Entrepreneurs, it’s time to highlight your calendar for the week of Oct. 16 – 21.
San Antonio Startup Week (SASW) offers a week of pitch competitions, business-focused panels, and networking opportunities in downtown San Antonio. The schedule features 75 events, including five startup pitch competitions that will invest nearly $300,000 in startups during the week. Most SASW events will be held at Geekdom, located at 110 E. Houston St.
Admission to all events is free, but registration is required.
The week-long conference starts Monday morning with a panel featuring Mayor Ron Nirenberg, former HUD Secretary and mayor Julian Castro, Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of greater:SATX, and moderated by Beto Altamirano, CEO of Irys. The panelists will discuss “San Antonio Forward: Bridging the Past, Building the Future,” which will be held at the Frost Tower, 111 W. Houston St., 24th floor.
Other program highlights include Tuesday’s panel “NXT. UP: The Future of Media & Entertainment in South Texas,” which brings together Trish DeBerry, CEO of Centro San Antonio, Tommy Calvert Jr., Bexar Co. Commissioner, and entertainment industry producers Sean Reilly and Elie Maroun.
Wednesday focuses on female founders, with a morning panel featuring “Texas Women in Venture Capital” and HearstLab’s Pitch Day Power Lunch, with Eve Burton, Chairwoman of HearstLab, Rosie Castro, former City Council member and civil rights activist Katie Harvey, Founder & CEO of KGBTexas and Randi Stevenson of ExpressNews.com.
There are five premier pitch competitions scheduled during SASW:
- Monday, Oct. 16, 6 p.m., Geekdom Pre-Accelerator Demo Day, $20,000 to be awarded at Frost Tower
- Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6:30 p.m., Tech Fuel presented by Bexar County and Tech Bloc $100,000 Pitch Competition at Boeing Center at Tech Port, 3331 General Hudnell Dr.
- Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2 p.m., Pitch HearstLab Texas – An All-Female $100,000 Event at Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle
- Thursday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m. Trinity University Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition, at Trinity University’s Chapman Auditorium, One Trinity Place, $25,000 to be awarded
- Friday, Oct. 20, Bunker Labs Veterans in Residence Pitch Competition Sponsored by USAA, at the Geekdom Event Centre, $50,000 to be awarded.
SASW is organized and sponsored by Geekdom in partnership with the 80|20 Foundation and Trinity University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Local agency Symbio Hush, the marketing arm of The Down Market, a cultural media platform, is leading SASW’s creative direction.
“San Antonio Startup Week welcomes everyone, whether you’ve already launched your venture or are just beginning to explore the world of entrepreneurship. It’s a unique opportunity to gain insights from industry experts and build connections with like-minded individuals who share your passion or are simply intrigued by our thriving startup ecosystem,” said Charles Woodin, Geekdom CEO.
The featured image is of Developmate co-founders Christian Garcia (left) and Maxwell Kennady. Developmate won second place in the 2022 TechFuel pitch competition. Photo courtesy TechBloc.
