Longmont Startup Week canceled for 2023

Longmont Startup Week, or LSW, offers business leaders and entrepreneurs a week to come together, collaborate, network and create. This year though, the week of learning events has been canceled.

In 2020, Longmont Startup Week hit a distinct juncture. The event was hosted by Longmont Economic Development Partnership, or Longmont EDP, which wanted to relinquish management. Avocet Communications stepped in to see that the event continued. It received the support of Longmont EDP and volunteers who recognized the need during a period of thriving entrepreneurial startups.

In 2021 and 2022, community leaders from Longmont Public Media, Longmont Downtown Development Authority and Longmont EDP organized the event. Both events were successful with the help of volunteers who utilized their own talents as key execution team members. 

This year a different story has unfolded. Avocet Communications announced Monday that the annual event will be canceled for 2023 which was scheduled for Sept. 25-29. 

“This was a difficult decision, one that we did not take lightly,” said Lori Jones, president and CEO of Avocet Communications. “It takes many people working together to make this event a success. For many months we have worked diligently to gather enough volunteers to handle the complex logistics of Longmont Startup Week. We put out several calls of volunteers but unfortunately, the response was disappointingly low. This dramatically hindered our ability to execute the event effectively.”

The event requires at least 60 volunteers in order to run successfully. 

“Longmont is known for its Collective Impact approach, which aligns organizations, people, and resources to implement programs important to the community. Without enhanced backing from our entrepreneurial ecosystem, the implementation of LSW becomes unfeasible,” said The LSW team in a news release. 

Although the 2023 event has been canceled, LSW is already working on plans for the 2024 LSW event which is scheduled to take place on Sept. 23-27, 2024. Volunteers are needed for this event. 

“Our hope is that next year, with an improved economy and an increase in staffing levels from the business community, Longmont Startup Week will be back, better than ever, as an empowering resource for entrepreneurs. Our entrepreneurial community is truly exceptional and we look forward to supporting it,” Jones said.