Sunsetting the Vermont Startup Collective
Hi Everyone!
Since 2020, Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET), along with help from other ecosystem players and community members (Hi Marty!), supported and moderated the Vermont Startup Collective. Born from a burning desire for connection brought on by the COVID-19 shutdown and our isolation in early 2020, the Collective helped many folks find co-founders, new jobs, connection, community, and hope when they needed it most.
As a small organization, we strive to focus on areas that are “moving the needle” for Vermont’s entrepreneurial community. So after 4 years and multiple efforts to find a new host, the VCET team has made the decision to sunset the Collective and focus on other events and efforts. This decision was made based on two major factors: 1) waning activity on the Collective week to week, and 2) a resurgence of in-person meetups.
We hope this decision creates space for others to create solutions that better serve their needs. In the meantime, if you’re looking to stay connected with Vermont’s entrepreneurial community, here are some suggestions:
- On Meetup.com:
- Follow the Vermont Technology Meetup (in person events)
- Follow the Burlington Hardware Meetup (in person events)
- Attend the Vermont Marketing Meetup events organized by BootstrapVT (in person events)
- Join UVM’s Entrepreneurship Forum aka EForum, a monthly (online) meetup for Vermont’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Hot tip: the group’s listserv is where it’s at.
- Subscribe to VCET’s monthly newsletter, First Chair
- If you’re looking for venture capital, check out the Vermont Based Capital Spreadsheet
- Tune in to organizations like: Vermont Technology Alliance (VTTA), Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE), Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), Hula, VTWomenpreneurs, Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance (VOBA), LaunchVT, and others
- Connect and follow other Vermonters on LinkedIn!
Please feel free to share any community-based resources we may have missed. If you have any follow up questions regarding the Collective, please email sam@vcet.co.
Thank you!
The VCET Team
