What's different?

An online version of Techstars Startup Week brings new opportunities to entrepreneurs and their communities. 

Organizer Profile

For the online version, only previous organizers of Startup Week can lead an online initiative (at least one person from the core team). We have discovered that a full online event can be overwhelming even for the most experienced organizer. 

Scope

Instead of being attached to one city, the online version of Techstars Startup Week can defy the geographical limitations of a community. Applications for an event can have the following scopes:

• City - just like the original. An event focused on the community who drives the entrepreneurial spirit of a city.

• State - going a little bit beyond, covering a whole state from your country.

A Startup Week that is held either as industry specific, regional, country or global level, would expect a larger commitment from both your team and Techstars. This may require a custom process that caters to your event's needs and is subject to discussion with your regional manager. Techstars Startup Week is not a hierarchical organization. If you want to organize your event at a city level, you don’t have to ask for permission from other community leaders that are organizing a regional event.

Attendee Profile

The internet opens up the opportunity to any person in the world with a good internet connection. Some restrictions might be age, previous registration, time zone, and language of the content (if applicable).

Duration

All Techstars Startup Week events will maintain the five-day duration format. You can go from five to seven days in your week if you are planning activities during the weekend.

Tracks

The rule of minimum 5 different tracks or themes for your event will be maintained.

Planning Period

We recommend 3 to 5 months to organize your Techstars Startup Week Online event.

Sponsorship

While expenses will be reduced significantly due to venue, catering, swag, transportation, and other costs not being required in an online version, you might still need the support of a sponsor to cover the platform fees and other costs related to hosting the event. Most of the platforms charge for one-time use, monthly subscription, or fee per attendee registered. Additionally, you might want to run digital marketing campaigns with a budget to get the right audience. We recommend striving for $2K USD for an event with up to 1000 attendees.

Event Management Process 

All organizers must source their own event website / registration platform and share it with their Techstars Community support contact. Once your application has been approved you’ll receive guidance and recommendations to help you build your event and registration page. See our You Event Website page for more information.

Want to learn more about Startup Week Online?

Watch our AMA session with Techstars team and experienced Community Leaders to learn about what to expect and tips for organizing a quality virtual week celebration.