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BetaMN Community

BETA Seeks New Leadership as Executive Director Reed Robinson Steps Down

With drive and determination, you can accomplish a whole lot in five years. Since the first Twin Cities Startup Week (TCSW) in 2014, BETA has accomplished some incredible feats. Helping over 100 startups come to life through their incubator program, and accelerating TCSW to become the 2nd largest startup week in the world are just two vectors. One of the secrets to BETA’s overall success is co-founder and current Executive Director, Reed Robinson. He has been a major force for good for founders throughout Minnesota, and has worked diligently for the last year and a half, readying BETA to a stable state where it can be passed on to a new leader who can take it and grow even further; And that time is now.

Reed Robinson of BETA

Robinson will be voluntarily stepping back into a Board of Directors position, and BETA will be hiring their next Executive Director to take things to a new level. This will most likely be a lengthy process, and Robinson knows that going in. He will continue to fulfill the ED duties until the right person is found for the position, ensuring that no gaps in services or programming occur.

BETA is just coming off of an incredibly successful startup week, and Robinson hopes to be able to leverage that energy to really identify the people who are passionate about the startup community. “The next Executive Director is going to be someone who is passionate about the startup space, obviously, but they also need to uphold the values of the people we serve — the founders.” Robinson explained that having a deep understanding of the needs and issues that founders face is critical in making sure the programming at BETA is fulfilling and meaningful to the future founders who will come to their programs for assistance. Robinson is confident that the organization is in a good position to be handed off, and that this is a great opportunity for the right person to come in and accept the challenge.

The BETA Board of Directors is considering both internal and external candidates for this role, and are seeking an individual who can double the number of startups served, as well as identify new sources of funding over the next 3-5 years, all while growing and managing a staff to facilitate that growth. Robinson is confident that they will be able to find the right person, and that BETA will continue to successfully serve new founders and the startup community into the future. Anyone interested should read through their job posting, and follow the specific instructions to apply.

The final numbers and metrics from this year’s TCSW are now coming together, and TECHdotMN will be highlighting some of the major takeaways in weeks to come. We want to thank Reed Robinson for his incredible contributions as Executive Director, wish BETA much continued growth and prosperity, and look forward to our continued partnership in community-building.

Valerie Lockhart
Valerie is proud to spend her time immersed in the Minnesota tech scene, whether she’s writing articles for tech.mn, designing websites, or coordinating events for the Minnesota Women in Technology meetup group.