Technical.ly DC Diaries: Rachel Koretsky, DC Startup Week organizer and Upace founder

When the coronavirus pandemic forced states to impose stay-at-home orders, we saw our favorite events get canceled, rescheduled indefinitely or moved online.

DC Startup Week is a series that brings the D.C. area startup ecosystem together every year. The organization was preparing to host its fifth annual conference for local entrepreneurs when lead organizer Rachel Koretsky had to find a way to pivot the normally in-person experience online.

Koretsky is the most recent honoree from Technical.ly DC’s RealLIST Connectors interviewed for our video series, which features interviews with local founders, technologists and startup leaders. The conversations are hosted by me, Market Editor Michelai Graham, and explore various topics including how these folks got their start in technology or entrepreneurship and what keeps them going. See more episodes here.

Koretsky also recently nabbed Impact Leader of the Year for the 2020 Technical.ly Awards in D.C. for all of her hard work this year through the pandemic. Outside of leading DCSW, she is the founder of six-year-old Upace, an app curator for the fitness community. Koretsky launched her venture during her time studying at American University, when she noticed a disconnect between students and fitness centers on campus. She shared in this episode that Upace use has actually been on the rise with pandemic restrictions, since fitness centers are seeking technology to make plans to reopen safely.

Creating routines, occasionally working out of WeWork for a change of scenery, and doing some simple “mindless” activities like short walks and lying on the couch are some of the ways Koretsky has been managing her workload recently.

To hear more about Koretsky and how she’s juggling all of her responsibilities, check out our chat below.

Here’s the audio version:

Watch our conversation here: