The Beta Group, the nonprofit behind Twin Cities Startup Week, appointed Cihan Behlivan as its interim executive director following the departure of Shelisa Demuth.
Behlivan announced on LinkedIn last week that he’s taking the temporary position as the Minneapolis-based nonprofit preps for Twin Cities Startup Week. He’s been the organization’s entrepreneur-in-residence for more than 3.5 years and has decades of experience with startups.
“My plan right now is bring the community together, all of us, and create an amazing Twin Cities Startup Week,” he said. “That’s number one.”
A new cohort with a fintech focus is also set to be announced next month.
Behlivan has more than 18 years of digital health startup experience, including cloud-based clinical documentation systems and clinical outcomes data collection and analytics platforms, according to his profile on the Beta website.
He also has eight years of experience in finance and operations in the long-term care industry. His career started as an investment banker in Turkey.
He said the organization prioritizes founders and, while there are small internal discussions about who will permanently take the ED role, “Right now, it’s not top priority.”
Demuth announced her resignation on LinkedIn after just over a year in the role, according to Business Journal reporting. In the post, she said “truly thoughtful leadership” requires space and time to reflect.
“I plan to spend the next few months traveling with my 7-year-old daughter and diving deep on the role of cultural competence in community growth and organizational identity,” Demuth wrote.
Twin Cities Startup Week is set to move ahead as planned from Sept. 15 to 21. It will mark the 10th year of the event, which centers on supporting and connecting the startup community.
Beta plans to name a permanent executive director in the fall.
