Twin Cities-based startup accelerator BETA has announced the latest edition of the BETA Bridge program. On Thursday, May 18, BETA will welcome a small group of founders, corporate leaders, educators, investors, and government officials for a food and ag tech-focused roundtable event designed to foster connection between different members of the community. Applications are open now.
“BETA Bridge is important because you have key stakeholders of a sector of the ecosystem coming together to discuss their perspectives, thoughts, and ideas, as well as connect with others who have a shared interest and passion for the topic,” BETA Programs Manager Dylan Dierking said. “Think of it like an executive team meeting but for an entire sector of the ecosystem. This fosters a synergy that has the potential to make big waves.”
The program, sponsored by Livefront, focuses on a new industry sector for each of its iterations. During the event, representatives from various companies and organizations discuss important and actionable topics such as:
- What are corporations looking for working with a startup?
- What stage does a startup need to be at to work with a corporation? What standards (data, compliance, security, etc.) can startups enact to accelerate the process?
- What are some dos and don'ts of startup collaboration with a large company?
In March, BETA hosted a marketing tech Bridge event that saw guests from companies such as Sparrow Charts, We Sparkle, and Vugo, and corporate leaders from organizations including Lola Red, TriNet, and GreaterMSP.
“By nature, startups will have a different perspective on an industry than corporations have,” Dierking said. “The BETA Bridge roundtable serves as a melting pot for those perspectives. What comes from that is a more well-rounded and refined perspective. The conversations from Bridge provide the startups with corporate wisdom and keep the corporations young and agile.”
