In late September, Minnesota played host to the third annual Twin Cities Startup Week. Startup Week is smorgasbord of startup content. Think of the State fair . . . but for Startups. This year, there were over 90 events held across the Twin Cities. All of the events were hosted by members in the community. We are not your everyday hotel lobby conference . . . We are a week that let’s Minnesota makers, doers, and shakers learn something new, and geek out about what they are working on. Here is a sneak peak of the action.
The numbers from the week are in. Needless to say the energy in Minnesota right now is pretty freaking awesome. Here are some of the stats from the week:
Events: Are there any events for me?
Short answer: Yes. There were over 90 events this year that spanned across all different industries: technology, design, investing, education, food and agriculture, gaming, virtual reality, healthcare, social Impact . . . had enough? How about a few more. We had events for women entrepreneurs, veteran entrepreneurs, corporate intrapreneurs, Developers, Food lovers, and beer lovers. That’s Right. Beer.
2015: 50 events
2016: 90 events
= 80% Growth
Venues: Where is this thing?
We’re everywhere! Seriously . . . Our events were held at 60 different locations across the state. What’s the point of celebrating Minnesota if we coup you up in a stuffy events center. Our events were at startup offices, corporate offices, co-working spaces, breweries, restaurants…
Need to knock out some emails between events? No sweat! We worked with 6 awesome co-working spaces in town to offer free co-working during the week.
2015: 40 Venues
2016: 60 Venues
=50% Growth
Attendance: Anyone can setup an event, are people really going?
Yes. Lots of people. Lots of different types of people with different skills and different backgrounds. You might find your next business partner!
2015: 4,000 Attendees
2016: 10,000 Attendees
= 250% Growth.
Looking towards Next Year
2017 is going to be a big year for Startup Week. We are excited to continue our growth and build on the energy of the community. Our plan is to expand our events and dive into new areas of business that help make Minnesota unique. If you’re interested in getting involved we’d love to work with you. Shoot me an email – Nels@twincitiesstartupweek.com.
Remember . . . as a week, we don’t host any of these events, the community does. What does that say about our community? It says that we freaking rock! Let’s keep up the energy Minnesota. We are on to something great.
Nels Pederson is a Co-founder of Twin Cities Startup week and the Managing Director of Beta.MN. He is a passionate community builder, and has had the opportunity to work with early stage startups at all different levels from founding to financing to corporate accelerators. When he’s not working, there is a good chance you can find him climbing up a mountain somewhere.