Company founders from all industries found connection Tuesday at the opening of Raleigh-Durham Startup Week.
The three-day event, hosted by Techstars, across venues in Raleigh and Durham, is free and open to anyone, with learning tracks on startups, legal and finance technology and design.
What you need to know about Raleigh-Durham Startup Week 2023
Shadia Oshodi founded a new company just two weeks ago, focused on hair technology.
She tells says the Triangle is the right place for her business and this startup conference.
“We have a lot of areas — whether it’s tech or biotech or other areas that are really strong here — where people are really building things,” she said. “You’re not going to be alone.”
Organizer Haley Huie says the event is focused on building that sense of community.
“I think the reason that people really want to be a part of this is to plug in,” she said. “There’s so much to learn, so many people to meet. I think downloading all the amazing insights and connections is going to be incredible.”
Huie expects more than 1,000 people to attend at least one session.
Among the speakers is Lauren McCullough, who works with multiple startups. Her talk focuses on attracting early customers, especially in the current economy.
“Starting a company now, whether it be a mainstream type of business or a tech company, I think you just have to have a little bit of mindfulness of what’s going on around you,” she said.
McCullough says while not every environment across the U.S. is ideal right now for starting a business, the Raleigh and Durham areas are a good place to be.
“At the end of the day, there are a lot of companies around here, especially in this area, that are thriving,” she said.
“We have such a friendly and approachable environment. It’s still really easy, if you know who you are and you know how to build your connections, to build a successful company.”
Oshodi expects to learn some of that from others at Raleigh-Durham Startup Week.
“I’m excited to hear from people locally who are doing this and really get to learn,” she said.
