A supportive startup ecosystem is more valuable to a budding company than any round of funding. By providing startup founders with skilled employees, lucrative partnerships, and more than enough capital, an involved community can make starting up seem a little less daunting. Fortunately, a good Startup Week can make all the difference in cities that don’t have the word “Silicon” in front of their name.
At Columbus Startup Week powered by Chase for Business this week, Ohioans will be treated to fireside chats, mentor sessions, keynote speeches designed to inspire the entrepreneurial spirit in all of us. Startup founders, entrepreneurs, and influencers will descend on the Ohio city in hopes of spurring good ideas, great partnerships, and outstanding innovations.
All the action will take place at Chase Basecamp, the hub for activities at Columbus Startup Week. You’ll be able to find Chase Basecamp in the heart of the city at Vue Columbus.
The five-day event will take place all week in a variety locations across Columbus, giving you a chance to see everything. But with such a full schedule, picking out your favorite events is going to be hard. Fortunately, we’ve consolidated the best events into a handy list for you. Take a look below and get ready for an exciting startup week, courtesy of Chase.
Monday, May 8th – Interview With CoverMyMeds CEO Matt Scantland
Hear from CoverMyMeds’ CEO, Matt Scantland about how their people-first culture helped them grow from startup into Ohio’s biggest success story, and how their billion dollar acquisition is a launchpad for more big things for the company and its mission of helping patients. Matt will speak for the first time since going public in a one-on-one interview with Mary Yost from Columbus CEO magazine.
After that, make sure to stop by the Opening Night Happy Hour for drinks and networking in preparation for the 1st Columbus Startup Week Pitch Competition, which will pit local companies against each other in pursuit of the $50,000 prize.
Tuesday, May 9th – Ford and Smart Cities: Why Startups and Innovation Matter to Ford
Ford has over 200,000 employees and has sales exceeding $150B annually. They are global experts in delivering at a massive scale. So why do they care about startups, let alone Columbus? Come find out Ford’s perspective on mobility, connectivity, and smart-city related technologies and why they find Columbus a world-class test-bed for innovation.
Before that, wake up early and head over to Best Practices for Social Media to learn how to elevate your brand from professionals. Then stop by The Future of Fintech to understand the opportunities in fintech for startups, traditional financial services companies, and most importantly the consumers. And if you’re still feeling entrepreneurial after all that, hit the Startup Grind talk and listen to the story of Duet Health and Jeff Harper.
Wednesday, May 10th – Columbus Fashion Incubator: How, Why & Who
Fashion Week Columbus and Alternative Fashion Mob will share their plans for a fashion incubator in our city in this talk. They’ll explain how they are evolving their organizations to meet the needs of local designers. Columbus is an emerging fashion capital and these organizations are spearheading efforts to grow the fashion industry in Central Ohio.
Afterwards, get your daily dose of motivation from It’s Not All Roses: Dealing With Adversity at a Startup to hear from Beam founder Alex Frommeyer about how his company experienced rapid growth after cutting back.
Thursday, May 11th – Conversation With J.D. Vance
This fireside chat with JD Vance, New York Times best selling author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” will cover the success and implications of his book, as well as his transition to venture capital, and why he thinks now is the right time to move to Columbus and invest in companies in the Midwest. Join for this compelling conversation about how the community, and organizations like Bunker Labs, can contribute to the regrowth of Middle America at the local level.
Also, don’t forget to stop by the Bunker Labs Company Showcase to see these companies in action. Plus, at the Future of Fintech talk, you’ll be able to learn where trends are going in financial technology.
Friday, May 12th – Technology Needs for the Opioid Epidemic
This discussion will frame specific issues that may have technology solutions to help with the Ohio opioid epidemic. The potential for building tools to improve the response, data collection and resource allocation will be discussed.
The Formula for Success is another talk you might want to take in, as you’ll be able to Hear from Columbus’s catering legend Angela Petro talk about using your experience and values to guide you from next steps to success.
Read more about the Columbus startup ecosystem here on Tech.Co.
Photo: Flickr / Mark Spearman
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.
