With one Twin Cities Startup Week under her belt as executive director of Beta, the Twin Cities’ startup advocacy group, Shelisa Demuth is thinking bigger: more corporate partnerships. More investors from around the country. More access for diverse founders. “If my background has taught me anything,” says the former public relations firm owner, “it’s that you have to make really big asks. In every corner of the state, someone is doing something that needs to be brought to light.” Beyond the annual startup week in September, Minneapolis-based Beta runs an accelerator program for founders, and Demuth is looking at more year-round programing to engage and support the local startup community. “I’m thinking about how we can make our market most appealing to founders.”

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