September 14–15, 2026 · Minneapolis

Twin Cities Startup Week

We opened the house for conversations about AI talent, reaching customers and building companies. The next day, the discussion continued with founders and civic leaders at Pitch to Podium.

Across Twin Cities Startup Week · September 14–18, 2026

The week in numbers

1,301People registered
175Speakers
90Sessions
5Days

Source: Twin Cities Startup Week

Speakers in conversation in the brick-walled meeting room at Origin House on TCSW opening day — Opening-day conversations at Origin House.

September 14

Opening day at the house.

Origin House welcomed three sessions at 418 N 3rd Ave, Minneapolis. Across two floors, the focus was practical: how people learn, how companies reach customers and how community supports both.

10:30–11:30 AM Central · Floor 3

AI Talent Development: Building a Future-Ready Workforce Ecosystem

Jena Zangs, Dr Sunny Zhang, Peiyu Phua and Marta Haynes

With Women in AI and the University of St. Thomas, the roundtable focused on skills, workforce pathways and how AI learning and employers can work together.

11:30 AM–12:30 PM Central · Floor 2

Building GTM for an AI-native company

Daisy Hoang, CRO at TinyFish, and Sowmya Podila, Lead Applied AI Scientist at Target

The conversation explored early go-to-market signals, enterprise adoption and what it takes to move AI projects from pilots to production.

11:30 AM–12:30 PM Central · Floor 3

Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building: Connecting Founders, Capital, and Community

With Impact Hub and SCORE

A roundtable on connecting builders with mentors, customers and capital, and helping the region’s resources work together around the company-building journey.

Opening-day attendees talking between sessions inside Origin House — Conversations between sessions.

Two opening-day attendees beside an Origin House sign inside the house — The community at the house on September 14.

September 15 · 3–7 PM Central · LaSalle Plaza, Minneapolis

Pitch to Podium: Connecting Innovation to City Mayors

Hosted by Twin Cities Startup Week and Stanley Jackson, Pitch to Podium brought founder origin stories, opportunities and challenges into a conversation about public-private connections.

Molubah Seley participated as Founder and CEO of Origin House. The evening at LaSalle Plaza was part of the wider Startup Week program, connecting company-building with the communities around it.

Molubah Seley speaking and gesturing during the Pitch to Podium discussion at LaSalle Plaza — Molubah Seley in conversation at Pitch to Podium, September 15.Photo: Jeff Newcomer

Attendees gathered in the LaSalle Plaza event room for Pitch to Podium — The room at LaSalle Plaza.Photo: Jeff Newcomer