March of 2022, with the help of volunteer coder and friend Emily Houlihan, poemRENOVATION.com was born.
Here’s how it works: Every day, poemrenovation.com presents visitors with a scrambled snippet of literature. Users select words that resonate with them, then move them around on a digital canvas to create something new. The rules? There are none. The objective? Simply to create.
Site visitors can share and save their creations, reveal each day’s passage in its original form and learn more about it. Selections are culled from works ranging from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew to pieces by up-and-coming wordsmiths.
Teachers immediately gravitated to the site, citing not just the educational value, but also the social-emotional learning benefits rule-free word fun can provide. poem RENOVATION has been beta-tested by close to 700 high school and middle school students and is now a staple in multiple classrooms in New York and California.
Realizing I needed to learn how to run a business, in March of 2024, I enrolled in reSET’s Impact Accelerator in Hartford, CT, a four-month-long incubator program designed for entrepreneurs seeking to solve a social, environmental, cultural, or economic problem through their business.
John Melillo, a longtime friend and retired executive with decades of experience in the digital media industry, volunteered to help with the business end of things and has become my business partner.
This year, poem RENOVATION was a winner at two pitch nights, as well as the Yale Innovation Summit.
In July, we began beta-testing in the elder care market, at five United Church Homes communities in Ohio, with promising results.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome is my own doubts and fears. This is my first attempt at running a business – a whole new skill set for me. Every day, I step out into the unknown. For much of the process, I’ve worked alone, and constantly have to push past voices in my head that tell me I’m crazy and bound to fail. One very helpful resource has been the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, which helped me realize the value of this creative pursuit. Mentors from SCORE, reSET and the Connecticut Small Business Development Association have also been a huge help – cheering me on and offering a wealth of resources and insight.
Funding is also an obstacle. I have been fortunate to have many friends and family members volunteer time and expertise to help poem RENOVATION get to where it is today. But, we’re at the point where we can no longer rely solely on volunteers. This venture has so far been funded by me and my husband, Michael, with a very limited budget. A crowdfunding campaign and prize money have helped a lot. We’ve also had interest from investors and are assessing the prospect of trading equity for the cash needed to advance more quickly.
Another struggle has been the workload. Thankfully, John Melillo signed on to help with the technical aspects of running the business, but I still wear way too many hats. I do all of the content creation, social media and outreach. I love it, but it’s a lot.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For most of my career, I’ve been a journalist. I spent many years writing for The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, New York. I’ve also written for a variety of other publications, academic institutions and organizations. I’m very proud of the stories I’ve written that have given a voice to those who may not otherwise have been heard, stories that have resulted in positive social change.
I’m equally proud of what I’ve accomplished as an entrepreneur. With poem RENOVATION, I’ve created a tool that helps people harness the power of language. The simple act of studying a small set of words, considering their myriad possibilities and arranging them in a way that resonates, is a revelatory one. I’ve seen shy students open up while using poem RENOVATION. I’ve seen people who struggle with writing find a sense of accomplishment. I’ve seen that spark of realization when an individual discovers their voice, and I’ve seen myself in every single one of them.
What sets me apart from others is the broad reach of my offering. poem RENOVATION is a simple concept that has proven to be a beneficial resource for everyone from pre-teens to senior citizens, sparking creativity, enhancing social-emotional health, sharpening mental acuity, boosting literacy and bolstering communication skills.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We’re interested in collaborating with companies and organizations in the continuing care, education and employee wellness marketplaces, which share a similar vision to ours.
We’re open to considering investment opportunities from all quarters.
We’re also looking for motivated, college-age business, research and communications interns to help our startup to grow.
We’re seeking experts in academia and elder care to join our advisory board as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://poemrenovation.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poem_renovation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoemRenovation/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqMRDBd9aLNTRqhKe2y2FA
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@poem_renovation
