Startup Week Chattanooga announces that Gary Vaynerchuk, VaynerMedia co-founder, and Andrew Hyde, the mastermind behind Startup Weekend, will both be on hand for the week long celebration of Chattanooga’s startup community.
Keynote speaker Gary Vaynerchuk will kick-off SWC at a lunchtime event on Monday, Oct. 12. Not only is Vaynerchuk the perfect fit as a successful entrepreneur, he also recently opened a VaynerMedia office in Chattanooga, The Gig City.
"I'm super pumped to be coming to Startup Week in Chattanooga because...
well let's call it what it is: There were a drillion different places I could have opened our next office in, and I chose Chattanooga. I didn't do that for kicks and giggles,” Mr. Vaynerchuk says, “I did it because you're just great. So I can't wait to bring some thunder, and I'm looking forward to talking about the state of the union of the digital, social, and consumer landscape."
Originally from Belarus, Mr. Vaynerchuk grew his family’s American wine business into a $60 million industry while he was fresh out of college. Today, he runs the popular digital agency, VaynerMedia.
Mr. Hyde, founder of Startup Weekend, will speak at an event hosted by Lamp Post Group, River City, and The Enterprise Center about the importance of building a startup community. In addition to Startup Weekend, he founded Ignite Boulder and TEDxBoulder, and is a published author.
“Chattanooga’s first ever Startup Week was one of the biggest Startup Weeks in the country last year,” says Mr. Hyde. “I can’t wait to check it out this year and speak with the community about continuing to leverage the collaborative culture of the city and the thriving startup scene.”
SWC Project Manager Stephanie Hays, hopes the experience inspires entrepreneurial thinking and showcases Chattanooga. “On the national scene, Chattanooga is a rising startup-hub,” Ms. Hays said. “This year we really want to build on last year’s success by helping to organize a week full of of exciting, community-led events that really highlight what extraordinary things are happening here.”
SWC will take place Oct. 12-16, the same week as the Angel Summit, a two-day event bringing together 250 leaders from across the US for a two-day summit on the future of startup investing http://us.angelsummit.io/.
Updates about event locations can be found on the official Startup Week Chattanooga website
startupweekcha.com or at facebook.com.
Startup Week Chattanooga began in 2014 in Chattanooga, Tenn. This five-day event serves as a showcase of Chattanooga’s local startup community. SWC is built around three tracks - Tech, Social, and Creative - to include the full expanse of the city’s rich, diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Officials said, "Each track features a variety of events that allow organizations and individuals to learn from one another and share some of what makes Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial ecosystem so remarkable."