A great list of speakers in store for Startup Day
A great list of speakers in store for Startup Day, plus many more.

We’re getting excited for the fifth annual Startup Day event, kicking off Friday morning with remarks by Gov. Jay Inslee and featuring talks by 10 of the region’s top entrepreneurs, including Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman; Glympse co-founder Bryan Trussel, former drugstore.com CEO Dawn Lepore and many others.

The audience will be filled with startup CEOs and founders, and those who aspire to be them. But this event is really for anyone involved with or interested in startups, or those who just want to inject a little entrepreneurial energy into their organizations or lives. If you haven’t yet signed up, tickets are available here.

We’re also excited to host a Battle of the Geek Bands and Costume Contest bash — taking place immediately after Startup Day at 5 pm. This party is open to the entire community, and it’s just $5, so make sure to join us for the fun tomorrow evening at the Showbox Sodo.

For those of you already planning to attend, we’ve put together this advance guide to help you make it to the venue and make the most of the day.

When: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, October 25th.

Location: Showbox Sodo, 1700 1st Ave. S. Seattle, WA. The Showbox Sodo is located just south of Safeco Field. (See map to the right)

google-maps
Showbox Sodo is located just south of Safeco Field. Click on map for detailed view.

Parking: We’ve secured a special all-day “startup rate” of $5 for the Safeco Field Garage at Occidental and S Massachusetts. The garage is located just behind the Showbox Sodo. Map here.

Registration and coffee start at 8 a.m. After picking up your name badge, our friendly events team will help you get situated. Check in, get yourself caffeinated, and fasten your seatbelts — as the main attraction starts at 9:15 a.m. with a chat by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Agenda: Check out the full schedule here. We have a fantastic lineup of startup veterans delivering a series of talks aimed at mastering key steps of the startup process, plus a fantastic investor panel taking place at 1 p.m. featuring Frank Artale of Ignition; Greg Gottesman of Madrona; and super angels Rudy Gadre and Geoff Entress.

Internet: We will have free WiFi, presented by our friends at Perkins Coie. Just use the password PerkinsCoie when signing into the GeekWire network.

Twitter: The hashtag is #gwstartupday.

demozone-companiesStartup Demo Zone: A new feature this year, check out the companies in the Startup Demo Zone, listening to their ideas and presentations. The Demo Zone will be located in the upper bar area on the north portion of the venue. Demo Zone companies receive a one-on-one meeting with a top VC or angel investor, and three of the companies will earn the chance to go on stage after lunch and pitch to our all-star VC panel. See a list of Demo Zone companies here.

9 Mile Bucks: All attendees will receive a “9Mile Buck” in their registration badge. Present this paper dollar to your favorite Demo Zone company, and they may be crowned later in the day as the “People’s Choice” award winner, earning two tickets to the GeekWire Gala on Dec. 4.

Expert Advice in the Resource Center: Good news for all attendees: Everyone is welcome to sign up for an appointment with an expert in the Startup Resource Center, located in the upper bar area on the north side of the venue.  Come with your burning questions in business, financing, sales, marketing, legal and design. Morning sessions will focus on development and design and sales and marketing, while afternoon sessions with focus on legal/partnerships/deals and management/leadership. This is a great chance to get one-on-one advice from the likes of HaikuDeck CEO Adam Tratt; Hughes Media Law Group founder Joleen Hughes; Freak’n Genius founder Kyle Kesterson; GeekWire chairman Jonathan Sposato and others.

geekbandsGeekWire-BOTB-Preview2-1Refreshments: We’ll have plenty of breaks and refreshments throughout the day; breakfast, lunch, two breaks and the after-party are all included with your registration.  We will keep you fueled up and provide plenty of time to connect with your fellow entrepreneurs and techies.

Battle of the Geek Bands and Costume Contest After Party: Oh, yeah, there is an epic after party happening this year, wrapping up the events of Startup Day and Seattle Startup Week. All are welcome to attend, and the ticket price is just $5. (Admission is free for all Startup Day attendees). Doors to the after party will open at 5 p.m., and we’ll kick off the Battle of the Geek Bands festivities at 6 p.m. We’ve got four bands from — Amazon.com, Avalara, DoubleDown and ExtraHop — competing for some awesome prizes, not to mention an all-star judging panel who plan to stir things up American Idol style. Since Halloween is just around the corner, we’ll also be hosting a costume contest, so bring out you best ghoulish looks. Should be a blast, so tell a friend. After party and Battle of the Geek Bands tickets available here.

Questions? Post them below or email me at john@geekwire.com and we’ll get them answered.

See everyone tomorrow for Startup Day and the Battle of the Geek Bands! Tickets are still available for both events below.

A big thanks to our sponsors for helping to make Startup Day and the Battle of the Geek Bands possible: Wave Business SolutionsMozKnollDouble Down Interactive, the Museum of History and IndustryAvalaraWilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosatiBudweiserAmazon Web ServicesHughes Media Law GroupPerkins CoieCar2GoCobalt9Mile LabsTicketmaster and TechStars (which is holding its Demo Day and after-party today at the Showbox Sodo).

Startup Day is part of Startup Week, presented by GeekWire and taking place from Oct. 18 to Oct. 30. It features more than a dozen events.

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