Techstars Partnerships to Accelerate Ecosystems

Meet Joe Sanchez & Erik Mitisek

Joe Sanchez leads Techstars' partnerships across North America. Techstars is the world's most active seed stage investor. As a business development and partnerships leader, Joe is focused on driving innovation in tech startups and global ecosystems. He has led accelerator programs and forged collaborations with corporates, investors, and governments across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia to bring new technologies to market and scale entrepreneurial growth.

Erik Mitisek is a connector, giver, and supporter of all things, Entrepreneurship. Over the last twenty years, he created, launched and built five companies from inception has always worked for or been a founder leading companies with heart and inspiring colleagues to be the best versions of themselves.

Currently, he is a Senior Advisor to the CEO of Techstars - the world’s original mentor-driven accelerator, building the world’s most powerful network for founders.

His last project, Highwing, was working to revolutionize the 200-year-old insurance industry by creating a 21st century transaction platform – to modernize the industry. The company was sold in June of 2025.

When not building companies, Erik can be found building the innovation community in Colorado. He started Denver Startup Week (now the largest event of its kind), started the Commons on Champa (a community for underserved entrepreneurs), served Senator Hickenlooper as Chief Innovation Officer when he was Governor, created an innovation thinktank at the University of Denver, and most recently, started EnergizeColorado to help the Colorado business community recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic while also serving on Mayor Hancock’s Small Business Recovery Task Force.

Erik lives to bring happiness to those around him by connecting dots, believing in their aspirations, and helping them materialize their future. As a rare four sector executive having had leadership roles in the private sector, government, non-profit sector and academia, he has the ability to bring together people and projects – to leave the community a better place.

The Discussion. This series of hybrid events is perfect for budding entrepreneurs, experienced executive-mentors cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset, early stage investors, and students exploring innovative product design.

At each session, business founders serve as guest speakers sharing about their career, their firm's business model, as well as the successes and challenges in the product development process. Participants learn from the speakers’ experiences, discuss valuable insights, and connect with other entrepreneurs, students, faculty, and investors.

Logistics. A light lunch is served, as entrepreneurs connect with one another, learn from peers, and contribute to the conversation:

• Friday, September 19th
• 11:30am EST - Coffee & Connection
• 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST - Presentation & Discussion

No pre-registration is required. Join us:

Robins School of Business
102 UR Drive, iLab Room 123
University of Richmond, VA 23173

Parking. Free parking is available in the U5 and U6 lots immediately adjacent to the Robins School. Please enter the main foyer, turn to the left and proceed to room 123 (EY Innovation Lab) on the ground floor.

Please note that visitors have a two hour parking window.

Please sign in when you enter the room, providing your license plate number.

On Zoom Webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83836020707