The Western Slope of Colorado is coming together to host its first-ever Techstars Startup Week June 5- 8, 2019. It is a free, multi-day, “choose your own adventure” event for entrepreneurial minds, and a celebration of the #WestSlopeBestSlope way of doing business.
Most Startup Weeks happen in one city, but Techstars Startup Week West Slope is a regional effort from Durango to Steamboat Springs. It is structured so that communities across the western slope can engage and ignite their local ecosystem, then all come together as a regional force. June 5 is West Slope Startup Week in your Hometown, when participating communities will host independent events to activate their locals. The communities will then come together in Grand Junction June 6-8.
Techstars Startup Week West Slope has five program tracks – growth, marketing & communications, capital, makers & producers, and FUN! In line with the Startup Week model, the program will be designed by the community through an open call to submit session ideas (deadline to submit is April 19). Entrepreneurs and community leaders are encouraged to curate sessions in the form of presentations, panels, workshops, social events and more to share their expertise and insights.
Keynote speaker Brad Feld will kick off the regional portion of Techstars Startup Week West Slope on June 6 in Grand Junction. Feld, based in Boulder, Colo., has been a leader in the investment and entrepreneurial space for over 30 years. Backed by a long list of accomplishments, including managing director of the Foundry Group, co-founder of Techstars, author, blogger and venture capitalist, he will set the stage for how to build a startup community by sharing lessons learned from the last decade of community building and advice for a changing landscape. Feld will be joined by Delaney Keating, Managing Director of Startup Colorado, for a fireside chat Q&A before the program tracks begin.
The goal of Techstars Startup Week West Slope is to bring the community together to share ideas, learn from each other, build momentum and opportunity, and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit, so it is an entirely free event that is accessible to all. This is made possible by the generous support from sponsors.
Startup Colorado, Greater Colorado Venture Fund, Proximity Space, Grand Junction Economic Partnership, MySalesButler, Greenline Ventures, Colorado Mesa University, Colorado Lending Source, Downtown Grand Junction and FACTORY have all rallied to sponsor the first Techstars Startup Week West Slope. “These sponsors are deeply committed to building and supporting not only the Techstars Startup Week West Slope, but a diversified economy and strong business and entrepreneurial community across Western Colorado, and that’s why they have stepped up,” says Mara Hardy, one of the event organizers from the Grand Junction Economic Partnership. There are still opportunities to sponsor. Interested parties should contact westslope@startupweek.co.
Startup Colorado is providing free lodging to help rural Coloradoans attend.
Registration will open after the deadline to submit sessions closes April 19th. While the event is free, the organizers ask that attendees register to help give an accurate count for logistics planning.
Anyone interested in the event is encouraged to sign up to get email updates.
Designed for the community, by the community, all are invited to be a part of the Techstars Startup Week West Slope. Visit https://westslope.startupweek.co/ or email westslope@startupweek.co for more information.