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San Antonio Startup Week programming aimed at experts, beginners and even the “startup curious’ kicks off Sunday, Oct. 16 with a growing calendar of events throughout the week.
The seven days of events, speakers, educational panels, actionable workshops, hyperlocal activations and city-building community activities aim to connect entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and levels of experience.
There will be eight programming tracks centered on topics ranging from startups and technology to civic engagement, culture and health. We’ll also discuss startup fundamentals such as marketing and brand experience.
The schedule of events features multiple locations across downtown San Antonio. Organizers will add more events to the interactive calendar as details are finalized.
“We’ve created every SA Startup Week session to provide attendees with actionable insights they can implement as they build their businesses. From tech to the arts, robots to fashion and branding to finance, there’s something for everyone,” said Phillip Hernandez, executive director of San Antonio Startup Week and Geekdom chief operating officer.
The week will kick off with a welcome from San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, followed by a keynote address from Steve Case, AOL co-founder, chairman and CEO of Revolution and author of Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream.
“Our track captains and team have secured a diverse, knowledgeable lineup of panelists and workshop leaders,” said Ja’el Thompson, creative director for SA Startup Week. “Thanks to our sponsors and partners, we can offer this seven-day conference completely free of charge, so it’s the perfect opportunity to explore what it means to be a successful entrepreneur, whatever your business idea is.”
SA Startup Week has coordinated the scheduling of five premier pitch competitions and events to highlight the accomplishments of local startup companies:
- Monday, Oct. 17: SASW Startup Showcase, Geekdom, fifth floor at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 18: Stumberg Venture Competition for student-launched startups, Trinity University, Center for Science and Innovation, 3:45 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 19: VelocityTX BioGlobal Accelerator Demo Day, Frost Tower, 24th floor, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 20: gener8tor Cybersecurity Startups Showcase, Briscoe Western Art Museum, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 20: TechFuel Startup $100K Pitch Competition, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
San Antonio Startup Week also offers opportunities to connect with the city’s movers and shakers working in the music and fashion industries.
A series of music events will anchor daily meetups at Weston Urban’s Legacy Park from 3:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday through Friday of Startup Week. A music showcase and mixer starting at 4 p.m. at La Zona Cultural, 333 W. Commerce St., is planned for both Friday and Saturday evenings of Startup Week.
The Texas fashion showcase at Legacy Park runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. The evening will start with a panel discussing the Texas Fashion Industry’s Silver Jacket Program, which assists startup designers with their business growth and development. The panel will be followed by both an AI and live fashion show.
San Antonio Startup Week is a collaborative effort sponsored by the 80/20 Foundation, Geekdom, Trinity University, Weston Urban, and Greater:SATX. The program organizers reach out across the city’s different sectors to invite panelists to share their expertise on subjects from validating your marketing strategy to prototyping your first product, fundraising for your startup and much more.
StackIQ founder and SASW organizer Gabe Ruiz has been enthusiastic about managing the cadre of volunteers who will help make the more than 60 events run smoothly. He sees San Antonio Startup Week as a way to build more community involvement in the city’s startups.
“This incredible schedule will help attendees understand the breadth and depth of talent in San Antonio’s startup ecosystem,” Ruiz said. “Experiencing firsthand the many productive discussions and meeting people you ordinarily wouldn’t encounter will provide those who are interested in startups the opportunities to get inspired and hopefully embark upon an entrepreneurship journey of their own.”
