Twin Cities Startup Week (TCSW) gets bigger every year. So what can we expect to see in 2018? Minne Inno caught up with TCSW director and co-founder Nels Pederson to find out what's new at this year's startup celebration.
Now in its fifth year, Startup Week will feature more than 200 events representing more than a half-dozen different industries spread across two cities in one week. It's a lot to take in. And most events are packed. In 2017, TCSW hosted more than 150 events that had more than 12,000 attendees total.
"We're very excited about the diversity of the events this year," Pederson said. "We have a really great representation of companies ranging from those just getting started to growing businesses and big corporations. They're all flying under the same banner of innovation."
Pedersen added that he hopes Startup Week will give local companies a chance to highlight the innovative products, ideas and people circulating in the community on a day-to-day basis.
"As Minnesotans, we're humble to a fault," he said. "We have really incredible companies here filled with lots of people who should be bragging about all the cool stuff they do. Startup Week is doing that in a really respectful way – which is such a Minnesotan way to do it."
If you want to attend TCSW, you'll need a ticket. Grab one here.
Here are five new additions to TCSW in 2018:
1. New Tracks
Startup Week 2018 will have a new track of events covering financial technology. This includes things like industry basics, impact investing, legal matters and more. The marketing track has also changed this year. Instead of focusing on marketing and advertising, this group of events will instead cover marketing and sales. Pederson said that Startup Week chose to change this track's focus after receiving feedback from attendees last year.
2. Food | Ag | Ideas Week
The food and agriculture community is trying something new this year. For the last two years, companies in these industries have had their own track in TCSW. But this year, led by Grow North, the community will host a separate theme week occurring at the same time as TCSW called Food, Ag, Ideas Week.
This year’s inaugural Food, Ag, Ideas Week will consist of more than a dozen speakers and panel discussions led by Grow North. These events will address topics such as food innovation and tech, sustainable agriculture and the future of farming. There will also be “meet + eat” networking lunches and at least two startup showcases from Maker to Market and Techstars Farm to Fork.
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3. Farm to Fork Demo Day
The Target + Techstars Demo Day has drawn huge crowds to its Startup Week event since the retail-tech accelerator arrived in the Twin Cities in 2016. This year, there's another Techstars Demo Day to check out. The new Farm to Fork agriculture-technology program will be hosting its first Demo Day at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. The first crop of Farm to Fork startups will present their companies to the Twin Cities Startup Community and share milestones they accomplished while participating in the program. Get tickets here.
4. MEDA's Million-Dollar Challenge
There are a lot of new events at Startup Week this year – too many to list here. But one that should be on your radar is MEDA's Million-Dollar Challenge. The Metropolotan Economic Development Association is hosting a "Shark Tank"-style competition for around 20 minority entrepreneurs. Businesses will making their best case in five minutes to a panel of judges regarding why they are poised for growth. The organization said that it received more than 200 applications to compete in the challenge. A fraction of these companies were selected for the competition, and even fewer will walk away with some serious seed funding. Sign up here.
5. Expanded Fly-In Program
This is Minnesota Nice on full display. For the past several years, Startup Week organizers have offered free flights to out-of-state entrepreneurs and techies who want to attend Twin Cities Startup Week. The program is intended for people seeking employment in the local startup scene. This year, organizers hope to fly up to 50 techies to the Cities for the festivities. A number of people have relocated to Minnesota since participating in the program, organizers previously told Minne Inno. If you see one of these lost souls wandering around Minnedemo, Beta Showcase or other big events, be sure to give them a warm Minnesota welcome.
