Denver Startup Week’s 12th annual event is back in person Sept. 18-22 with a big focus on inclusiveness. There’s also an underlying theme surrounding artificial intelligence.
Event organizers expect Denver Startup Week (DSW) to bring 10,000 to 12,000 people to Denver. This would be on par with or greater than the number of attendees last year, but less than the 20,000 people who participated in 2019.
“I think if we see a growth of 10% to 20% year over year, which is what we’ve been seeing since the pandemic, that’s a huge success,” DSW Manager Chantel Allbee said.
Several events this year center around AI, a hot topic among the tech and startup community. These sessions and panels include generative AI, implications of AI and the future of AI.
Also on the agenda are several events about inclusiveness. This is something DSW has doubled down on over the last few years, said Erik Mitisek, DSW co-founder and co-chair.
“The broad-based collaborative inclusiveness is something that we really [see] as a hallmark to everything that we’re doing as it relates to the focus on the types of entrepreneurs — not just traditional, but non-traditional and minority and BIPOC entrepreneurs — throughout all of our … content selection and work as well as our pitch competition, but also the breadth of industry,” Mitisek said.
DSW events related to inclusiveness range from sessions about BIPOC entrepreneurs and the LatinX community to neurodiverse individuals and women entrepreneurs.
Other notable events this year include an opening party on Monday, Sept. 18, a youth pitch competition on Tuesday, Sept. 19, and DSW equity pitch competition finals and closing bash on Thursday, Sept. 21.
Last year was the event’s first fully in-person event since 2019. Event organizers said they expect to continue hosting DSW events in person versus a hybrid model.
“People really loved being back in person, feeling the magic of all being together and creating the opportunity for collision,” Allbee said. “[The] happenstance of meeting new people is really powerful when you’re able to come back together in person.”
Event organizers said DSW helps activate downtown Denver and is one of the largest free events of its kind. Tami Door, DSW co-founder and co-chair said it’s one of the most “influential and impactful startup weeks in the entire country.”
“It is incredibly important that we have strong startups that both start here, grow here, stay here,” she said. “It’s incredibly important for our economy, for jobs, for the future of our city, and we value that. That’s what this week is all about, giving a place to entrepreneurs that allows them to thrive.”
DSW began in 2012 with a focus on being an event for the community, by the community. It’s put on by the Downtown Denver Partnership, event organizers and volunteers and has been since day one.
“Denver Startup Week is a tremendous value to our community,” DDP CEO Kourtny Garrett said. “I wholeheartedly believe that one of Denver’s competitive advantages is the amount of entrepreneurial spirit that we have in this city and in the startup space and the creativity and innovation that comes forward. That’s an economic advantage and we want to continue to nurture that as we move forward and grow and tie into our overarching economic development goals.”
DSW’s more than 300 events will take place in the city’s Central Business District and Union Station neighborhoods this year with its headquarters at 1137 16th Street Mall, the same location as its 2022 event. A job fair will be held at the McNichols Civic Center Building on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Each event is put on by the community, for the entrepreneurial community. Similar to South by Southwest in Austin, people submit their ideas and companies can sponsor the sessions and panels.
DSW events are broken down into eight tracks catered around positions or roles often found at startups. These include designer, developer, founder, growth, maker, people, product and spotlight. All events are free and open to the public and attendees don’t have to stick to one track.
According to 2022 DDP data, downtown Denver’s startups employ 7,891 people, a number that has been on a steady incline since 2012.
To host this annual event, DDP raises between $500,000 and $800,000 in addition to in-kind support. Britt Diehl, director of external affairs for DDP, said it would cost $2 million to run DWS without in-kind support.
