Denver Startup Week, which begins Sept. 15 and runs through Sept. 20, celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of Denver and Colorado by bringing together the public, private and nonprofits in the region to cross-pollinate ideas and teach people about starting a business. In its third year, the event is the largest free entrepreneurial event in the country, jam-packed with sessions, presentations by successful entrepreneurs, workshops, happy hours and more.
"We believe there should be no barrier to entry if you want to learn about starting a company," says Tami Door, President and CEO of the
Downtown Denver Partnership and an organizing chair of the event. "That is why that core of no admission charges is at the core of this week -- everyone's invited."
Denver Startup Week launched in 2012. In 2013, it attracted more than 5,500 attendees, and 650 companies, showing the desire for such an event to connect the startup community and making it the largest such event in the nation. "Many of the segments of our community were operating in individual silos in more micro-communities. Our goal was to unite those communities and bring them all together," Door explains. To this end, the event has four tracks: business, design, tech and manufacturing.
"In Denver we have an amazing reputation for working extremely well across communities and across a wide array of stakeholders," Door adds. "We believe in the value of public-private partnerships and Denver startup week was founded on the premise that the public sector, the private sector and the nonprofit sector -- when they come together -- they're an extremely powerful platform."
There are over 125 events planned across downtown for the 2014 Denver Startup week. That's in addition to Basecamp at 1515 Arapahoe St., featuring keynote speakers and panelists. It will also include one-on-one mentoring sessions with local and national CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs and developers.
Entrepreneurs can register for the free event by clicking
here.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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