Published Tuesday, August 18, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Amanda Findlay, Managing Director | amanda@matchboxstudio.org
Jason Tennenhouse, Executive Director | jason@matchboxstudio.org
Greater Lafayette Entrepreneurship Week Pivots to a Two-Day Virtual Conference for Founders
Lafayette, IND--MatchBOX Coworking Studio introduced Greater Lafayette Entrepreneurship Week three years ago, in an effort to highlight the activity around small businesses and startups and the communities that support them both.
The celebration has, in the past, been a lineup of pitch events, panels and talks, networking opportunities, and workshops spread across Lafayette and West Lafayette. In a pandemic, though, the organizers were forced to consider alternative options for this well-attended event for innovators.
“Before the world went virtual, we’d planned on streamlining this event into a two-day conference for Midwest founders. Now, though, we’re taking it all online and using technology and regionality to our advantage,” said Juliana Casavan, Operations Manager at MatchBOX Coworking Studio.
GLEW 2020 will take place online, September 24 and 25. Tickets for the GLEW virtual conference are available for $99, and include a gift box shipped to attendees with book codes, elements for virtual games, curated gifts, and swag from conference partners. The first day will include activities for connection and a keynote speaker. The second day’s schedule will include presenters and workshops customized to the business stage of the conference attendees.
Rebecca Ryan, economist and futurist, wrote the Good to Great report as a consultant for Greater Lafayette ten years ago, with recommendations on making the area a “community of choice.” This report laid the foundation for the formation of MatchBOX. At GLEW, Ryan will join virtually as a keynote speaker on the first night, to share her thoughts and perspectives on entrepreneurship and opportunity in Greater Lafayette and similar communities in the region.
Other GLEW speakers from across the country will include Grouphug Solar founder Krystal Persaud who was recently featured on Shark Tank, corporate social responsibility expert Dora Lutz of Giving Spring, and multi-disciplinary designer and entrepreneur SaVonne Anderson of Aya Paper Co. A dozen other speakers will cover topics from ideation and market strategy to expansion and exit strategies.
Attendees choose one of three tracks to participate in: Imagining, for innovators with ideas who want to solve problems, but haven't started yet. Starting, for founders who have a plan, and are in the depths of launching or preparing to launch. Growing, for entrepreneurs who are up and running and ready to take it to the next level.
“A virtual conference poses a lot of unknowns, but it also gave our team the flexibility to reach out to a broader network and connect attendees with speakers that would have been impossible to secure in person. The collective experiences and knowledge of our lineup for GLEW is impressive,” said Jason Tennenhouse, Executive Director of MatchBOX Coworking Studio.
Registration for the Greater Lafayette Entrepreneurship Week virtual conference is open now and more information on speakers, tracks, and tickets can be found at www.glew2020.com. GLEW is hosted by MatchBOX Coworking Studio, downtown Lafayette’s non-profit membership-based workspace for entrepreneurs, freelancers, innovators, and creatives. For more information, visit www.matchboxstudio.org.
About MatchBOX
MatchBOX Coworking Studio is a nonprofit venture that draws together innovative and creative individuals pursuing new ideas. The 11,000 square foot studio is full of desks with all the amenities you need to get work done: 24-hour secure access, conference rooms, super fast WiFi, the MBX Maker LAB, and an unlimited supply of coffee and snacks.
It's a great place to start a new business, or to grow an existing small business. It's for the hobbyist with a new idea, the moonlighting entrepreneur, or the professional office nomad. It's for developers, designers, strategists, artisans, writers, makers, and change-makers of all types. It's a home for the creative class in Lafayette, West Lafayette, and throughout the midwest.
The studio is an office and meeting space to nearly 300 members and partners in a variety of sectors. MatchBOX hosts meetups and events that focus on technology, business acceleration, mentorship, technology, innovation, and more.
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