Brands are built, scaled, and sustained based on buyer trust. The value of trust in fueling growth cannot be underestimated. For startups and early-stage businesses (whose brands are essentially unknown), trust-building must be a top priority, cultivated proactively, and re-invested with purpose.

Hear from Jennifer Zick, CEO of Authentic Brand, as she shares a formulaic approach to trust-building; drawing upon her own entrepreneurial and startup growth experiences, and supported by Authentic Brand’s Fractional CMO work with growing companies across the country and around the world.

Attendees to this session will learn:
* The power of personal brand to fuel corporate brand engagement and trust;
* How and why to cultivate a trusted, multi-dimensional, authentic personal brand;
* A formula for transfer of trust from a founder’s network to a broader ecosystem;
* Understanding trust equity and investment: the multiplier effect of influence.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Is your website increasing your close rate or is it just a fancy brochure?
A website is arguably your most important sales and marketing asset. It works around the clock—nights, weekends, and holidays. But many websites don't pull their weight in the sales process. From lead generation to conversion, learn how your website can be your most powerful sales enablement tool. When built with revenue-generation as the primary goal, you won’t need to hire a huge sales team right away—you can let your website do the heavy lifting. Join 25-year industry veteran, Kitty Hart, for fresh takes on how to build a powerful, sales-focused website that drives growth for your business.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

A fundraising round is a pivotal news moment for most startups, and making the most of one requires a thoughtful, strategic communications process that helps boost your profile on a more public stage. This year, the communications pros from Hotwire Global Communications are back with a cohort of founders, investors and media to discuss how to make the most of a new funding round – how fundraising has changed in 2020, getting investor attention amidst economic uncertainty, a pandemic and social unrest, and how to make sure your company’s narrative authentically ties into these broad societal issues.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

HubSpot will share its insights on the future of SEO and how to win. In this discussion, we will cover SEO fundamentals such as:
· How search engines work.
· Discovery vs relevancy vs authority (how to rank)
· Cutting Through Bad (and expensive) SEO Advice
· Choosing the right SEO strategy for your business size and customer
· Scaling SEO as an Entrepreneur
· Tactics to Build Authority in the Search Engines
· How to boost your SEO

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

We’re often lumped into two categories: creative or technical. But we’re here to prove that wrong. With the combination of art and tech, new categories are possible! From making high-quality media accessible to all to helping creatives focus on the essential parts of their roles, we’ll use real examples of how creativity + tech play together at soona. We’ll walk through what’s possible with the combination of these two arts and give you tips on how to incorporate them into your work.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Twin Cities Startup Week is thrilled to invite last year's Twin Cities Startup Week Impact Award winner back to headline this year’s Sales + Marketing track day.

From the team that brought you Coffee&Closers, comes the debut of their brand new show Cocktails&Closers ::

A [live], libations fueled, happy hour conversation between a few of today’s top Sales + Marketing minds as they tackle the challenge of how to successfully work collaboratively to drive revenue.

Expect to learn in between laughs how these related, yet often disparate groups can achieve greatness when their superpowers align.

Founders, solo ‘treps, sales/marketing leaders, and more… this show is for you, join us.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 30 minute Q&A.

On research and best practices for instilling diversity in startups

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Join us for a fast-paced overview of the necessary legal steps startups should take in order to be successful. Panelists from Fredrikson & Byron will cover the basics, providing attendees with answers to key questions they face when running a startup and answer questions like: 

•    Does entity choice matter, and why?

•    When raising money, what do you need to do to ensure you comply with securities laws??

•    What kinds of rights should I give investors? 

•    How do I decide who will be an employee and who will be a contractor?

 •    Why do I need to get IP assignments, and when?

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Following this session join a 15min discussion in the Community Lounge.

An interactive jeopardy-style game show hosted by Nels Pederson, featuring Sean Higgins, CEO of BetterYou. Players will be challenged on their knowledge MN startup trivia for a chance to win some fabulous MN themed prizes!

MN-DEED Supports Startups: Funding, Programs, and Resources

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Join members of Target's Supplier Diversity team as they provide details of their team’s mission at Target and share an overview of what certification is and why it is important for diverse-owned companies to consider investing in. Following their can't-miss presentation, Karen Goldner, Managing Director at Women's Business Development Center, and Heather Olson, President & CEO at North Central Minority Supplier Development Council will join in on the conversation to offer expert perspective and additional guidance for founders.

Following this session join a 15min discussion in the Community Lounge.

Real companies. Real investors. Real feedback. Minnesota founders will pitch their startups for experienced investors, including Brett Brohl and Mary Grove, from Bread and Butter Ventures. The investors will give feedback and provide insight into what investors are thinking when listening to a pitch.

Join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge at 4:30 for a 30 minute Q&A.

An inside scoop from VCs on what's changed, and how to stand out

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 30 minute Q&A.

Out-of-school time programming has been consistently underfunded in Minnesota, and disparities in access to these activities is one of the leading drivers of the achievement gap. Learn how Youthprise and Venn Foundation, two local nonprofits, combined their expertise to leverage two underutilized tools—program-related investments (PRIs) and the K-12 Education Tax Credit—to pilot and implement an innovative financing model to help low-income families pay for afterschool and summer activities. But the innovation didn’t stop there. Hear how the organizations pivoted in the midst of a global pandemic to use their model to rapidly respond to the distance learning needs of low-income students as well.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Understand the challenges facing local school districts and the various strategies that have been used to continue teaching and learning in these unprecedented times. Learn how a panel of district tech leaders have focused on equity and access and how technology needs fluctuate between remote to hybrid instruction. What are districts’ greatest priorities for the upcoming school year, and how can solution providers ease the burden to better ensure equity and access for all families? Listen to their shared advice for vendor partners and solution providers. Ask questions to better grasp the complexities in K12 during these COVID-19 times.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Hear from the founders of education startup Schoolz as they merge tech, art, and media to bring culture to Google Classroom, in an effort to drive student engagement and support teachers

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Join Thomas C. Murray, as he shares how to create personal and authentic cultures of innovation in our organizations, where people are valued and trust is built so that productivity can thrive. Innovation is about people, so we must keep our people at the heart of all processes and decision-making.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Each founder will have a few minutes to showcase their education startup and tell us about their personal background and entrepreneurial journey. Then, we'll talk about adjustments and pivots we've been making in light of COVID-19.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

What is a “cap table”? What agreements should be in place with your co-founders, employees and independent contractors? How do you prepare a slide deck?  What does a typical financing term sheet look like? Hear from a panel of experienced lawyers, as well as a veteran angel investor, about what you need to do to prepare your startup for fundraising.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Learn about the new OnRamp Education & Workforce Innovation presented by ECMC Group and gener8tor

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

An Immersive STEM program that wildly engages students, adapts to our COVID-19 world, and re-imagines what learning can be today. Featuring a live online demonstration of drone racing and a conversation about the future of competitive STEM.

Marty Wetherall with Anne Dougherty, Dr. Michael Wulf, Dan Atkins, Jen Nowlin, and David Roberts.

Join us for this panel discussion with youth CEO's that are building the future of hospitals, Government and non-profit leadership building the world's fair for 2027 around health, Mayo Hospitals, and AI tech entrepreneur's.  They will each share their experiences with how the future of our hospitals and health care systems will be changed through the innovations they are helping bring to the world.  Understand through this how youth are engaged to solve problems in new and innovative ways and leveraging design thinking.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Join Michael Gietl, Industry Executive - Healthcare, J.P. Morgan Securities and Shaye Mandle, President and CEO of Medical Alley, as they discuss trends in medtech and healthcare — plus, how to fundraise during COVID-19.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

A chance visit to a relative in the hospital left Chloe Alpert fascinated by the amount of medical supplies wasted. At this session, join Chloe, Founder of Medinas Health, and Charles Hudson, Managing Partner of Precursor Ventures as they discuss how she used her skills as a serial entrepreneur to launch Medinas Health and disrupt the $250B medical supply industry.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Join Dick Schulze, Founder of Best Buy, and Grace Northamer, University of St. Thomas Schulze Innovation Scholar, for a conversation about Dick Schulze's journey in building today's Best Buy.

Following this session join a 15min discussion in the Community Lounge.

We live in a rapidly changing world and cannot rely on things being the same tomorrow as they were yesterday. We have our tools ready to aid us. However, unfamiliar situations will come up, and to survive we will need to drop our familiar tools.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

This conversation will focus on the founder experience, trends in FemTech, funding challenges and the future of this space. Interested in launching a FemTech startup? Get advice!

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a Happy HALF Hour of Q&A.

People! Place! Profile! Let's kick off the day with a primer on the three essential pillars of Sustainability!

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

We'll touch on the current state of solar and battery storage, trends that we're seeing in the industry, and how these together are instrumental in creating a more sustainable energy grid. 

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Here how these recent Target Incubator alumni have navigated uncertainty and stayed true to their mission.

SOULMUCH is a social startup venture that has found a solution to the logistics of rescuing food waste and upcycling into delicious snacks that are good for you and the health of the planet.

Following this session join a 15min discussion in the Community Lounge.

Rapidly advancing technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithmic decision-making have proven to be a force for good. These technologies can also amplify forms of inequality, discrimination, and bias.  

This conversation will focus on opportunities for more digital inclusion through Data Policy and opportunities via immersive Virtual Reality experiences.

We will discuss creating a more inclusive narrative that addresses racial and social inequalities which bends into the metaverse thus improving AI & The Black Experience.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

This conversation focuses on environmental sustainability. We touch on policies, funding, building codes and why action is needed now.

Following this session join a 15min discussion in the Community Lounge.

Hear from 9 purpose-driven consumer brands that participated in the first every ImpactSKU accelerator! ImpactSKU is a collaboration between Minnesota's FINNOVATION Lab and SKU from Austin, TX, and is supported by CPG greats, 301 INC and The Stable. This year's Preview cohort went through six weeks of CPG-specific curriculum, tapped into a great mentor network, and wants to share their visions for high-growth, impactful brands in food, personal care, and apparel.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Hear from Annie Lu & David Lu the co-founders of H2Ok Innovations and recent alumnus of Farm to Fork.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Social impact ventures can take many forms and tackle a variety of problems – from supply chain resiliency, sustainable farming, homelessness and hunger, and others. Listen in as these founders discuss how they have found innovative ways to solve these problems, the challenges they face scaling their business while also scaling impact, and why consumers and Big Food should take note.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Lean about the impactful work Marcus Kar is leading in North Minneapolis and then join a discussion with Jonathan Banks in the Community Lounge.

What is Food Justice? What is a Food Desert? What are the calls to act?

It's easy to come up with an idea for a startup, but actually making it a reality can be a complex and intimidating process. Founders from Otrafy, Canomiks, Netzro and Big Wheelbarrow share with us how they went from having a concept to having paying customers.

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

Working with Corporates: What Startups Should Know when Engaging with MN's Food and Ag Leaders. A panel discussion about how large corporations think about interacting with startups in the food and ag industries. 

Following this session join the speaker(s) in the Community Lounge for a 15 minute Q&A.

In the crazy world that is 2020, we thought it would be fun to take a new spin on the traditional digital/tech interview and instead focus more on the human side of digital/tech leaders.

In this fast paced event, we will chat with 25 tech leaders that are leading teams of all different shapes and sizes.

Some questions will be about tech. Some will not . . . Tune in to this event to learn about what drives local tech leaders, what makes them tick, and what they love.

This year, tech.mn and Twin Cities Startup Week are proud to co-host the annual Minnesota Startup Awards. We are looking for the makers, inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs that make the Minnesota startup ecosystem thrive.

Nominations are in! Public voting is now open! Join us for a virtual celebration of Minnesota startups on September 24th to see who takes home the coveted awards.