#GiveFirst is an oft-mentioned—and encouraged—approach to entrepreneurial community interactions. #GiveFirst refers to the willingness of an individual to unilaterally help others without securing a guaranteed benefit in return. As author and investor Brad Feld notes, this approach is “not altruistic—you do expect to get things in return—but you don’t set up the relationship to be a transactional one.”
Silicon Flatirons convenes entrepreneurs, academics, and investors to analyze #GiveFirst in this year’s annual entrepreneurship conference. The conference will begin with a discussion between Brad Feld and Sam Zell, moderated by Scott Peppet. Conference panels then will analyze and debate related issues. Panel One (“Groups, Knowledge, and Adaptation of Startup Communities”) explores system-level dimensions of #GiveFirst. This panel examines how a #GiveFirst mentality emerges within a community, how #GiveFirst affects a community member’s “knowledge” about the world, and how #GiveFirst adapts within a location over time. Panel Two (“How Does #GiveFirst Go Right (And Wrong) for Companies and Individuals?”) considers the perspective of a startup and entrepreneurs. This panel explores the conditions where a #GiveFirst strategy benefits – and harms – companies and individuals.
Sessions
Welcome: #GiveFirst and Social Capital in Startup Communities
- Brad Bernthal
Associate Professor, University of Colorado Law School; Entrepreneurship Initiative Director, Silicon Flatirons
#GiveFirst
- Scott Peppet — Moderator
Professor of Law, Wolf-Getches Fellow, University of Colorado Law School - Brad Feld
Co-founder, Managing Director, Foundry Group; Co-founder, Techstars - Sam Zell
Founder, Chairman, Equity Group Investments
Break
Groups, Knowledge, and Adaptation of Startup Communities
- Jason Mendelson — Moderator
Co-founder, Managing Director, Foundry Group - Philip Fernbach — Presenter
Assistant Professor, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder - Stephanie Copeland — Panelist
Executive Director, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade - Nicole Glaros — Panelist
Partner, Techstars - AnnaLee (Anno) Saxenian — Panelist
Dean and Professor, School of Information, University of California, Berkeley
Break
How Does #givefirst Go Right (And Wrong) for Companies and Individuals?
- Brad Bernthal — Moderator
Associate Professor, University of Colorado Law School; Entrepreneurship Initiative Director, Silicon Flatirons - Brian Broughman — Presenter
Professor of Law, Indiana University - Sonali Shah — Presenter
Associate Professor, Strategy & Entrepreneurship, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Krista Marks — Panelist
Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, Woot Math Inc. - Benjamin Oelsner — Panelist
Partner, KO | Koenig, Oelsner, Taylor, Schoenfeld & Gaddis PC
Wrap-up
- Brad Feld
Co-founder, Managing Director, Foundry Group; Co-founder, Techstars - AnnaLee (Anno) Saxenian
Dean and Professor, School of Information, University of California, Berkeley
Reception
Sponsored by Elevations Credit Union.
Please note: Per university alcohol policy, only registered guests will be admitted to the reception.