Major Speakers
The StartOut Major Speakers Program brings out gay and lesbian leaders in the field of entrepreneurship to discuss their experiences with the StartOut community. Our major speakers are entrepreneurs who have made great accomplishments in their respective entrepreneurial ventures.
Major speakers are not confined to any particular industry, but vary in background as LGBT entrepreneurs have achieved milestones in multiple industries, such as technology, finance, fashion and real estate, to name a few. Speakers may choose to keep a broad focus for the event (i.e., general life experience as an entrepreneur), or may prefer to focus the event around a particular topic (e.g., “How I Became a Star Marketer in the Social Media Space”). Major Speakers events may follow a variety of formats, depending on the interests of the speaker. These include:
- Direct presentation to the audience
- Moderator Q&A with the speaker
- A “town hall” format with direct audience interaction
- A combination of multiple formats
The Major Speakers Program is a unique opportunity for successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences from both a business and a personal perspective. In addition to the typical challenges of starting a business, gay and lesbian entrepreneurs encounter unique issues related to the interaction between their business and personal lives, and the StartOut Major Speakers Program is designed to provide the platform whereby entrepreneurs can discuss how these elements interact for them.
Ultimately, the Major Speakers Program is an opportunity to bring forward the best role models the LGBT community has to offer in the field of entrepreneurship. By having them tell their stories, they will act to inspire both aspiring and existing entrepreneurs who are in the process of building their own businesses, and will promote visible role models of LGBT entrepreneurship to the broader business community.