Denver, CO – Denver Startup Week, the largest free entrepreneurial event of its kind in North America, announced that registration is open for the fifth annual event aimed at celebrating and growing Downtown Denver’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Denver Startup Week will take place from Sept. 12 through Sept. 16, 2016 and will include more than 200 free community events spanning each of Denver Startup Week’s programming tracks – Founder, Growth, Maker, Product, Designer and Developer – and geared towards supporting all industries and all stages of business.
944 events were submitted to the Denver Startup Week organizing committee and then voted on by the Denver Startup Week community. Nearly 32,000 votes were cast to help identify the events including networking sessions, mentor hours, workshops and presentations that will occur at locations throughout Downtown Denver. 10,875 people registered to attend 235 events in 2015, and organizers expect to exceed that number this year.
Organized by the Denver Startup Week Organizing Committee and co-led by Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, Erik Mitisek, executive director of Project X-ITE at the University of Denver, and Ben Deda, chief operating officer at Galvanize, Denver Startup Week is focused on highlighting Denver as an entrepreneurial center on the local, regional and national stage, while enhancing community and providing resources for the startup community.
View the schedule and register at denverstartupweek.org.
(Note: Additional events will continue to be added to the calendar and announced as details become available.)
Denver Startup Week organizers also announced:
Denver Startup Week Kick-off Breakfast
Denver Startup Week will once again kick-off with a breakfast on Monday, Sept. 12 at 8:30 a.m. the Seawell Ballroom. Registration for the free kick-off breakfast will open Monday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. Scheduled speakers include:
- Keynote Speaker: Ryan Wood, founder of Sweetwood Cattle Company and co-founder of Under Armour
- Denver Startup Community Speakers:
- Eddie Kim, co-founder and CTO of Gusto
- Lee Mayer, co-founder and CEO Havenly
- Chris Terill, CEO of HomeAdvisor
Back for a Fourth Year: Basecamp, launched by Chase for Business
Denver Startup Week’s always-anticipated Basecamp, launched by Chase for Business, swings open its doors for fourth consecutive year providing the central hub during the week-long showcase of all things entrepreneurial in Denver. Basecamp will once again be located on the first floor of 1515 Arapahoe Street and will be host to programming including inspirational talks and panels featuring founders, CEOs, innovators, investors, and incubators starting on the hour – every hour – throughout the week.
Basecamp highlights include the ever popular “Pitch Tech Stars” event, a deep dive into the importance of social impact investing, the opportunity to network with the best VCs in the state, as well as creative sector entrepreneurs and Colorado’s leading veteran entrepreneurs. Mentor hours will be offered again this year, and a new opportunity, called Biz Dev Sessions, will let attendees pitch one-on-one to large company leaders. Stay tuned for more, including Fireside Chats and the Startup Farmers Market, featuring local food startups. Basecamp activities are posted to the Denver Startup Week schedule.
Photo from 2015 Denver Startup Week, Governor Hickenlooper, courtesy of the Downtown Denver Partnership
