Denver Startup Week Ambassadors Program
Wow, what a week! I had the privilege of attending Denver Startup Week (DSW) as part of the second cohort of the Ambassadors program.
What is the Ambassadors Program?
The ambassadors program flies in founders, engineers, and business leaders from all over the country to tour Denver startups and get a feel for the city. Local startups sponsor the program so ambassadors don’t have to worry about costs for the week (which was amazing). Special shout out to Southwest airlines for covering the flights.
DSW Programming
DSW really went out of their way to make us feel like VIPs during our visit. Our group had intimate conversations with executives from Evolve Vacation Rentals, Guild Education, Gusto, and Ibotta. We toured their offices, chatted with employees, and learned about some of the ways that Denver has played a part in their startups’ journeys.
At each office visit, I got a strong sense of community between the startups and their home city of Denver. The tech scene is growing quickly, and our hosts were looking for ways to contribute back. Denver seems like a great place to grow and learn, and it is definitely on my radar of places to consider moving to in the medium term.
A Network of Ambassadors
The other startup ambassadors in the program were also inspiring: I learned as much speaking with them as I did from attending DSW programming throughout the week. I now have an extended network of 50 technology leaders across the country, each coming from very diverse backgrounds and practices.
For example, I had a conversation with an interaction designer from Los Angeles who taught me about the amplitude product analytics platform and segment.io for analytics aggregation. I’m bringing these platforms back to Uptake as potential alternatives to google analytics, to make our analytics more meaningful.
I also had a long chat with a technology consultant from New York, who challenged my perspectives on consulting and gave me a rundown of the major players in the industry. Consulting doesn’t seem as stodgy as it had to me in the past, and it seems like a great way to learn best practices quickly.
These were just a few examples of the diverse perspectives that my co-ambassadors brought to Denver, and I walked away having grown as a technologist because of them.
Apply for 2019!
I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to attend DSW and connect with outstanding members of startup, venture capital, design, consulting and business development communities across the country.
If you’d like to apply, feel free to reach out to me and I can connect you with the right folks. If you’ve never been to Denver, it’s absolutely worth the trip to check out this growing hub of innovation, and maybe work a hike or two in while you’re visiting.
Comments