Afew months ago we realized all these amazing entrepreneurs are doing incredible things around the world and while most of them didn't know each other, they really had a lot in common and could help build each other's companies. As we grew from 10 to 20 to 30 and now 40 Chapters in 15 countries, I've met hundreds of great entrepreneurs leading the cause and helping one another succeed. In figuring out the best way to connect them, we decided it would be to bring them together. I am pleased to announce Startup Grind 2013, a global community event! A small batch of tickets are available now.
On Tuesday February 5 and Wednesday February 6 our entire community will meetup, and where better to host it than the heart of Silicon Valley? Not only will we have great Startup Grind networking and fireside chats but we'll learn from the best and brightest entrepreneurs around the world as they educate and inspire us to push through 2013.
Today we're announcing the first or four phases of speakers. After each phase we will announce more about the event and more participants. Phase 1 speakers include:
Clayton Christensen, author of Innovator's Dilemma
Bing Gordon, KPCB
Mark Suster, GRP Partners
Ben Huh, Cheezburger Network
Brad Feld, Foundry Group, TechStars
Steve Blank, The Startup Owner's Manual
George Zachary, Charles River Ventures
Ann Muira-Ko, FLOODGATE
Jeff Clavier, SoftTech VC
Carlos Martins, Wizard Language Institute
Ryan Smith, Qualtrics
Leah Busque, TaskRabbit
Jeremy Liew, Lightspeed Ventures
Sami Inkinen, Trulia
WHAT MAKES OUR EVENT UNIQUE?
Format: First we won't have any pitching and no startup alley (only a select few sponsor booths). There won't be any panels. If you're a founder we want you to come learn as much as you can. You paying for a booth and sitting there all day won't help you. Attending sessions on your startup's challenges and making friends will.
Education: There will be lots of targeted, expert to founder education. There will be tutorials and walk-throughs. Deep Q&A on targeted topics. There will be the best networking possible. You might not make a lot of contacts, but you'll make plenty of friends.
Cost: We just want entrepreneurs from all around the world to attend. A ticket to our event will cost $349. We're holding it in February because flights to International Airports like SFO and SJC are at their year lows.
We're excited to get this going. If you have ideas for ways to make this more successful please let me know. We're open to anything that will better help the community get inspired, educated, and connected. Please share with your friends so they get one of the limited Phase 1 tickets.