Check Out These Des Moines Events for Global Entrepreneurship Week

The Greater Des Moines Partnership and community partners will host multiple entrepreneurship-focused events before and during the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Week. Taking place from Nov. 13 – 19, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is meant to empower, connect and educate entrepreneurs and small business owners. Follow along for events happening prior and during GEW!

Global Entrepreneurship Week Events

Hardware Hangout on Tuesday, Nov. 7 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. (West Des Moines)

Kicking off prior to GEW, the first Hardware Hangout event is the opportunity to meet and connect with fellow enthusiasts and professionals who work in electronics, engineering and product design. Learn more and register here.

Entrepreneur Field Day at Lola's Fine Hot Sauces on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 10 – Noon (Altoona)

The Entrepreneur Field Day series will host a field day at Lola’s Fine Hot Sauces, a brand name creating a league of their own in hot sauces. Here is your chance to learn from the founder on how they’ve built a wholesale business with national distribution, branded and created a suite of products, down to becoming an expert in flavors. Learn more and register here.

Iowa Angel Investor Summit and Best of the Midwest on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Downtown DSM)

Iowa Angel Investor Summit is a one-day summit for active and aspiring angel investors to come together to help accelerate the entrepreneurs who are changing the world. Startups will also have the chance to pitch for investment funding during the Best of the Midwest event held in the afternoon of the Summit. Learn more and register here.

ProductTank with Music League: A Product Management Use Case on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 4:30 – 6 p.m. (Downtown DSM)

ProductTank Des Moines/Ames meetup is spotlighting one of the co-founders of Music League, Matt Keller, to share the story behind the social music game app. Hear about the conception and launch of Music League, what worked and what lessons were learned, in this real-case study for product designers and managers. Learn more and register here.

1 Million Cups Des Moines on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 8 – 9:30 a.m. (Downtown DSM)

1 Million Cups takes place weekly across the nation, every Wednesday, for entrepreneurs to present to a supportive audience as they look to accelerate their connections and business growth. Free coffee is always available. Learn more about the Des Moines chapter here.

web3dsm on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. (Des Moines)

web3dsm is an inclusive, community-driven initiative built to connect Des Moines through interesting and collaborative conversations focused on web3. The event takes place monthly, featuring topics around the future of how we connect online. Learn more about the November meetup here.

Venture School Pitch Night on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. (Des Moines)

Venture School invites members of the public to hear from the DSM cohort participants as they wrap-up their six-week program. Startups will pitch their final presentations for a chance at prize money awarded by University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. The event is held at DMACC Urban Campus, Build 7’s atrium. To learn more, reach out to Jacki Boldt.

Entrepreneur Field Day at VizyPay on Thursday, Nov. 16 from 4 – 6 p.m. (Waukee)

The Entrepreneur Field Day series will host its final field day event for the 2023 season at VizyPay, a fast-growing technology company building payments systems for small businesses in mind. Here is your chance to learn from founders on how they’ve bootstrapped a company to scale, created a top company culture and more. Learn more and register here.

DesignDash on Friday, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Des Moines)

This day-long startup event engages high school students and educators through fast-paced entrepreneurial excursions. Students work in teams with entrepreneurs/business and industry partners to solve problems they face using entrepreneurial solutions that drive innovation forward. Learn more and register here.

Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Ankeny)

The Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit’s mission is to bring businesses of diverse backgrounds to share, learn and celebrate the immigrant entrepreneurship experience and contribution to the overall community. Learn more and register here.

Creatives’ Breakfast Club on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 9:30 – 11 a.m. (Des Moines)

The Creatives’ Breakfast Club is hosted by ARTSwork, Iowa Center for Economic Success and Polk County Board of Supervisors. Join the Breakfast Club for business and career development tips, plus get to know your artist neighbors and creative community. Learn more and register here.

Learn more about Global Entrepreneurship Week through the Global Entrepreneurship Network. Did we miss an event? Feel free to reach out to Diana Wright as we share community and regional events all weeklong during Nov. 13-19!

The Greater Des Moines Partnership celebrates the Greater Des Moines (DSM) entrepreneur community and helps small businesses succeed with one-of-a-kind resources and opportunities for networking. Find out how other entrepreneurs have found success by reading their stories and attending local small business events in the region.