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Call For Speakers – MIW 2021 Startup Fundamentals

Calling all tech startup founders, co-founders, and tech startup experts!  

Minority Innovation Weekend (MIW) is coming back for its 5th year! MIW 2021 will occur on Saturday, October 2, 2021 and will be 100% virtual. Minority Innovation Weekend is a weekend summit dedicated to aiding innovators of color launch tech-focused startups, explore emerging technologies, and showcasing tech startups that have a founder or co-founder of color. In addition to MIW 2021 in October, we plan to have additional events leading up to MIW 2021 and following MIW 2021. We are looking for volunteers to speak on the following topics: 

  • Minority Innovation Weekend 2021
      • Defining Your Idea
      • Validating Your Idea
      • Competitive Analysis
      • Building A Team 
      • The Minimal Viable Product
      • The Pitch
      • Intellectual Property & Patents Considerations For Your Startup
      • Going To Market
      • Marketing Your Startup 
      • Customer Acquisition and Gaining Traction
      • Panel Event – From Spark to Seed and Beyond: Founding a Technology Startup as a Person of Color
  • Session Event – Best Practices When Creating Your Pitch and Applying to Pitch Competitions
      • This session discusses best practices in presentation, build and delivery. Helping provide expert coaching to deliver a successful pitch. 
  • Session Event – Commercializing Your Innovation
    • The session gives pointers and direction for commercializing your product or unique services. The session will provide advice and direction from experienced startup owners on the steps to and pitfalls when taking your idea to a commercial offering. 
  • Panel Event – Positioning Your Tech Startup for Investment
  • This panel will go over the key steps needed to position a tech startup to be investment-ready and investable
        • Talking points: team alignment, knowing your numbers (KPIs/value/revenue), revenue/financial model, exit plan, competitive analysis, targets, impact, proof of concept, protection (IP/Trademark?etc) 
        • Ideal Panel Speaker Profile – Angel Investors, VC/Fund Managing Partners
  • MIW: All About Funding!
    • Discussion on the various opportunities to raise capital for your startup, understanding each funding stage, differentiate between each funding source, know what type of funding is right for you and what isn’t, know your end goal, understand your worth (valuation), different seed rounds, know your numbers, creation and development of alternative financing vehicles.
      • Equity Crowdfunding Your Startup
        • Funding Your Innovation: From friends & family to the first seed round
        • Grant Funding for technology-based startups
        • What Type of Funding Is Right For Your Startup*
        • Know the Value of your company.
  • MIW: The Hard Conversations For Founders of Color 
    • The “hard conversations” is a series of advanced topics led by experienced startup owner’s on the necessities of positioning your startup and team for success and to know when you may need to bring in outside expertise.  
      • To CEO or Not To CEO “Know your Role”
      • To Pivot or Not 
      • Strategy and Planning for Exit, Lessons from a Failed Startup
      • Self Care While On Your Tech Startup Journey

If you have expertise in any of these topics, please sign up to speak by completing the Call For Speakers via Google Forms.

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