Denver Startup Week Returns to Downtown Denver With Increased Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

Denver Startup Week, the largest free entrepreneurial event of its kind, returns to Downtown Denver for the eighth year Sept. 16-20. Created to celebrate, unite, and grow a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, Denver Startup Week will feature more than 300 sessions focused on virtually every aspect of business and enterprise. In 2019, the program has been expanded to include a number of events featuring discussions on the thinking, tools and processes necessary to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in our community, the workplace and beyond.

“Denver Startup Week was founded to support and engage the entrepreneurial community and has become a forum for the important conversations, connections and learning that moves our people and city forward,” said Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “­We are proud to host many outstanding individuals and organizations who are moving the needle forward on identity, diversity, accessibility, inclusion and equality in the workplace.”

“Denver Startup Week has always challenged conventional expectations – just like the nearly 900 startups that call Downtown Denver home,” said event co-founder Ben Deda, CEO of FoodMaven. “With a slate of programming including top-level leaders, practitioners and businesspeople from all corners of the globe, Denver Startup Week is proud to once again advance the dialogue around entrepreneurship and its important role in this community – and beyond.”

New in 2019, Denver Startup Week will introduce its “People” Track focused on how to build and scale teams and enhance team culture. Speakers and panelists across all eight tracks include Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, Broncos legend John Elway and Gov. Jared Polis. Other featured guests include co-founder of Atari Nolan Bushnell, international DJ superstar Prince JayJay, graphic designer Aaron Draplin; and best-selling author, Gino Wickman, along with many other industry and community leaders.

“Denver Startup Week was created to showcase the best of innovation and entrepreneurship in Denver – and in 2019 the show has never been better” said event co-founder Erik Mitisek, President of Highwing. “Denver has always been entrepreneurial – and perhaps even more important than our pioneering ethos or innovative ideas, is our community’s spirit of generosity and collaboration to support business builders – and nowhere is this more evident than at Denver Startup Week.”

Basecamp Powered by Chase Ink® returns as the hub and epicenter of Denver Startup Week. Basecamp, located for the first time at Skyline Park, 1600 Arapahoe, features an exciting line-up of entrepreneurs and innovators sharing their expertise and insights through keynote speeches, panels and mentoring sessions throughout the event. No Denver Startup Week experience is complete without a stop at Basecamp powered by Chase Ink!

Denver Startup Week is organized by the Denver Startup Week Organizing Committee and co-led by Deda, Door and Mitisek. Registration is free, as are all sessions throughout the Week. The event is sponsored by nearly 80 organizations, and is managed and supported by nearly 1,000 community members, session presenters and volunteers.

About Denver Startup Week:
Denver Startup Week, founded in 2012, is a celebration of everything entrepreneurial in Denver. The weeklong event is intended to unite the entrepreneurial community in Denver and celebrate the great companies, innovation and ideas happening in the city and the people and inspiration behind them. The core programming is centered on the entrepreneurial community with an emphasis in technology, design, social entrepreneurship, manufacturing and business. Events throughout the week are organized by both the Denver Startup Week Organizing Committee and the community at-large and include sessions, presentations, panels, workshops, happy hours, social events, job fairs and more. Denver Startup Week Title Sponsors are Chase Ink, Downtown Denver Partnership, iAging, Slack, Toptal and University of Denver.

For more information, download the 2019 Denver Startup Week fact sheet and visit www.DenverStartupWeek.org.