As a Mobility Analyst working South of Detroit, I am very excited about Detroit Startup Week and what it means not only to Detroit and Southeastern Michigan, but also to its closest neighbours across the river here in Windsor-Essex, Canada!   

Mobility connects us through technology and the ability to progress forward in the way that we move people and goods.  Technology allows for the creation of solutions that break down barriers and help to make transportation more accessible and ultimately more equitable.  Start-ups are the engines that bring innovations to life and help to create these solutions through their innovative technologies that will shape the future.  It will also be these innovations that help to diminish borders and allow for communication, collaboration, and movement to happen more efficiently and safely.  I am excited to see the solutions that these innovative minds are creating and thinking of this from a bi-national standpoint, we want to offer continued support from 1 mile away in Canada as well!      

 Looking at the amazing line-up of speakers and events taking place, I wanted to share my 5 “Can’t Miss” sessions as part of Detroit Startup Week!  There are so many amazing sessions to participate in that it was certainly difficult to narrow this down! Looking through my ‘Mobility’ glasses, these are the sessions that I think fit well into this space:

# 1 – Growing in Canada, Eh! – Demystifying our Neighbours to the North

This is a talk hosted by Matt Johnson, Director of Investment Attraction at WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation.  So, I may be a little biased here because this is a session being led by my organization, but it is very important to showcase how easy it is to collaborate and access support from Detroit’s closest neighbours!  Like Detroit, Windsor-Essex is on a Mobility journey that builds on our Automotive heritage and propels us into the future through technology development.  This will be an important session to learn more about what we are working on and ultimately how to access Canada’s largest VR Cave that was designed for the development of C/AV Technologies located minutes away from the border!  Tune into this talk with Matt to learn more!

# 2 – Startup Storytelling: How to craft the compelling narrative that your Startup deserves

This is a talk hosted by Jessica Tower, Founder of Tower & Company.  I personally feel that storytelling is extremely important when seeking support of any kind.  The stronger your story and the more compelling that it is, the better the chance that you can captivate your audience, and ultimately garner support.  This is extremely important for Startup’s who are competing with other strong Startup’s for monetary support and mentorship that will help to move their innovation to the next level.  When resources are limited and competition is fierce, telling your story and pitching your innovation in a creative and concise manner is essential.  Jessica will you to build your narrative with some important tips and tactics to succeed!

# 3 – Building the Training School of the Future

This is a talk hosted by Ray Batra, Founder of Shift_Up.  Now more than ever, training and education models are changing to support the rapidly evolving needs of companies, especially those in the technology and mobility spaces.  Providing curriculum and training that moves beyond traditional diploma or degree programs and allows individuals to be trained more rapidly to support companies in need of talent is critical.  There will always be a need and place for existing post-secondary programs in established colleges and universities, but there is also a need for schools that can train and re-train individuals looking to enter evolving sectors driven by technology.  Driven by innovation, change, and creative thinking, this session will help you think outside of the box!

#4 – Grand Circus’ FREE Intro to Coding Workshop

This is a workshop hosted by the team at Grand Circus.  Being involved in the ecosystem supporting mobility has raised an incredible awareness that coding skills are extremely important moving forward.  With Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C/AV’s) containing millions of lines of code and growing, this presents both challenges and opportunities for companies.  There seems to be a very limited supply of skilled coders needed to fill the pipeline for companies searching for talent.  Because of this, the Workshop that Grand Circus is proposing is extremely valuable.  Additionally, they provide the curriculum to teach individuals how to Code and the opportunity to enter a career that is in very high demand and will continue to be well into the future!

#5 – Keynote: 12 Security terms all small business owners need to know

This is a keynote address by Raffaele Mautone and Aadya Security.  The incredible advancements in technology also creates increased risks for individuals, companies, and products such as vehicles.  Understanding risks that exist through data exposure created by vulnerabilities in your equipment and practices are essential to help mitigate and ultimately prevent cyberattacks.  Knowledge and precautionary measures are key skills moving forward to protect small business owners from data breaches and ultimately brand reputation loss as a result of an incident.  This special keynote address will provide some very valuable information and potential tools for protecting you and your business moving forward!