Over 30 free virtual info sessions, presentations, panel discussions and networking opportunities covering tech entrepreneurship will mark a weeklong celebration of the Lincoln startup ecosystem beginning Monday.
Now in its ninth year, Lincoln Techstars Startup Week gives attendees the chance to connect with the entrepreneurial community while learning about the multifaceted challenges of startup life. Presenters will tackle topics that range from financing and fundraising to public outreach, the entrepreneurial mind, idea development and leadership. New social justice and environmental tracks have been added as well.
“One of the biggest challenges of (organizing a virtual conference) is just trying to make something that people would want to attend and take the time to get on Zoom and stare at their screens for another session,” said Christina Oldfather, director of innovation and entrepreneurship at Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development. “I think we’ve accomplished that. There’s a lot of great content, as usual.”
Though largely geared toward entrepreneurs developing tech solutions, Startup Week also offers content for attendees without an IT background.
Tuesday noon – 1 p.m., for instance, Bryan Ardinger will introduce non-technical founders to a variety of “no code” tools that can help people bring technology ideas to life. Ardinger is director of innovation at Nelnet and founder of InsideOutside.io, which connects a community of innovators through the IO podcast, the IO newsletter and the annual IO Summit.
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Thursday will feature a panel discussion on entrepreneurship for minority communities. Moderated by Dell Gines, the senior community development advisor for the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the panel will address issues faced by immigrants and people of color trying to start a business in Lincoln.
Kelly Ross, program director for Totonga Bomoi, is a panel participant.
In September, Ross launched a project called The Refinery, which pairs native Lincolnites with immigrants and refugees to foster socioeconomic change for marginalized communities. After receiving business education through curriculum developed by the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and Alternativ, immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs will partner with a local expert in their craft to gain more insight into best practices, marketing strategies and other key aspects of running a business.
The Refinery is unique in that it helps first-generation immigrants and refugees continue to acculturate to the U.S. Ross observed that, too often, social service organizations provide newly arrived immigrants and refugees with some basic necessities and a rudimentary understanding of how American life works and then send them on their way. After that, she said, social services tend to focus on second-generation immigrants and refugees.
“A lot of people are putting so much stock in the second generation, which is great, but at the refinery we refuse to forget the first generation. And I refuse to believe that people can come to the U.S. and not be able to pursue their dreams. Or not be able to have the same type of business they had in their home country,” she said.
Ross has worked with refugees and immigrant communities since she graduated from college; launching The Refinery represents a deep commitment to her city and to those who make it home for her.
“I just couldn’t stop thinking about my most favorite people here, because my heart is here in my home in Lincoln, Nebraska,” Ross said.
Startup Week’s social justice track will also include a presentation by Lizz Whitacre of Pawlytics, a startup that centralizes pet health data collected from the electronic records tied to the unique ID microchips implanted in companion animals. In “Balancing Pawfits with Purrpose,” Whitacre will discuss the challenges of launching a venture that aims for positive social change and profitability.
A wide array of Startup Week sponsors helped pull off the no-cost virtual event, including the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, Turbine Flats, NMotion, Nebraska Innovation Campus, the Combine, Fuse Coworking, Startup LNK, InsideOutside, Totonga Bomoi, the AIM Institute, Big Red Startups, the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, Silicon Prairie News and Monolith.
“Everybody’s really been so instrumental in getting people to share their experiences and information,” Oldfather said.
All Startup Week events are free and open to the public. Most take place over Zoom, except for an opening mixer on Monday 5 – 6:30 p.m. on the Run the World networking platform.
For more information or to register for sessions, visit lincoln.startupweek.co.
