Six Days. 75 Events. Almost $300,000 Up for Grabs in Pitch Competitions.
Official Press Release
SAN ANTONIO (Sept. 22, 2023) — San Antonio Startup Week, powered by Geekdom, offers entrepreneurs an inspiring week of innovation on Oct. 16 – 21 in downtown San Antonio. The schedule, which is available at https://sasw.co/schedule/, features 75 events including keynote addresses, workshops, panel discussions, and five premier startup pitch competitions, which will invest nearly $300,000 in startups during the week. Most SA Startup Week events will be held at Geekdom, 110 E. Houston St.
“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 free, week-long conference kicks off 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 panel, titled “San Antonio Forward: Bridging the Past, Building the Future,” will be hosted at Frost Tower, 111 W. Houston St., 24th floor.
Competitions and prize money take center stage in five premier events scheduled throughout SA Startup Week:
- 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.
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.
Friday evening through Sunday, SA Startup Week attendees are invited to participate in Geekdom’s monthly Startup Bootcamp, supported by Bexar County. This three-day workshop assists aspiring entrepreneurs in developing a solid game plan for launching their startups.
The SA Startup Week schedule will continue to be updated with session details. For the most up-to-date schedule, visit https://sasw.co/schedule/.
SA Startup Week is proudly hosted by Geekdom in partnership with the 80|20 Foundation and Trinity University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The creative direction for SA Startup Week is being led by local agency Symbio Hush, the marketing arm of The Down Market, a cultural media platform.
DIGITAL MEDIA KIT AVAILABLE HERE:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h_l3FiLzTHawK0X0-yrqZc9OszcYlmDk
ABOUT SA STARTUP WEEK
SA Startup Week is a seven-day celebration of entrepreneurship from October 16-22 in downtown San Antonio. Startup founders and those interested in entrepreneurship will experience a mix of educational panels, actionable workshops, hyper-local activations, and city-building events. Participation is free, but registration is required. Visit https://sasw.co/attend/ to register. SA Startup Week is hosted by Geekdom in partnership with the 80|20 Foundation and Trinity University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Learn more at https://sasw.co/.
ABOUT GEEKDOM
Founded in 2011, Geekdom is a collaborative startup community building San Antonio one startup at a time. The center of the San Antonio startup ecosystem, Geekdom offers its members resources and opportunities that empower entrepreneurs to ideate, cultivate, shape, and grow ideas into viable businesses ready for the next level. Geekdom is located on four floors in the Rand Building, 110 East Houston St., in the heart of downtown San Antonio. For more information, visit www.geekdom.com. Follow Geekdom on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (@GeekdomSA) and LinkedIn.
