I recently partnered with Chase Ink and attended Denver Startup Week 2016.

Already considered North America’s biggest free entrepreneurial event, this year’s Denver Startup Week broke its attendance record with 13,279 guests. The event was rich with networking sessions, panels, job fairs, presentations, and more. Beautiful downtown Denver was a perfect host for both Startup Week and its accompanying Basecamp, supported and coordinated by Chase for Business, which serves  4 million U.S. small businesses and offers deposits, loans, cash management, merchant services and Chase Ink business credit cards—who knew!

Photo by Adam Toren.

One presentation I especially enjoyed was “Denver: The Best Place in America for Veterans Transitioning into Tech & Startups.” Anywhere from 500 to 1,000 veterans exit the military in Colorado each month, and many of them need help transitioning back into civilian life. This presentation emphasized the importance of resources like Patriot Bootcamp and VFWPost1, which support members of the U.S. military both during and after their terms. It also discussed companies like Zayo, who are committed to hiring veterans, and the Skill Distillery, the nation’s only GI Bill-compatible coding academy.

I also loved listening to Mel Robbins’s presentation, “Disrupt Yourself to Accelerate Your Startup Growth.” Mel discussed her “5 second rule,” which has helped thousands achieve their personal and business goals. She also discussed how focusing on your “why” (why you’re in business, or why you’re an entrepreneur) can help you overcome devastating losses and tough obstacles without too much stress. Through deep and hilarious personal anecdotes, Mel gifts her audience with lessons even the most seasoned entrepreneur could be thankful for. You can watch my Facebook Live video of the presentation online.

Photo and tweet by Adam Toren.

Basecamp was an excellent resource during the event. As attendees’ “home base” during Denver Startup Week, Basecamp provided refreshments to hungry guests, hosted additional keynotes, and allowed for constant networking. This year was the fourth year Chase has organized Basecamp, and the fifth year Chase has sponsored Denver Startup Week.

Chase Ink knows entrepreneurship like no other. With easy-to-use employee cards and the intuitive Ink mobile app, Chase Ink is a business tool that can help almost any small business. The Chase Ink credit card allows entrepreneurs to use the points they’ve earned to add value to their business and drive their bottom line. Every business owner uses their points differently, but I love to use mine for booking business travel, which takes me to exciting meetings and conferences. Chase Ink also gives me the luxury of going on cruises every year for free, using the points I’ve accrued in the months before.

Chase was a fantastic Basecamp host, as well as a wealth of resources for the modern entrepreneur. If you’re looking for business loans, merchant and cash management services, or company credit cards, check out all the resources available from Chase for Business.

You can read more about Denver Startup Week 2016 on social media with the hashtags #DENStartupWeek and #ChaseForBiz. You can also check out @TheBizGuy and @i_SmallBusiness to read some of my real-time updates.

Hope I see you at next year’s event!