Why Join Our Slack Community

Reasons to join our Slack Community:

• Connect with DMV founders, investors, experts, and ecosystem partners to support you in building your startup

• Receive alerts and announcements on upcoming events, networking happy hours, and resources from the community.

• Network to find the people and resources you need to grow your startup.

• Entrepreneurship is never meant to be done alone. Find your community and collaborate to solve entrepreneurship’s biggest challenges.

How to Use Slack

First-time Slack user? Here’s how to use the tool and get the most out of it:

Getting Started:

• Once you receive your invite key, click in and create your profile. You’ll want to download the Slack desktop app and/or the iOS or Android mobile app. This will help you stay signed in and stay on top of community discussions and event updates.

• You’ll be automatically added to the most relevant channels upon sign-up. However, you’re encouraged to hit the + sign next to “Channels” and join any others that you can add or get value from. 

• Once you’re in, make sure you complete your profile information so people know who you are. Most importantly, you’ll need to change your display name to your first and last name. Then, be sure to add a profile picture and fill out the rest of the relevant fields. 

• Once your profile is complete, head over to the #introduce-yourself channel and tell the community that you’re here! It can’t hurt to include a little bit about yourself and a link to your LinkedIn profile either. 

• Want to start a 1:1 conversation with someone? Hit the + button next to “Direct Messages” on the left pane and search a name or email address. 

• For more details on general Slack usage, visit their Help Center.

Community Rules

We take safety and inclusivity seriously at DC Startup Week. If our admins notice any behavior in the community that can be interpreted as offensive, degrading, or inappropriate, we reserve the right to delete your post or deactivate your account without notice.

What Will Get You Booted: 

• Rude or offensive comments (including graphic content or nudity)

• Using the community to sell your solution or services

• Anything that can be interpreted as "spamming"

Community Guidelines:

• Approach conversations with empathy and support

• Assume others’ best intentions

• Remember that we were all entry-level professionals at one point

• Last but not least, use @here sparingly

Our team loves to hear feedback. If you have any questions, suggestions, or requests regarding the DC Startup Week Community or our Slack workspace, please don't hesitate to reach out to info@dcstartupweek.org.