Detroit Startup Week, a Techstars Program, is a free conference that celebrates entrepreneurship in Detroit. The five day conference kicks off on Monday, May 22 and includes a series of roundtables, panels, and networking throughout the week. Find out more about this year’s exciting event from its organizers in this exclusive guest post!
Share on Twitter: #DETSW17 kicks off 5/22! Sign up & celebrate #Detroit #entrepreneurship @TechStars @detstartupweek https://ctt.ec/eAWUa+
We are so excited for Detroit Startup Week 2017! This year, we expect to host nearly 200 events in over 30 venues around the city. The conference centers around Chase Basecamp at the Detroit Masonic Temple, where the bulk of programming will occur.
Programs range from roundtables to panels, fireside chats, and keynotes, all the way to workshops and tours. The goal of Detroit Startup Week is to provide a venue and catalyst for Detroit’s entrepreneurial community to come together, learn, and network in new ways.
This year, there are 15 topic “tracks”. These include: Entrepreneurship 101, Technology, Retail Entrepreneurship, Place-Based Entrepreneurship, Mobility, IoT (Internet of Things), MedTech, FinTech, Music, Design & Art, Civic Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship, Food-preneurship, Growth-Stage Entrepreneurship, and Youth Entrepreneurship.
While we think all 200 events are worth dropping in for, we also realize that isn’t remotely possible. So, below are a few highlights we think you should check out:
“Hacking BizDev”
Dave Drach, VP Corporate Strategy for Techstars will be hosting a session on Monday at noon focused on helping startups close their first few large deals. He will share some strategies Techstars has seen work time and again for their cohorts to get over the hump of closing those early deals and share some advice from his own experience on getting to the table with prospective partners in the first place. This session will be great for early stage startups, but will also have great content for investors to pass along to their portfolio companies.
Startup Next 2.0: Startup Boost, A Global Pre-Accelerator Launch
Following its establishment as the #1 pre-accelerator program in the world, Techstars’ Startup Next is spinning off and rebranding as Startup Boost and launching as a stand-alone entity comprised of the 7 best performing Startup Next cities ( Detroit, Austin, London, Etc.) This is an ideal opportunity to get involved in Detroit’s early stage community if you’re looking to become a mentor!
Future Proof Your Business
Another great event to check out on Wednesday is the keynote from Google’s Global Deals Lead, Seth Romine. Seth’s discussion of strategies to keep a business relevant and future-proof on the internet will be applicable for both early stage founders and veteran entrepreneurs alike.
