San Antonio Startup week begins Monday at the downtown headquarters of Geekdom, the tech incubator and co-working space.
The five day celebration of entrepreneurship, which includes workshops, panel discussions, pitch competitions and networking events, is free and open to entrepreneurs at any stage.
“Startup Week is for anybody, even an aspiring entrepreneur who does not have an idea yet — or especially if they do have that idea” said Charles Woodin, CEO of Geekdom. “This whole conference is intended to add anybody who is along that journey of building something, or even those just curious to find out what’s happening in that scene across the city.”
This year’s lineup of events focuses on investment funding for Latino and women-owned startups.
“There have been a lot of talk recently about the lack of funding that goes to both women and Latinx founders. And one of the subjects that we had this year was really focusing in on, how do we affect change in that same area, or at least, how do we draw attention to that deficit?” Woodin explained.
More than 2,000 people are expected to attend this year’s conference, which has grown considerably since it launched nine years ago.
“I think when we look at the ecosystem as a whole for San Antonio, I think that we’re in our adolescence, and we’re trying to figure out exactly how to grow into our adult life,” he said. “But I’m seeing some great strides. Some of the things that I’ve seen over the past couple of years is a strong demand for entrepreneurs to get engaged with new ideas and taking the first steps to getting those products or those companies out into reality.”
Some of the startups housed at the tech incubator include Porch Pass, a platform for financing manufactured homes; Betty’s Co., a mobile provider of OBGYN care to adolescent girls; and Waste Away, an on-demand trash pickup service.
Woodin said there will be plenty of chances for people with interesting ideas to get noticed at San Antonio Startup Week.
“Throughout the week, we’re going to be doing this thing called ‘Pitch it 2 Win It‘, where on social media, you’ll be able to find out where some of the Geekdom marketing team and you can go there, pitch your idea, and potentially win $1,000 each day of the week,” he said. “So that’s another way that anybody who has an idea and wants to test the market to see whether there’s interest in it can come down and participate in that. Just don’t be afraid to make that first step into entrepreneurism by talking about your idea.”
Below are highlights from the conference’s schedule:
- Tuesday, Oct. 15: Invest in LatinX: The keynote speaker will be Juan Carlos Leaño del Castillo, the administrative vice president at Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara Leaño del Castillo. He will discuss cross-border collaboration within entrepreneurial ecosystems, with a focus on San Antonio’s sister city, Guadalajara. 9 a.m. at Centre Club.
- Pitch Competition: Puro Pitch, 5 p.m., Geekdom Event Centre
- Wednesday, Oct. 16: Invest in Women: The keynote speaker will be Cristal Glangchai. The scientist, entrepreneur, and founder of VentureLab will discuss her work empowering girls and women in STEM and entrepreneurship. 9 a.m., Centre Club.
- Pitch Competition: Women Founders Network Pitch Event. 1 p.m. Geekdom Event Centre
- Thursday, Oct. 17: Invest in Innovation: The keynote speaker will be Dustin Williams, Google Cloud Field CTO. He will discuss the transformative potential of AI. 9 a.m., Centre Club.
- Pitch Competition: Trinity University Stumberg Venture Competition. 3:45 p.m., Trinity University Chapman Center
- Friday, Oct. 18: Invest in San Antonio: The keynote speaker will be Peter J. Holt, Chairman and CEO of HOLT CAT. He will offer insights into investing in San Antonio’s growth and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- The SASW closing celebration and Startup showcase will mark the end of the conference at 5 p.m., Frost Tower, 111 W. Houston St.
