Boulder Startup Week 2021: Resilience
The 12th annual Boulder Startup Week is here! Events kick off this Monday, May 10, and go through Friday, May 14.
All events are virtual; for the second year in a row, BSW is online-only. I’ll be honest: that kind of bums me out. I was so excited to see everyone and do my usual welcome, “so great to see everyone”… but we’re rolling with the punches. And I’m glad to see this community come together, as it always has.
When I started BSW more than a decade ago, I never could have predicted how far it would go. It’s been amazing watching how it’s grown over the years. This year’s theme is resilience, which couldn’t be more fitting. I’m super proud of how the organizers have taken it upon themselves to continue to support each other through difficult times — including through a global pandemic and a recent community tragedy.
Years later, we continue coming together to celebrate entrepreneurship and rally the startup world around a shared vision: imagining and bringing to life valuable, successful communities and companies. And I hope that continues to be the legacy of Boulder Startup Week. The celebrating, yes, but more so the deep support. We are nothing without our friends. BSW is a powerful testament to that.
Super proud of this year’s lineup. We have over 50 events and 20 different tracks, including UX, OPs, Product Management, Community, and VC. Full schedule is here — make sure to register. It is free and 100% online.
Here are a few of the week’s panels I’m especially stoked for (but all the events look great… know what I’m saying? All the children are my favorite):
MONDAY | MAY 10
9:30am MDT • Global Supply Chain Woes: What does it mean?
Your new Peleton is going to take 8 weeks to arrive. Yikes. What’s going on in the global supply chain for electronics? What’s difficult to source and why? Woe is me. Chris is amazing and has been an amazing person to watch grow over the years.
11am MDT • Founder Conflict, Leadership, and Mental Health: A Love Story?
BRB, grabbing popcorn and a DRAM for this one.
12pm MDT • Founders and Feelings. Let’s Get Real.
Love founders. Love feelings (I mean, sometimes). Seriously, though, it’s past time for more candid conversations about mental health — in the startup world and beyond. These 4 panelists gonna get real.
3pm MDT • Entrepreneurs Creating Social Change in the Media
There are deep pockets and people with hefty agendas behind the information we consume. Meet a few entrepreneurs who are doing something about it.
TUESDAY | MAY 11
1pm MDT • Perfecting the Pitch
Is there anything better than getting a big fat YES to your idea? Well… customers. This panel breaks down and workshops best approaches, from both the investor and brand perspective. Pass the pitch deck, please.
1pm MDT • The Next Generation of Business Owners Aren’t Who You Think They Are
Most of what we think is true about the entrepreneurial landscape in the US is wrong. New Builders = the people starting new businesses today. Know ’em. Seth and Makisha are amazing and the new book is aces.
4pm MDT • Technology Steers the Economy — Preparing for the Data Age
Colorado Governor Jared Polis takes part in this conversation with industry panelists on how data is driving the culture of the Colorado economy. In-person outdoor happy hour following this event!
WEDNESDAY | MAY 12
Our relationships with ourselves and with others are our biggest assets in business. Dig in at this interactive talk.
11:30 MDT • How To Pick Your Battles When There Are Little Fires Everywhere?
London-based Ops Stories member Alex d’Annunzio leads this conversation that will help anyone working in business operations prioritize and become more efficient at work. Thank you yes.
3pm MDT • A doc, an athlete, and AI walk into a bar…
I think a lot about how entrepreneurs can be better at maximizing their readiness, resilience, recovery, and longevity. This panel’s fully stocked: human performance experts, athletes, healthcare professionals, and founders working on solutions to make precision nutrition accessible.
THURSDAY | MAY 13
10am MDT • Remote Work and Resistance. Easing Struggle with Mindfulness
Yours truly is on this panel so, yah, I’m pumped for it. We’ll unpack the notion that unorthodox arenas demand unorthodox solutions. Startup professionals facing new personal and professional realities every day know this well — and need better tools to navigate with.
11am MDT • Failure for You is Not the Same as Failure for Me
Fail fast, fail forward, fail better.
And a lot more.
FRIDAY | MAY 14
9am MDT • Disordered Desires & The Worship Code: How disordered desires cripple our success
Crash and burn; rinse and repeat. Except there’s a better way. Time to talk about core needs, dualistic vs. non-dualistic thinking, and why it’s important to keep good things from becoming ultimate things.
10am MDT • The Future of Digital Therapeutics (DTx) and the Impact on Care
Who’s in charge around here? By here I mean DTx, a space entrepreneurs need to know about. This panel of company leaders explain why.
Are you excited? I’m excited.
Thank you so much to our organizers Rendl Clark, Efrem Rodriguez, and Adam Mayer.
Huge thank you to the Track Captains:
Rendl Clark: Community
Kim West: Relationships
Tom Kunstman, Kristin Apple
Niko Skievaski: HealthDave Loftis: Development
Amy Giggey & Roman Villard: Founder
Chris Meyer: IoT
Allison Scott: User Experience
Dani Larson: Accelerator
Jenney Loper: Physical Products
Jean-Paul O’Brien: HumanTech
Kate Catlin: Product Management
Chris Gustavson: CU Boulder University Track
Michele Connors:WILD
Alex D’Annunzio: OPs
Sarah E. Brown: Marketing
Natty Zola: VC
And a huge thanks to our sponsors: Techstars (title sponsor!), University of Colorado Boulder, Gary Community Investments, Name.com, Technical Integrity, Stream, and Revnt. Thanks also to Black Lab Sports and Downtown Boulder Partnership.
Let’s do this, #bsw21.
See you all next week!
