ROUND ROCK STARTUP DAY+ WEEK

Session 1: Unfiltered: Real Talk with Founders
Destin Bell, Program Manager with gener8tor

A candid, no-BS conversation on what it actually takes to build a startup: wins, failures, and everything in between.

Session 2: Using Memes to Grow Your Business
Jameson Zaballos, Co-Founder of Napa Media

Details to come!

Complimentary lunch will be provided on-site!

Session 3: Connections are Your Secret Weapon in an AI-Driven World
Thom Singer, CEO of the Austin Technology Council

In a world of constant digital connection, real human interaction has never been more valuable or more rare. This session starts with a quick look at why meaningful relationships are a true competitive advantage, then puts it into practice. Through a guided, high-energy experience, you’ll connect with new people, exchange ideas and walk away with conversations that actually matter.

Session 4: Failing Up: The Funding Edition
Heidi Leach, Executive Director of Startup Banking, JP Morgan Chase

What does it really take to secure funding in today’s market? Kick things off with a quick State of the Market from JPMorgan Chase, then hear directly from a founder who turned early rejections into a successful raise. This candid conversation dives into the realities of fundraising, what went wrong, what changed and what ultimately led to a “yes.”

Session 5: GTM Readiness: The Steps Most Founders Skip Before They Start Marketing
David Daniel, Co-Founder of Founder’s Best Friend

Good marketing will only make a bad offer fail faster. In this session, David covers the pre-marketing work that separates founders who get traction from those who stay stuck. You’ll walk away with a clear framework for finding the right buyer, building the right offer, and validating it before you go wide.

About David: David built Founder’s Best Friend to give early-stage entrepreneurs the offer clarity, messaging, and sales systems they need to land clients fast. He’s worked with founders across industries to turn unclear ideas into revenue-generating businesses.

You won’t want to miss the Round Rock Startup Pitch Competition, where six lucky finalists will compete for a $100,000 grand prize to seed their startup! This exciting event brings together the boldest and brightest minds in entrepreneurship, challenging them to pitch their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges.

Each finalist will have five minutes to pitch their company to a panel of industry-leading judges, who will ask questions and provide invaluable feedback to help the presenters hone their pitch. After a short conference period, the judges will announce the winner, who will be presented with the coveted giant check!

8:30-10 a.m.  |  Founders Forum: AI Workshop: Create a Training Video for Your Business  |  Round Rock Chamber

Every thriving community needs strong founders. The visionaries, risk-takers and problem solvers who turn ideas into impact. Founders Forum is where Round Rock’s entrepreneurs come together to do just that.

Join us as founder Saaket Dubey helps attendees learn how to use AI tools to quickly create engaging training videos that streamline onboarding and elevate your business operations.

Founders Forum (formerly Business Leader Series) is a monthly breakfast series designed for local founders, small business owners and business leaders who are ready to learn, connect and grow. Each session offers something new but every event has the same goal: to leave you with something you can use tomorrow.

9-10 a.m.  |  1 Million Cups Round Rock  | Round Rock Chamber

1 Million Cups Round Rock (1MCRR) is a free, monthly event designed to educate, engage, and accelerate early-stage startups. We believe in the notion that entrepreneurs can discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee. We invite our community of founders, innovators, students, business executives, and entrepreneurship enthusiasts to attend, connect, and support our local startups.

How it works…

Presenters have six minutes to tell our community who you are, what you’re doing, and why you are doing it. Following the presentation, the audience has twenty minutes to provide feedback that will strengthen the presenter’s company.

1 Million Cups Round Rock believes in the notion that entrepreneurs can discover solutions and thrive when they collaborate over a million cups of coffee.

Register Now

10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.  |  Coworking @ the Chamber  | Round Rock Chamber

Bring your laptop, grab a seat and plug into the energy. Bounce ideas off fellow founders, meet new collaborators or just enjoy getting out of the house and into a room full of momentum. Whether you’re heads-down building or looking for feedback, this is your space to work together.

We’ll provide the space and the startup energy, you bring the snacks. And when hunger strikes, Downtown Round Rock is just steps away for a well-deserved lunch break.

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Join us as we celebrate a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Round Rock and beyond, showcasing and building a culture of innovation. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, seasoned professional or simply passionate about the startup ecosystem, Round Rock Startup Day is your gateway to inspiration, education and networking.

Click here for the full Startup Day schedule.