‘I’ve never seen a community like this’: Founders praise the diversity and resourcefulness of DC’s startup scene

But in DC, the supportive community and abundant resources make this feat a little less daunting, local entrepreneurs and ecosystem members said during a dinner Technical.ly hosted for DC’s 2024 RealLIST Startups on Wednesday. 

For example, the region boasts several meetup groups and events aimed at local founders, like DC Startup Week — a five-day conference intended to connect local founders. Sade Luwoye, the COO and cofounder of RealLIST Startups honorable mention TribeMeets, said she’s grateful for the lasting impact of events like this one. TribeMeets itself builds community through a platform that helps connect African diasporic people through shared interests and events. 

“It’s just more than a week,” Luwoye said at the dinner. “From helping provide resources to founders, that community, and plugging us into different resources and making the startup life helpful and easier.” 

Kay Rodriguez, the founder of the platform and app Outerly, said being active in DC Startup Week and DC Startup Women, a subset of the conference specifically for female founders and funders, has made a huge difference for her. 

This community-building process also takes time, she said. Meeting people one time isn’t enough, and relationships are not automatic — connections need to be nurtured, she said. Slack groups are a great way to meet and develop relationships, too (Technical.ly has a local DC group on our public Slack for local founders and technologists). 

She mentioned that she’s made an effort to stay in touch with possible investors, including, notably, people who have said no multiple times. 

“They have been invaluable sources of learning and support and connections,” said Rodriguez, who won DC Startup Week’s early-stage pitch competition in 2022.  

Luwoye of TribeMeets also mentioned programs like Techstars DC, in whose 2023 cohort her company participated. (Techstars DC is affiliated with J.P. Morgan — part of a broader partnership that is reportedly having issues). She said she was fortunate to be a part of the different programs, like Techstars, in the city.  

“It was really good to work with other founders, bounce ideas off, get perspective and help each other out real time,” Luwoye said. 

DC Startup Week co-chair and local founder Seema Alexander urged fellow entrepreneurs to take advantage of this support, whether it be pitch competitions, accelerators or networking events. She said that she truly noticed the rich entrepreneurial community in the city when she moved back to her hometown after living in New York for nearly two decades. 

“I’ve never seen any community go and nurture startups,” Alexander said. “Entrepreneurship is not easy. I’ve never seen a community like this. And I think that’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”