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Save the Date! RDSW Returns April 7-11, 2025

Where Founders Come Together to Learn, Connect, and Grow

Join us for 5 days of inspiration, insights, and networking as we celebrate the vibrant, growing Raleigh-Durham Startup Ecosystem

Join 1,600+ founders
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ABOUT

What is Raleigh-Durham Startup Week

Raleigh-Durham Startup Week is a regional movement – powered by a team of founders, entrepreneurs, and support organizations dedicated to showcasing the vibrant entrepreneurial community in the Triangle area. We strive to create meaningful moments to enrich entrepreneurial culture and our local startup community.

5

Days Across Two Cities

60+

Sessions & Events

2,100+

Attendees

100+

Speakers

Why Attend

Why attend RDSW 2025

Grow your startup and your network.

Be Inspired

Expand your ideas and your mindset with powerful keynotes from industry leaders and startup veterans that have scaled global startups.

Get Support

Struggling to overcome a challenge or wondering how others have handled a situation? Get insights and new ideas from founders, investors, and experts.

Make Connections

Meet possible cofounders, team members, investors, mentors, strategic partners, friends and more! 

Celebrate

Kick back and raise a toast to personal successes and the exciting growth happening in our local startup ecosystem.

Schedule

5 Action-Packed Days

Discover strategies and solutions specifically tailored to your stage. From hands-on workshops to inspiring keynotes to investor matching, there is something for everyone.

The 2025 Schedule is COMING SOON!

Sessions

Workshop Recap

Get a peek into some of the insightful sessions from last year's event

Idea

How to Test if People Will Pay For Your Idea

Learn proven methods to determine the optimal price point for your offerings, ensuring maximum profitability and market competitiveness.
Scale

Power of the Network

Uncover how to utilize relational capital & LinkedIn for funding, talent, customer acquisition, knowledge share and mentorship.
Idea

How to Take an Idea from Napkin to Demo

This session is designed for innovators seeking cost-effective methods to validate their ideas and bring them to life.
Idea

How to Fund Your New Idea

This panel breaks down the funding for new ideas. We'll chat about ways to aquire funding and DIY route with bootstrapping.
Idea

Navigating the Transition from Corporate to Entrepreneurship

Hear lessons learned and personal anecdotes of navigating challenges, becoming your own boss, and making the leap to entrepreneurship.
Scale

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

Learn the importance of culture within companies and communities and its impact on a company's growth trajectory.
Scale

2024 Funding Forecast

VCs across the Southeast predict the startup weather and discuss how to navigate this year's investment climate.
Build

Founder Failures: Stories About Lessons & Pivots

Hear from founders about big wins and epic failures along the way. Successful founders share lessons learned as they scaled up.
Build

How to Master Customer Cohort Analysis for Explosive Growth

Keep key insights simple and separate for your customer cohorts. We'll dig into data, KPIs and lessons you should master for your startup.
Idea

I Have an Idea... What Legal Things Do I Need to Consider First?

Join us for an expert's take on legal must-knows for founders: from initial idea protection to best practices in business law
Build

How to Let Customers Guide Your Product Development

Learn about how to master product development. We'll cover tools and data that are essential to optimizing your product.
Build

How to Engage the Right Investors

Learn about starting your investor search and engaging with the right investors. We'll cover strategies to boost your fundraising efforts.
Scale

Life Inside a High Growth Startup

Unicorn CEOs discuss lessons from their rollercoaster journey at the helm of some of the fastest growing startups.
John Hill
Jes Averhart
Erika Buell
David Shaner
Rachel Orrino
Jon Spinney
Christina Noel
Ryan Bethencourt
Andrea Inokon
Jan Davis
Jenn Summe
Lucy Kosturko
Tom Collopy
Rachael Classi
Last Year's Venues

See Where We Gathered

We've partnered with the startup-minded co-working spaces in both Durham and Raleigh in order to bring you the best event experience.

Durham, NC - Tuesday & Wednesday, April 9-10

American Underground

201 W Main St, Durham

Raleigh, NC - Thursday & Friday, April 11-12

Raleigh Founded - North St.

509 W North St, Raleigh

Inspire
Connect
Support
Celebrate
Inspire
Connect
Support
Celebrate
Inspire
Connect
Support
Celebrate
Inspire
Connect
Support
Celebrate
2024 Contributing Members

RDSW is a community effort

Many thanks to the organizations, individuals, and communities that make this event possible. We truly couldn't do it without you!

NC State Entreprenuership Clinic
EisnerAmper
Bridge Bank
Smith Anderson Law
City of Raleigh
Bank of America
ExtensisHR
Roninson Bradshaw
Capital Broadcasting Company
Wyrick Robbins
Vaco

Partners, Supporting Organizations, and In-Kind Donors

Get Event Updates

We're deep into planning an amazing 2025 event. Sign-up to get event updates.