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Key people at Twin Cities Startup Week.
Twin Cities Startup Week was founded in 2014 by Ryan Broshar (Co-Founder).
Twin Cities Startup Week is an annual, multidisciplinary festival that convenes Minnesota's growing startup ecosystem. It hosts a series of events and programming designed to foster connections and facilitate knowledge exchange among entrepreneurs, investors, corporate innovators, and support organizations, spanning various industries from high-growth products to media and physical businesses.
The initiative was founded in 2014 by Ryan Broshar, with the insight that the burgeoning local tech and startup scene required a dedicated platform to unite its diverse stakeholders. Operated by The Beta Group, a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, TCSW began with a focus on approximately fifteen technology-oriented events aimed at strengthening the regional innovation landscape.
The festival serves a broad audience, including aspiring and established entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, and leaders from established corporations seeking innovation. Its core mission is to connect, educate, and inspire participants on all facets of technology and startups, ultimately aiming to cultivate and bolster Minnesota's vibrant entrepreneurial community into the future.
Twin Cities Startup Week was founded in 2014 by Ryan Broshar (Co-Founder).
Key people at Twin Cities Startup Week.
Twin Cities Startup Week (TCSW) is not a company but one of the largest annual startup-innovation festivals in the nation, held in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota). It spans seven days—October 6-10, 2025, for the upcoming edition—featuring core sessions, partner events, networking, evening showcases, and community-voted content to foster collaboration in Minnesota's startup ecosystem.[1][2][4][5] Organized "by the community, for the community," it brings together founders, corporate innovators, investors, educators, and entrepreneurs for learning from leaders in high-growth products, agencies, media, and more, with ticket options like General, VIP, and Spotlight for varying levels of access and networking.[1][5][6]
The event drives relationships through founder-focused content across venues in Downtown Minneapolis, North Loop, Downtown St. Paul, and partner sites, including daily core sessions, free coworking, and evenings like MN Cup Grand Finale, innovation crawls, pitch series, and Minnedemo.[1][3]
Twin Cities Startup Week has evolved into a flagship event for Minnesota's tech and innovation scene, though exact founding details are not specified in available sources. It gained prominence as a multi-day festival emphasizing community-driven programming, with the 2025 edition introducing a "new vision" centered on three days of regionally representative, founder-focused content curated via community session voting.[1][3] Early iterations involved creative activations, such as PopUpThinkTank's challenge during the event where participants brainstormed ideas for startups like Forever Ware, highlighting its role in sparking real-time collaboration and connections.[7] Supported by entities like Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), it has grown to unite corporate innovators, higher education, and small businesses.[6]
TCSW rides the wave of regional startup ecosystem building in the Midwest, countering coastal tech dominance by amplifying Minnesota's growing scene in fintech, healthtech, food/beverage, and media innovation.[2][4][5][6] Its timing in early October aligns with fall momentum for pitching (e.g., MN Cup) and networking before year-end funding cycles, capitalizing on market forces like DEED's support for small businesses and higher education ties.[1][6] By hosting one of the nation's largest festivals, it influences the ecosystem through relationship-building, idea generation (as in Forever Ware case), and visibility for underrepresented founders, boosting local retention and attracting external investment.[2][4][7]
TCSW's 2025 "new vision" signals deeper founder focus and regional representation, positioning it for expanded impact amid Midwest tech resurgence driven by affordable talent, quality of life, and sectors like agtech and medtech.[3] Expect growth in hybrid formats, more corporate-university partnerships, and data-driven session selection to sustain momentum. As ecosystems decentralize from Silicon Valley, TCSW could evolve into a model for community-led festivals, enhancing Minnesota's influence while inspiring similar events nationwide—ultimately proving that startup magic thrives in the heartland.[1][2][6]
