In the land of Amazon, Microsoft and endless Starbucks Coffee, being innovative can be a pretty daunting task. After all, competition is steep in this beautiful Washinton city and if you don’t have what it takes, you aren’t going to make an impression. Fortunately, there is ample startup activity that was bursting at the seams at Techstars Startup Week Seattle powered by Chase for Business.
At venues all around downtown Seattle, attendees were treated to riveting talks, engaging panels, and plenty of entrepreneurial advice from notable minds like Glenn Kelman of Redfin, Walter Acuña of Craft3, and Ruvim Achapovskiy of Social Bomb.
If you weren’t able to attend or didn’t get to watch the interviews live, you’re in luck! Throughout the week, I gathered tips and advice from entrepreneurs and experts that are passionate about helping underserved businesses succeed. Here’s what they had to say:
Welcome to Seattle
Previewing day 2 at #SSW2017 here at #ChaseBasecamp with @ConorCawley, Senior Writer @TechCoHQ. pic.twitter.com/31pRX7WywE
— Chase for Business (@ChaseforBiz) October 3, 2017
Being a Community
We talked with Sara Cicero, the events director for Techstars Startup Week Seattle, about how networking and education play a vital role in building a community in Seattle through events like this.
.@SEAstartupweek: "An event for the community, put on by the community." @ConorCawley w/ Sara Cicero, #SSW2017 Director, at #ChaseBasecamp. pic.twitter.com/A607KO6rXi
— Chase for Business (@ChaseforBiz) October 6, 2017
Monetizing Your Startup
Everyone needs money, and sooner or later, a startup will need to pick a model. Fortunately, one talk at Techstars Startup Week Seattle delved deeply into what startups need to do to start making some money. Read about the panel discussion here.
Raising Capital and Dilution
We gathered some advice from Zach of Lighter Capital about early-stage entrepreneurs looking to raise capital.
Insights from Zach of @LighterCapital for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital w/ @TechCoHQ host @ConorCawley at #ChaseBasecamp. #SSW2017 pic.twitter.com/wjxLKMPx4S
— Chase for Business (@ChaseforBiz) October 3, 2017
Growing Diverse Businesses
During a talk titled Growing Diverse Businesses in High Growth Clusters, a number of lenders and training providers based in the Seattle area talked about the importance of providing avenues to capital for underserved entrepreneurs. Check out what they had to say about growing diverse businesses here.
Access to Flexible Capital
We talked with Walter Acuña, Sr. Business Lender for Craft3Org about why it’s important for founders to seek out capital within their community and to utilize the resources available to help them find the cash.
Walter Acuña, Sr. Business Lender @Craft3Org, on challenges startups face when seeking financing w/ @ConorCawley at #ChaseBasecamp. #SSW2017 pic.twitter.com/tlhXulMMTx
— Chase for Business (@ChaseforBiz) October 4, 2017
Glenn Kelman of Redfine: Fortune Favors the Bold
Glenn Kelman is the CEO of Redfin, a technology-powered real estate brokerage that represents people buying and selling homes. Before giving a talk at Techstars Startup Week Seattle, we sat down and picked his brain. Take a look at what he had to say in the interview here.
Importance of Networking
Networking isn’t the easiest thing for most people. Here’s Ruvim Achapovskiy, CEO of Social Bomb, who overcame his fears of networking and now helps others expand their network. Here are his tips.
.@itsruvim, CEO @thesocialbomb, discussing the art of networking with @ConorCawley, Senior Writer @TechCoHQ, at #ChaseBasecamp #SSW2017 pic.twitter.com/rRqEpaIcOf
— Chase for Business (@ChaseforBiz) October 5, 2017
Read more about the Seattle startup ecosystem on TechCo
This article is part of a Startup Week content series brought to you by CHASE for BUSINESS. Startup Week is celebration of entrepreneurs in cities around the globe. CHASE for BUSINESS is everything a business needs in one place, from expert advice to valuable products and services. Find business news, stories, insights and expert tips all in one place at Chase.com/forbusiness. Read the rest of our Startup Week series.
