Twin Cities Startup Week Leans Into Arts and Culture

The word “startup” often brings to mind data scientists, engineers, and techies who are working on the next big disruption. Twin Cities Startup Week wants to broaden that perception to showcase innovation in all forms. This year, for the first time, the week-long September festival will put special emphasis on arts and culture.

“We wanted to expand how we defined innovation and who can participate by extending invitations to those communities who didn’t feel included in the past,” said Casey Shultz, executive director of BETA, the local organization that produces TCSW. Billed as “one of the largest entrepreneurial festivals in the nation,” TCSW drew more than 17,000 attendees in 2019 (the 2020 event went virtual due to Covid-19). The addition of immersive experiences adds to the appeal for out of town visitors, Shultz said.

TCSW is partnering with Best Buy, Aeterna Media, First Avenue, the Science Museum of Minnesota and others to bring to life a variety of arts and culture focused events including a Minnesota music showcase and a food competition with chef Justin Sutherland fashioned after the TV show “Chopped.”

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