Cleveland launches first-ever Tech Week to spotlight innovation
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Cleveland enters a new era of innovation this week.
Why it matters: The inaugural Cleveland Tech Week looks to spotlight the area's growing technology ecosystem by generating awareness and investment opportunities for local companies.
Driving the news: Tech Week kicks off Monday and features around 30 events over the next six days at various locations.
- Organizers expect more than 1,000 attendees throughout the week, participating in networking meetups, seminars and workshops.
The intrigue: Tech Week is the brainchild of local entrepreneur McKelvey Packard, co-founder and former executive at local smartkey company Everykey.
- Packard drew inspiration from larger tech weeks in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York that draw tens of thousands of attendees.
- Cincinnati's annual Black Tech Week welcomed more than 7,000 attendees in July with an estimated economic impact of $8 million.
What they're saying: "It's something where people can meet each other and see what everyone is working on," Packard tells Axios. "It also brings a lot of people into the city as well."
- "There is a lot here in Cleveland. Yet, a lot of people in the city itself don't know everything that's going on."
State of play: Tech Week has already established strong partnerships with local organizations, including Greater Cleveland Partnership, MAGNET and Global Cleveland.
- The event should also draw people in town for Ohio VC Fest, the startup and venture capital convention taking place at Huntington Convention Center on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The big picture: Tech Week is yet another sign of a thriving regional tech scene that got good news last month.
- The O.H.I.O. Fund, a private investment firm that invests solely in Ohio-based businesses, reached its first-year goal of raising $238 million.
- That fund has invested in 19 companies, including seven in Northeast Ohio, like Solon cellular module manufacturer Eagle Electronics and Medina-based real estate company BTR Haus Communities.
The bottom line: "The hope is once people start talking to each other about innovation, things start scaling rapidly," Packard says.
- "These businesses can create connections that find them customers, investors and partners."
If you go: Tech Week's welcome ceremony takes place at 4pm Monday at LAND Energy/Moto. Registration is required.
- Most events are free with registration.