DC Startup Week 2023: Work Globally, Act Locally
Through growth in technology and evolution of business systems, becoming an entrepreneur has never been more appealing! This is the first time in history that top tier talent from around the world is accessible to any startup mogul with a strong understanding of how to build a virtual team.
One particular place that attracts this group of trailblazers is none other than DC Startup Week; an annual hub spot hosting 150+ events, 250+ speakers, with over 6,000 registered attendees this year. The event is filled with a jam-packed schedule five-day schedule covering topics from How to Grow Your Tech Team to Web 3 Real World Use Cases.
DC Startup Week is the perfect place for future innovators to gather, network, and learn from each other and is a great reminder that we all need to branch out and encounter new ideas.
“To serve the ever-growing local DMV startup founder ecosystem through education and training, access to resources and funding, and a robust, diverse, like-minded community–where entrepreneurs can find the support they need to launch, build, and thrive in their business..”
DC Startup Week Mission Statement
The idea of celebrating a local community might seem counterintuitive to a remote-first company, but we’d be the first to point out that local contacts are vitally important to remote workers. Indeed, without going into the office the need to build a strong network locally is even greater. If one of the best benefits of remote work is having time to be a more well-rounded indivdual, taking some time to hang out with like-minded people who are geographically close can help with overall mental health.
The overwhelming preference to maintain remote-work options for career roles that allow it is undeniable; a Forbes article highlighted that 71% of remote workers said it helps their work-life balance and 57% would look for a new job if their current company didn’t allow remote work. Startups and existing companies that lean into making their team’s virtual office space effortless, welcoming, and socially engaging are more likely to attract top tier talent while maintaining a competitive edge in their industry.
If you’re leading a remote team and haven’t considered the social element of your virtual work space, now is the time to pivot. Leave the physical water cooler behind and reinvent the idea of what casual work space socialization could look like. Build a space, like 45-min weekly trivia games, that invites team members to engage with each other on a human level and make employee engagement a weekly habit.
We’re excited speak at the DCTech Meetup on Wednesday of Startup Week and to be involved with such a great local community. As a new generation of entrepreneurs reshapes the workplace, we can’t leave behind the neighborhoods that inspire us and give us the ideas that help us grow.