The Dallas Entrepreneur Center plans to host over 120 sessions across 16 tracks to connect entrepreneurs and change-makers in DFW at its annual keystone event, Dallas Startup Week. The second annual Women of Innovation Summit and the Corporate Startup Innovation Summit will take place this year, along with the recently announced Digital Fight Club.

The sixth annual event is continuing to announce programming, summits, and sessions that will take place over the course of the week. DSW20 will take place in a new location this year at Gilley’s Dallas by South Side on Lamar. 

This year, Digital Fight Club is partnering with Dallas Startup Week for a special evening of verbal sparring. Digital Fight Club, founded by Michael Pratt, has two “fighters” engage in a debate over predetermined tech topics, which relate to the fighters’ areas of expertise and it’s up to them to defend their stance.

It goes like this: Two tech experts verbally duke it out in front of five accomplished referees. These “fighters” will need to prove that they are the winner to the judges and audience, both of whom get to vote, in a 10 minute round.

This event will begin with a happy hour at the Granada Theater. Here’s what’s on the Fight Card:

• Fight #1: Money & Tech: Currency vs. Value
• Fight #2: Ubiquitous Facial Recognition: Who Owns Your Face
• Fight #3: 5G: Worth the Hype?
• Fight #4: Digital Doubles: Convenience vs. Privacy
• Fight #5: AI: Beyond Automation

Suzy Batiz speaking at DSW19’s Women of Innovation Summit. [Photo: Cameron L. Cook/Dallas Startup Week]

The second annual Women of Innovation Summit will also take place during Dallas Startup Week. This one-day event seeks to recognize, encourage, and celebrate female leaders and entrepreneurs through keynotes and sessions. 

Over 700 people attended the Women of Innovation Summit last year. This year, the event will take place on April 29 with keynote speakers including Joni Carswell, CEO and president of Texan By Nature; Amber Venz Box, rewardStyle’s co-founder and president; and Kendra Scott, founder, CEO, and jewelry designer of her namesake company. 

Here’s more of what you can expect at the summit:

• Do You Really Know Your Customer: Customer Segmentation is Key to Success
• How Do You Measure Success: Ensuring You Have the Right Metrics
• The Key to Financial Management: Keeping Your Eye on ROI
• Breaking Through the Clutter: Do You Have the Right Value Proposition?

The summit also includes Women’s Marketplace, where 20 female-owned businesses will be invited to participate in a showcase for hundreds of attendees.

Focusing on supporting the innovation and entrepreneurship that drives DFW, the event has curated “tracks,” which are led by Track Captains to provide the right content and speakers for DSW20.

Here are some of the tracks you can expect: 

• AI
• AR/VR
• Arts & Entertainment 
• Blockchain 
• Coding
• Cybersecurity 
• Defense Innovation 
• Fashion
• Gaming & Esports
• Healthcare
• Legal
• Marketing
• Personal Development 
• Retail
• Social Impact
• Venture

Some of DSW20’s track captains have recently been announced including Hubert Zajicek, the CEO and co-founder of Health Wildcatters, who will be leading the Healthcare track and Jewels Clark, the founder and CEO of How to be Social, who will be leading the Arts & Entertainment track.

More tracks and sessions are expected to be released each week. Dallas Innovates will continue to keep our readers updated as more information is announced. To learn how to get involved with DSW20, go here.

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