Startup425 is an alliance of five cities – Kirkland, Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond and Renton – which have joined forces to foster diversity and creativity within the greater Eastside business community. Startup425 focuses on growing and sustaining small businesses of all types, with a sharp focus on underserved businesses owned by women, veterans, minorities and People of Color. Startup425 hosts and facilitates a number of programs and events which are held throughout the year, aimed at both early-stage and mid-stage startups and entrepreneurs. Visit the Startup425 website for more details about our programs and offerings, which currently take place in the "virtual" realm in the form of Zoom classes and webinars.
Startup425 is administered by the City of Kirkland.
Startup425 Website
Startup425 Mission:
Startup425's mission is "to provide access to tools that experienced workers, students, and entrepreneurs need to go from idea to working business in a successful, sustainable manner. We lower the barriers to entry for non-traditional and first-time founders. This keeps our ecosystem diverse, encourages spontaneous collaboration, and provides pathways to prosperity for our whole community.
The talented individuals working at Eastside institutions like Microsoft, Google, Boeing, Valve, and others create an energy where innovation is the norm, entrepreneurship is the goal, and building the future is the outcome."
Programs and Opportunities:
Small Business Essentials
Boost Your Business
Innovation Lab
Become an Innovation Lab Mentor
Fall 2021 Foundations happening October and November 2021!
(re)Startup425
With the deep impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business community, the Startup425 partnership recognized the need to aid in the economic relief of our region. The (re)Startup425 Business Response Team was launched in 2020 to help businesses navigate their financial options in terms of COVID-19 relief funding. (re)Startup425 is a parallel effort that works in concert with Startup425 to target specific COVID-19 impacts. Our goal is to help Eastside businesses survive and thrive in the face of the pandemic. To better facilitate this work, the Business Response Team partnered with Business Impact NW, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) dedicated to serving underbanked entrepreneurs. Business Impact NW provides coaching, classes, and access to capital to community small businesses, with an emphasis on working with traditionally underserved populations – entrepreneurial low/moderate income earners, women, BIPOC, veterans, immigrants or members of the LGBTQ+ community.
This partnership has broadened (re)Startup425's ability to help Eastside businesses. Reach out today for free one-on-one advising by local experts who can help with small business resilience.
(re)Startup425 Website
Business Response Team