Dallas Startup Week is a free five day event highlighting the amazing startup culture of Dallas. Join in for a few events hosted all around town to learn, network and help make Dallas better for everyone.
You have a great idea. The next question is, will the dogs eat the dog food? Is your idea viable? How do you find out without spending your life savings (or that of your family and friends), or worse yet, giving away most of the company to an angel investor?
This interactive workshop is designed to help you open your mind to creative possibilities, as well as locate the necessary resources to prove your concept and create cash flow.
Sunny Vanderbeck has a track record of high achievement in all of his endeavors, including as an entrepreneur, CEO, investor, board member, and military leader. Prior to co-founding Satori Capital, Sunny co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Data Return, a leading provider of managed services and utility computing. As CEO for eleven years, Sunny led the company through all phases of growth and transformation. The company sustained 40% quarter-over-quarter growth and reached $50 million in revenue after only three years.
With such rapid growth, an impressive customer base, and an innovative and capital-efficient business model, the company attracted strategic investments from Compaq, Level 3, and Microsoft. After a successful IPO, the company achieved a market capitalization in excess of $3 billion, and Sunny was one of the youngest CEOs ever to lead a NASDAQ company. In recognition of Data Return’s industry leadership, Microsoft named Data Return Global Hosting Partner of the Year, while Sunny received numerous individual honors including being named “Top 25 Technology Executives” and Entrepreneur of the Year finalist by Ernst and Young. In addition, Sunny is a sought-after speaker at financial and sustainability conferences. Prior to co-founding Data Return, Sunny served as a Team Leader at Microsoft, where he focused on supporting Microsoft’s largest clients and partners. Through his experience at Microsoft, Sunny identified a compelling market opportunity that served as the springboard for the launch of Data Return.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Sunny served as a Section Leader of the 2nd Ranger Battalion (U.S. Special Operations Command). Through this experience, he learned how to succeed under challenging circumstances while leading others to new levels of performance.
Leveraging his expertise in strategy, operations, and capital allocation, Sunny is actively engaged with several private businesses as an investor, advisor, and board member. Additionally, he is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) where he served as the North American Co-Chair of the organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility Network. In this role, his charter was to develop awareness and support for more sustainable business models among YPO companies. Sunny currently serves alongside Randy Eisenman, also of Satori Capital, as co-chair of the YPO Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network, launched in 2014, to help members accelerate the growth of their businesses.
This event is managed by Meetup. Be sure to RSVP here.
Join us to hear from local entrepreneurs behind Dallas-based mobile tech startups to learn about their journey and lessons learned along the way.
Light food and drinks provided.
Presenters:
Vinli - Connected Car platform
Blake Burris and Chris Scott George will present how Vinli will bring autos into the smartphone age and how developers can use the platform. https://developer.vin.li/
Need/Foremost
Matt Alexander will present on how his latest venture Foremost came to be. Foremost provides small-batch, American-made clothing for men and women.
Connect:@foremostedition @mattalexand
Rollout AEC
Matt Hinson will present on how he went from the construction industry to startup venture and lessons learned along the way.
Connect: @RolloutAEC
BLOWNAWAY
Smoot Carter will present BlownAway the Dallas based on-demand beauty service. The app that allows you to book your next blowout, makeup, or spray tan appointment with local highly-trained stylists.
Connect: @Blownawayapp
ReferMe
Abrahim Nadimi will present how ReferMe came to be and what it offers. ReferMe is a mobile based peer-to-peer referral system that instantly connects friends together so they can privately share and search for trusted businesses. Connect:@TheReferMeApp
From the former host of Boulder Open Coffee Club (BOCC, 2010 - 2013) comes a weekly moderated chat about the latest in technology, startups, digital lifestyle, and business. It's a simple event format built around community, jobs, and fostering relationships across a variety of disciplines.
This session will cover the use of game based learning approach in education to inspire, challenge and engage all young people, equipping them with the essential life skills and attitudes for life, learning and work in the 21st Century. The session will cover the following topics:
Can you have a family and a startup business? Does work/life balance exist? Amber Backes, wife of RealTech founder, John Backes, will host a discussion group on these questions and more. She will share a portion of their journey from DINKS (dual income no kids) living in Chicago to raising their toddler & preschooler in Deep Ellum. Children are welcome - Amber will have her youngest with her.
For young kids and adults who want to attend. The DMA hosts Dallas startup Tech EdVentures. They are bringing a dozen robots to the foyer of the DMA’s Center for Creative Connections. Kids will get to interact with the robots while helping them create amazing art that’s a mash up of Spirograph and R2D2. In addition to robotic art, the DMA will have storytelling and hands on activities for young kids and their adult friends.
Click here for more info on the DMA and the Center for Creative Connections
Click here for more info on Tech EdVentures
Developing a long term sustainability strategy can ensure your initiatives transition from one-time events to ongoing social enterprises are vibrant and impacting lives year after year.
Facilitated by Social Venture Partners Dallas CEO Tony Fleo – SVP Dallas Partners Jonathan Blum and Keith Thode will share their practical experiences from actually developing sustainable social enterprises.
Participants are invited to bring their specific social sector sustainability challenges to the session and have experts and other participants help them develop sustainability plans for their ventures.
What is a transformational leader? What is the difference between being a transformational leader vs. a transactional leader? Do we have to be strictly one or the other? During this session we will answer these questions and more regarding leadership styles and how to lead your business or organization to success.
Free Cowork Wednesday is open to entrepreneurs, freelancers and students. Get inspired at 1 Million Cups Dallas at 9am and then stay for the coworking, community and mentorship around your startup or idea. The details:
Coworking hours for Free Cowork Wednesday are from 9am-5pm. We highly encourage you to attend the 1 Million Cups program at 9am to take advantage of this offer.
Our innovation space is called SPARQ (Solving Problems, Asking Real-world Questions). We will begin our session with an overview video that the students created to introduce the participants to SPARQ. Our SPARQ Coordinator and Director of Technology will then share a bit about the purpose of the space and how it is being used. We have 8th grade students who have been in an elective class all year in SPARQ. Those students will each present on the projects that they have created. We will invite the adults to mingle with the students briefly to engage more deeply in a project that interests them. Then we will come back together to do a Skype virtual tour of our space. Finally, the SPARQ coordinator and the Director of Technology will share our reflections of the year in SPARQ and the impact this type of environment can have on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Meet others in the Video Game industry and those interested in Game Development to talk Video Game news and discuss current trends and issues facing the industry.
This event is managed by Meetup. Be sure to RSVP here.
CoFoundersLab Matchup: Dallas Startup Week Edition is aimed at helping entrepreneurs find co-founders, advisers & interns.
Get ready for this event - create a free profile at CoFoundersLab.com now!
This event is managed by Eventbrite. Be sure to RSVP here.
The future of business is cloud-based, low cost, low risk, and creates fast results. It's about no hardware, no headaches and scaling effortlessly. It's about closing more deals and growing your business.
Come learn more about our products and network with peers, partners and Salesforce experts to share pointers on growing your business.
Product Hunt Dallas #1 kicks off on March 4th at Fort Work, and you're invited to take part in the festivities. Join us for a fun night discussing what you're working on and new products in the wild.
Dallas Fort Work -- 8th Floor at Alto 211 (211 North Ervay St. Dallas, TX) is the spot for a night of product talk and demos. Product Hunt Dallas has arrived!
Seating is limited, so RSVP now and don't miss out!
Most social good organizations are already “lean” by the traditional definition, but being Lean while doing social good takes on a different role. During this session, we will provide a behind the scenes look into building a Mission Driven Start-up, the lean way
This session is ideally suited for individuals interested in social entrepreneurship, including starting, joining or scaling a social enterprise. If you're curious about social entrepreneurship, you'll hear from a team of Dallas-based entrepreneurs what it takes to conceptualize and grow an idea.
Lean conscious start-ups aim to reduce waste: wasted time, wasted energy, and wasted money in order to maximize social impact.
Discover and practice techniques for understanding your user’s needs. Hear from local educators and entrepreneurs in the process. Learn why empathy is the secret weapon of successful entrepreneurs.
Learning Goals:By the end of this session, you will be able to...
● Explain the importance of understanding your user’s needs
● Gather insights from observations
● Conduct an interview for empathy
● Create and utilize an empathy map
Target Audience: Entrepreneurs exploring an education-related idea or problem.
Questions to Be Answered: How can I talk to teachers about my idea? Where can I find potential users in education?
This is the first event of its kind.
Free money for startups.
A fresh look for investors, a deeper engagement for fans and a fun time for all.
Event Details
1. Application is open until February 26, 2015 to all North Texas Startups
2. $2,000 winner-take-all cash prize (gift of Seed Sumo)
3. 5 teams will be invited to a finals event held at:
Fort Work [8th Floor, 211 N Ervay St, DALLAS, TX 75201]
THURSDAY March 5, 2015: 6-9 PM
(part of Dallas Startup Week)
Competition Rules
1. Each team will pitch once in three successive rounds of increasing duration:15 seconds, 60 seconds, 240 seconds
2. Each pitch round will be scored as the average of the three highest judges' scores on a scale of 1-10. [Ex: Pitch Score: 9.0, Judge 1 Score: 3.5, Judge 2 Score: 8.0, Judge 3 Score: 9.0, Judge 4 Score: 10.0]
3. The four event judges are: Molly Cain (Tech Wildcatters), Mike Sarimsakci (Alto Tech Fund), Steve Tinkle (Seed Sumo) and Trey Gibson (Spotio)
4. After the final pitch and judge scoring for each team, the audience will be allowed 300 seconds of Q&A
5. The Q&A will then be scored by the audience, accepting votes from the public via Twitter on a scale of 1-10, one vote per user by tweeting with the following format: "@fortwork @seedsumo @startup_handle #DPP 10.0" for 180 seconds
6. Whichever teams scores the highest total between the 3 pitches and Q&A (all four weighted equally) wins the $2,000 cash prize.
ALL ATTENDESS: PLEASE PURCHSE A TICKET VIA EVENTBRITE https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fort-work-presents-dallas-pitch-prize-tickets-15746738920
ALL STARTUP APPLICANTS: PLEASE APPLY HERE: https://oren2.typeform.com/to/QjVtOT
Blaine Bowen Jewelry was created out of a love for art, fashion and philanthropy. Based in Dallas, Blaine Bowen Jewelry is a unique jewelry line, where each piece is handcrafted from high quality materials and authentic gemstones found around the world.
Don’t miss Ms. Bowen’s talk on Thursday March 5th, 3-4pm: Creating and Sourcing a Successful Business.
Mad Leaf Eco-Forward Apparel
Fashionable clothing and apparel options made of sustainable materials (like recycled plastic bottles and organic cotton). Mad Leaf proves you can proactively care for our planet and look damn good while doing it!
Lord Nut Levington
If you think that a peanut is just a peanut, then let us introduce you to the founder of the Taste Resistance, Lord Nut Levington. While he may be fictional (shhh…don’t tell him that) he is on what he believes to be a life threatening mission—to lead the Taste Resistance and take a stand against bland. Join Lord Nut in the quest to liberate our taste buds from a flavorless existence.
Bringing another person onto your team can be one of the most impactful moves you make toward achieving success—IF they are the right match for your company. If you start by understanding your company’s culture and intrinsic values, you can then identify the qualities in a potential candidate that will maximize the success of the hire. This session will help you understand and navigate the hiring process, so that your next hire is a Rock Star.
This is the story of why gaming--and Minecraft specifically—is important to the future of technology. Do you have a hard time finding engineering talent for your startup? Do you wish you had been introduced sooner to the computer science concepts required to successfully start a technology-centered business? Do you see those concepts as increasingly important to many professional pursuits, not just software engineering? Do you have kids? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might find something of interest in this talk.
The session will conclude with a hands-on workshop for anyone interested in actually playing with Minecraft and ComputerCraft, getting on Minecraft U's servers, or simply having further discussions with the MCU staff. Bring a laptop if you are interested in playing and coding!
