STL STARTUP WEEK RETURNS: 5 Days, 5 Venues
The local ecosystem surrounding startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses is dynamic and diverse—which can be a mixed blessing when you’re trying to describe an event like STL Startup Week.
The five-day celebration of all things entrepreneurial is organized at the grassroots level by community members and facilitated by the TechArtista Foundation. The website describes STL Startup Week Sept. 18-22 as an opportunity intended for “entrepreneurs, small business owners, professionals, investors, entrepreneur support organizations, students and members of the innovation economy. Attendees hail from a wide variety of industries, including, but not limited to: technology, agriculture, art, consumer products, education, fashion, finance, food, health, manufacturing, media, real estate and social enterprise.”
And if you don’t see your industry on that list, you should still come, because there’s a place for you in the mix—that’s the upside of having such a diverse and dynamic ecosystem.
“It is really important to us that our panels look like the people who will be benefitting from the information.”
As the lead organizer for STL Startup Week, Menietti works with the planning committee as the members tap into their extensive networks of contacts to ensure they have a handle on current trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Menietti said it was important to the organizers to get away from the traditional venture capital definition of a startup and expand to all facets of entrepreneurship and all stages of small business, from launching to growing to sustaining. “It’s our duty to create a schedule that’s reflective of St. Louis and the entrepreneurial landscape we want to see,” he said.
Schedule highlights
Startup Connection
Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 4 p.m. in Bauer Hall and Knight Hall at Washington University
This flagship social event, co-hosted in partnership with the Olin School of Business, marks the first time since 2018 that the entire local innovation ecosystem will be able to gather in one place on one night, and Menietti expects a groundswell of support. The focus of the expo is hiring within the innovation economy, and the goal is to connect early-stage employers with workers, interns, customers, and support organizations. Tickets to Startup Connection include parking, drinks and appetizers and can be purchased online for $25. The event is free for students.
Keynote speakers
Daily at each venue
This new feature of STL Startup Week will help maintain the high energy audiences have come to expect from the sessions, Menietti said. Like most of the other official events, the keynotes will be free and open to the public, although registration is required. The full lineup can be viewed on the STL Startup Week interactive schedule.
Kickoff Block Party
Monday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m. in Cortex Commons
This casual gathering features live music, food trucks with meals and snacks for purchase, plus drinks courtesy of Rockwell Beer Co., all presented by CIC St. Louis. It’s a prime opportunity for attendees to meet and unwind with each other and the organizers in a less formal setting. And because STL Startup Week has been moved forward to late September (instead of November as in years past), Menietti expects great weather for this outdoor event.
About the venues
Five local coworking spaces have donated their facilities for each day’s sessions and panels, and Menietti said this unique feature of STL Startup Week gives it a much less stuffy feel than a conference in a traditional convention center or ballroom. “Each day, each space feels new and different, filled with an abundance of energy,” he said. “We want to highlight the collaboration that happens at coworking spaces and show that they have really rebounded since COVID.”
He acknowledged that it makes for a logistical challenge on the organizing side, but added that STL Startup Week has an army of volunteers who cheerfully do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.
The host venues by day
Monday, Sept. 18: Cortex in the Central West End
Tuesday, Sept. 19: Heydays HQ Downtown
Wednesday, Sept. 20: TechArtista UCity in University City
Thursday, Sept. 21: T-REX Downtown
Friday, Sept. 22: Spark Coworking Downtown
Fostering a sense of community
Menietti believes people within the startup ecosystem have become more intentional about where, when and why they network since the pandemic. “The landscape is different because people have other good options—including staying home,” he said. “I personally have a newborn, so it’s a lot easier to stay home, and that makes me love intentional places to build professional relationships all the more.”
Besides, he added, “people are still hungry for community, not just networking for the sake of networking. Since more of us are working from home or remotely, the need for community building has never been greater.”
Menietti also emphasized how important it is for the organizers to welcome high school and college students to engage with other STL Startup Week attendees. “As more and more schools offer entrepreneurship programming and more students are starting nontraditional businesses, we want to do whatever we can to support them,” he said. “Entrepreneurship is for everyone.”
To see the full schedule and register to attend, visit www.stlouisstartupweek.com.
The St. Louisan is a proud sponsor of STL Startup Week. STL Startup Week is a grassroots initiative led by community members and facilitated by the TechArtista Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. STL Startup Week organizers and speakers contribute on a volunteer basis, and all revenue from ticket purchases and sponsorships goes directly to hosting these events year-over-year. Thank you for supporting the small businesses and organizations that keep The St. Louisan thriving. All photos are courtesy of STL Startup Week.
