In 2022, kyla scanlon Scanlon named something that many of us were feeling before the economists caught up to it:
a vibecession.
On paper, the economy looked fine:
inflation cooling
unemployment low
GDP growing
But out in the real world? People were tired, stretched and suspicious that prosperity was something other people were feeling.
I’m pretty sure it was the first time I ever heard of Kyla and it said something clearly that I probably should have learned in Econ 101 back in Ann Arbor: “Data doesn’t drive the economy.
People do.”
And people make choices based not just on spreadsheets, but on hope, expectations, and how they feel about their future.
As Kyla and Dug talk about in the - pretty damn awesome - conversation above. The vibecession hasn’t ended — it’s just shifted forms. In fact, now it’s that the vibes aren’t bad in spite of reality — they’re bad because of it.
Wages haven’t kept up.
Housing feels out of reach — the average first-time homebuyer is now 38.
The job market looks fine until you know half of recent college grads still don’t have meaningful work.
So when people look around and think, “Am I on track?”
the honest answer is often “Not sure, but it doesn’t feel like it.”
That’s the vibe, y’all, and we kinda all know it.
One the thing I can definitely - a month later - say about the Summit, though, things felt great. And I think that’s because vibes follow opportunity.
Folks feel better when:
they have agency,
they can make something of their own,
they’re plugged into a network that sees them as capable,
and they believe effort = reward.
Vibes improve when the doors are open.
When you can start a business without asking permission.
When you can meet a partner or investor at a coffee table, not a gated driveway. When a small town, big city, or neighborhood feels like a place where something could happen for you — not just for someone else.
That’s why we keep coming back to the same idea:
the Midwest isn’t missing talent — it’s missing connection.
Here’s a thing that probably has no economic data support, but that I’m pretty sure is true. Startups are vibe engines. Not everyone wants to be a founder. But everyone wants the feeling that they could.
Starting a company — or joining one early — does so many things:
It restores agency.
It builds ownership, not just wages.
It creates wealth rooted in place.
It turns neighbors into collaborators and strangers into partners.
And all these feelings are contagious.
Midwest’26 is an antidote for the vibecession
Here’s my thesis:
The vibes get better when people feel like they belong in the economy.Not just as workers — but as owners and builders.
So in 2026 we’re going to:
bring capital to places that have been disconnected from it,
connect small business financing to markets at scale,
pack rooms with founders, dreamers, lenders, and builders who wouldn’t otherwise meet,
and make sure the best ideas don’t die in the inbox of someone who doesn’t care.
The Midwest has the raw ingredients we’ve been talking about for years. The low burn rates, the over looked talent, the real problems to solve, and the communities that still show up. We just haven’t wired it together at the right scale.
Yet.
Watch the video above of Kayla and Dug and get ready to have your mind expanded in any number of ways. One of the most powerful, though, is the reminder that economics is about people and emotions. The way we feel about the systems at work matters. And so we are never quite as helpless as we might be led to believe.
The vibes follow the work. And the work is happening here.
Midwest ‘26 is where we prove it.
Next week is launch 🚀 week, y’all:
Midwest House 2026 Launch Celebration Detroit, MI - 1/20/26
Little Caesars Global Headquarters
Evening reception 4-6:30pm
RSVP: https://luma.com/MWH2026Launch
Midwest House 2026 Launch Celebration Grand Rapids, MI - 1/21/26
Start Garden at Bamboo GR
Evening reception 5-7pm
RSVP: https://luma.com/07lzch0y
Midwest House Salon Dinner: Economic Mobility - 1/22/26 The Sovengard Dinner 6:30-8:30pm Tickets: https://luma.com/vuwmyyr3
Come on out and see what all the Midwest ‘26 fuss is about.
