When the stay at home order was passed in Texas, Stoke temporarily shut its doors and prepared to serve our members and our community the best way that we could, safely and from afar.
We had just gained a hospitality and events coordinator who couldn’t have predicted just how much her duties would transform over the coming months. We had been full-swing gearing up for the second-ever Denton startup conference for hipsters (creatives/makers), hackers (techies), and hustlers (entrepreneurs & startups), FlintConf. Our trajectory for spring and summer had been bright and promising at the start of the year. We also couldn’t have predicted what 2020 had in store for us, our community, and the world.
And yet, we watched and participated as we saw the grit and tenacity surface from our fellow Dentonites: small business owners, startups, entrepreneurs, agencies, organizations, and individuals with expertise and specializations that could bring light to a very dark situation.
We saw a “give first” mentality take root and shops on and around the square that had to remain closed grew into adapted businesses with e-commerce offerings. We grew a little tired of the word “pivot” but we secretly still love it anyway. The entrepreneurial spirit and community care of Dentonites has carried us through some of the tough tides 2020 has brought us. We all need a little something to celebrate these days, so join us for these events in honor of Global Entrepreneurship Week, and cheers to working toward a better tomorrow.
Global Entrepreneurship Week Roots
Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week means recognizing and honoring the startup founders, innovators, and teams who help communities grow and create life-changing products and experiences. Across the world, 170+ countries host a collection of tens of thousands of events, activities, and competitions aimed at helping people explore their potential as an entrepreneur and helping entrepreneurs and their communities connect and collaborate.
“Powered by the Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week has expanded to 170+ nations since its launch in 2008 with 20,000 partner organizations now serving as GEN’s community-building backbone.
Through GEW, GEN seeks universality, striving to be inclusive of individuals and communities who have traditionally faced barriers to entrepreneurship whether minority groups, cumbersome traditional institutions or those pushed to the side by strong competition.”
What Does Global Entrepreneurship Week Look Like In Denton, Texas?
Stoke organizes and hosts events in Denton during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in solidarity with local, national, and international efforts. These efforts aim to build up entrepreneurs and break down barriers for the entrepreneurial-minded but who might have limited resources or be located in ecosystems very different from the likes of Silicon Valley. GEW 2020 will be the second year of Stoke’s week-long participation in this annual, worldwide event that began in 2008.
Entrepreneurs who run small businesses and startups in Denton contribute to our vibrant town and help make it a thriving, growing, supportive community of people pursuing their passions and making the city an even better place to live (read our blog on Why People Choose To Live, Work, and Play in Denton linked.)
In October 2020, the City of Denton awarded two local startup companies the city’s first-ever entrepreneurship grants. TeamOfDefenders (who began and grew their team at Stoke), and From The Future (housed in the neat basement office of the historical National Bank Building on the Denton square).
Stoke works to empower Denton’s small businesses and startups and provide resources, such as educational/networking opportunities and events (like Denton’s first startup conference, FlintConf in 2019), contacts (mentors, partners, collaborators, service providers), and tools that help entrepreneurs start their businesses and grow sustainably. These events and programs reflect some of the themes for this year’s GEW.
GEW 2020 Events Hosted by Stoke Denton
State of Entrepreneurship with executive director of Stoke and AccelerateHER program administrator, Heather Gregory
Monday, November 16th, 6 - 7 PM on Facebook Live
Interested in what’s going on with entrepreneurs/small business owners at the national, state, and local levels? Heather has the stats. She’ll talk about the numbers: new businesses, early stage entrepreneurs, small businesses, and more. Get the scoop on Denton’s entrepreneurial endeavors and who’s doing what with which startup. Denton startups are doing incredible things; let’s toast to that!
Coffee + Convo with Jasmin Brand
Tuesday, November 17th, 9 - 10 AM on Zoom
If you need a sounding board for your ideas or just to listen in on some engaging conversation to stock up on motivation for the week, you definitely want to come to Coffee + Convo. Our special guest for Global Entrepreneurship week is the multi-talented and passionate entrepreneur, community change agent, and CEO/Founder of The Start Agency, a creative agency and digital publisher specializing in culturally rich content and experiential events.
Jasmin recently launched two important initiatives for Texas - Her Texas, a first of its kind organization for women who live, work and play in Texas and Black Founders Texas, a community resource for African-American entrepreneurs in the Lone Star State.
You can find out more about Jasmin at www.jasminbrand.co
AccelerateHER Cohort Panel Discussion
Exponentially Impactful: For Startups, Working Together Is A
Force Multiplier
Wednesday, November 18th, 1 - 2 PM on Facebook Live
Several dozen very qualified, very impressive women founders applied for the first-ever AccelerateHER startup incubator program offered by Stoke and TWU CWE this fall. Meet the six who made it in and have been working hard since the program kickoff on October 1st. They’ll talk about their experience maximizing their individual potential by working together in the program and share some actionable insights.
Lunch + Learn: The Truth About Branding
Thursday, November 19th, 12 - 1 PM on Zoom
You know that branding is important, and you know it can make a difference. Your brand is how people will get to know and recognize you and what you do or offer. Learn all things branding from Josh Berthume, CEO and President at Swash Labs, local ad agency that has done wonders for the small business community of Denton. This event is free to attend, and you’ll leave with nuggets of wisdom for your own entrepreneurial endeavors.
Denton Startup Crawl
Friday, November 20th, 6 - 7 PM on Facebook Live
Stoke staff turned Stoke production team took a field trip one sunny afternoon (masked up, of course) to bring you a glimpse into the lives and workspaces of Denton startups: Bunch Bikes, From The Future (FTF), and Ready Rosie. It was really fun, and we didn’t trip over any bicycle parts, set off any alarms in the very secure FTF basement office, or scare Kevin Roden by tapping on the windows as we approached Ready Rosie’s space at the corner of Elm and Hickory (or did we…). We also show you around Stoke space too! If you didn’t know, we refreshed our space and did some rearranging this year. Kick back, pour yourself a glass of your favorite weekend beverage, and take a tour of Denton startup space with us.
GEW Themes
Listed below are GEW 2020’s themes from genglobal.org.
EDUCATION | #GEW2020 #Education
Education can inform and expose people of all ages to entrepreneurship. Communities can mobilize entrepreneurship education through many different vehicles – from early-childhood learning centers, to colleges and universities, vocation institutions, makerspaces and more. Providing the right information and tools to those with an interest in entrepreneurship can foster creativity and skills to grow sustainable businesses – improving not only local entrepreneurial ecosystems, but also strengthening the skilled job force. GEW Education works to share resources, raise awareness and provide skills training to potential entrepreneurs around the world. This theme celebrates the tools and programs communities use to foster entrepreneurship.
ECOSYSTEMS | #GEW2020 #Ecosystems
The Global Entrepreneurship Network and other entrepreneurship support organizations around the world are looking beyond Silicon Valley to facilitate collaboration and partnership between startup ecosystems in promising mid-tier cities. Sharing knowledge and connecting local ecosystem leaders has become increasingly important in building healthy and thriving entrepreneurial communities.
GEW Ecosystems aims to inspire communities to collaborate, and share their networks and markets to help their rising startups thrive. This theme celebrates the shared challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship communities and hubs around the world.
INCLUSION | #GEW2020 #Inclusion
Entrepreneurship is a positive force that drives innovation, creates wealth and improves lives in communities, cities and countries alike. But not everyone has the same opportunity. Race, age, gender, or where one lives should not be an obstacle to entrepreneurship. Anyone, anywhere should be able to realize their dream and start a business quickly, inexpensively, and without barriers.
GEW Inclusion will highlight the work startup champions are doing around the world to minimize barriers and obstacles for entrepreneurs by maximizing inclusion. This theme celebrates diversity in all forms, including women and youth in entrepreneurship. Activities, workshops and speaker series held around the world will explore the obstacles entrepreneurs from underserved populations may face, and discovering solutions through access to success stories, training, capital and mentorship.
POLICY | #GEW2020 #Policy
Startup ecosystems are led by their entrepreneurs but government plays an important role in helping them flourish – removing barriers, resetting the regulatory environment and emphasizing connections and catalytic events. A new generation of public sector officials and startup-savvy advisors are hacking policy solutions to help local entrepreneurs start and scale.
GEW policy will highlight the work of governments and policymakers to help entrepreneurs everywhere start and scale.