Central Georgia entrepreneurs are in for a week all about them, when Macon Startup Week happens April 7-13 in Macon. The multi-faceted event has been created to connect, educate and promote entrepreneurs and the local entrepreneurial community.
Startup Week is an international program founded by TechStars, a global startup ecosystem based in Boulder, CO. The five-day event is designed to celebrate “the achievements of entrepreneurial communities in cities across the World,” according to the Macon Startup Week website. Startup Weeks have been held around the world, including Tampa Bay; Portland; Buenos Aires; and Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Macon Startup Week is a community-led event and is organized by local entrepreneurs and business leaders from the Macon Chamber of Commerce, Cox Communications, Mercer’s Innovation Center, NewTown Macon and Navicent Health. The week will kick off with a Startup Boot Camp Weekend hosted by the Mercer Innovation Center, followed by a variety of programs and events, including coffee meet-ups, happy hour meetings, and talks on topics such as funding, veteran businesses, and marketing. To keep the content relevant to Macon, organizers have set up five tracks of focus: arts, healthcare, veterans, hospitality, and business startups.
Rob Betzel, founder and CEO of Infinity Network Solutions and founding board member of Spark Macon, also serves as a Startup Week organizer. OneMacon Tri-Chair Robbo Hatcher referred to Betzel as the “King of Startup Week,” citing his passion for growing and nurturing the entrepreneurial community.
Betzel said he wanted to bring the event to Macon because he sees the need to shed light on local entrepreneurs. “I think we really need to better promote our entrepreneurial community. So many people don’t know who all is involved and what is available in Central Georgia,” he said.
The detailed schedule for Start Up week will be announced in early March, and organizers hope between 200 and 300 individuals attend sessions during the week. For more information about Startup Week, visit the event’s website, or check out its Facebook Page.
