Week of Virtual Events to Showcase Local Startups, Substitute 2020 Startup Crawl
Each September, hundreds of people flock to downtown Fayetteville for one special night to celebrate local startups, craft beer, and music: the Northwest Arkansas Startup Crawl. But the pandemic has made this in-person event impossible. Rather than cancel this much-anticipated one-night celebration, Startup Junkie Foundation is instead introducing the first-ever NWA Startup Week.
La NWA Startup Week (del 14 al 18 de septiembre) contará con cinco noches de eventos virtuales televisados y maridajes de comidas y bebidas locales que destacan las nuevas empresas, las pequeñas empresas, los restaurantes y las cervecerías de toda la región. Cada noche, las nuevas empresas locales se presentarán en Fayetteville Public Television (FPTV) y YouTube en breves videoclips en los que los fundadores y sus equipos contarán la historia de cómo es ser un emprendedor en el noroeste de Arkansas. Estos clips exhibidos serán seguidos por una programación especial y acompañados de ofertas de comidas y bebidas locales para los poseedores de entradas que varían cada noche del evento de una semana.
“Startup Crawl is all about bringing the Northwest Arkansas community together and rallying around all the incredible entrepreneurs that make our region special,” said Caleb Talley, Startup Junkie Foundation’s director of marketing and events. “The pandemic may prevent us from having a Startup Crawl, but it won’t keep us from celebrating entrepreneurs and small business owners, especially after so many have been hit so hard.”
A special televised event will follow each night’s lineup of startup videos. Tickets may be purchased for individual days for $20 each or for the entire week for $75. Ticket price includes the following featured food and drink. A ticket purchase is not required to view the televised or YouTube programming.
La programación de Startup Week incluye:
Lunes:
Evento especial: Startup Week comenzará con la primera competencia de lanzamiento de IdeaFame televisada. Emprendedores e innovadores presentarán su idea en un clip de 60 segundos que será votado por un panel de jueces y la audiencia. ¡El ganador de la elección del juez y de la elección del pueblo recibirá cada uno $1,000 para convertir su idea en realidad!
*Anyone interested in pitching an idea must submit a 60-second video pitch to caleb@startupjunkie.org by Sept. 1. The videos will air on FPTV and YouTube simultaneously on Monday night, and the audience will vote via text message during the Monday program.
Comida y bebida destacadas: Startup Junkie Foundation is partnering with local restaurants to host small and socially-distanced watch parties for Monday night’s programming. The Monday ticket price of $20 will include a $20 gift certificate to participating restaurants. Participating restaurants will be announced later this week.
Martes:
Evento especial: Startup Week estrenará especial pregrabado Cambiadores de juego: conversations with nationally recognized founders who will share stories of their entrepreneurial journey. The featured guests for Startup Week will be announced at a later date.
Comida y bebida destacadas: Startup Junkie Foundation is partnering with local breweries to host watch parties for Tuesday night’s programming. As with Monday night’s restaurants, anyone who purchases a $20 ticket to attend a Tuesday night watch party will receive a $20 gift card to the participating brewery of their choosing. Participating breweries will be announced later this week.
Miércoles:
Evento especial: Following Wednesday’s lineup of startup videos, FPTV will premiere a special panel discussion highlighting female founders and entrepreneurs of color. Local entrepreneur panelists will discuss the challenges women and people of color face when trying to start their own business and how those barriers can be lowered to create a more equitable venture ecosystem.
Comida y bebida destacadas: It’s Wine Wednesday! Ticket holders will receive an expertly paired wine and cheese kit from Sweet Freedom Cheese with fresh bread from the Rockin’ Baker Academy. Pairings must be picked up from Fayetteville and Bentonville locations on the day of the event (time and location confirmed at time of ticket purchase). *Must be 21+ to purchase ticket.
Jueves:
Evento especial: Startup Week estrenará especial pregrabado Cambiadores de juego: conversations with nationally recognized founders who will share stories of their entrepreneurial journey. The featured guests for Startup Week will be announced at a later date.
Comida y bebida destacadas: For Thursday’s event, Startup Junkie Foundation is partnering with local breweries to deliver beer and cider to the homes of every ticket holder within their established delivery region. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to choose from a list of beers and ciders made available for delivery by participating breweries. Ticket holders will also receive Startup Week swag with their beer delivery, including a shirt and themed face mask.
Viernes:
Evento especial: Startup Week will conclude with a socially distanced outdoor concert at George’s Majestic Lounge. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to live music while enjoying Fayetteville’s newly established Outdoor Refreshment Area outside of one of the city’s longest running businesses, George’s. This event will begin at 8 p.m. A ticket is required to attend, and space will be limited.
“This entire week of events has come together quickly and will continue to develop as we get closer,” said Talley. “We had to pivot from our largest annual event in a pretty short amount of time, which was a challenge. But we didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to showcase what makes this venture ecosystem so special. We hope the Northwest Arkansas community will join us and make it a week to remember.”
Tickets for each night of Startup Week include featured food and drinks and are $20 per evening or just $75 for the entire week. Tickets are not required to view any of the programming airing throughout Startup Week. Each event except the live concert will concurrently be televised on FPTV (channel 218 on Cox and channel 99 on AT&T U-verse) and streamed live on FPTV’s Canal de Youtube.
Broadcast times for each night of Startup Week will be announced later this week.
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