Entering its sixth year, Denver Startup Week is trying something a little different when it opens in downtown Denver on Sept. 25. It’s hosting YouTube celebrity Casey Neistat as its kick-off keynote speaker.
While Neistat may not be the typical speaker for the event that has — past keynoters include Colorado native and Sweetwood Cattle Co.; author and entrepreneurial marketing ; and Dave McClure, founder of 500 Startups — the Connecticut native is very much an innovator, said Erik Mitisek, co-founder of Denver Startup Week and President at IMAgine.
“Casey Neistat is consistently setting a new standard of innovation for digital creators, and has carved out a niche for himself as a well-respected filmmaker, technology developer and digital native influencer,” Mitisek said in a statement.
Neistat dropped out of high school, became a teenage father and moved into a trailer park, according to . But on his own, he learned how to make videos and his he made with his brother in 2003 criticizing Apple for building expensive devices like the iPod with nonreplaceable batteries.
The brothers went on to produce more short films and eventually got a for “,” which premiered in 2010.Neistat continued to create YouTube videos and currently has . In 2015, he co-founded Beme, a multimedia mobile app that .
Neistat, who has no ties to Colorado, will headline the event’s kick-off breakfast, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 25 at the Seawell Ballroom. Free tickets are available starting at 2:30 p.m. on Aug, 22. They will likely go fast, said Brea Olson, an event organizer. “Last year, tickets ‘sold out’ in less than 30 minutes,” she said.
Denver Startup Week, which takes over downtown with sessions and workshops for those interested in starting a business, runs Sept. 25 to 29. Registration is free and is ongoing at .
