Sesame Summit 2026 – application open

2020 Has Been Fucking Amazing! – Selected

Well here we are friends. The closing moments of 2020. It’s been … ummm … Zoomtastic(?)

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Before we head out (in?) for the year, I wanted to share with ya’ll some numbers, our top performers, and One Last Thought. Enjoy!

Events

While we weren’t able to travel and attend some of our favorite industry events this year, they didn’t disappear. By far.

Running the numbers on our Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship calendars (tracked from our launch on the 1st of October):

  • Total Number of Venture Capital Events: 101
  • Total Number of Entrepreneurship Events: 129

Weekly Averages:

  • 5 Venture Capital events / week
  • 7 Entrepreneurship events / week

Monthly averages:

  • 29 Venture Capital events / month
  • 37 Entrepreneurship events / month

Busiest Day:

  • 16 November – 19 Concurrent Events

Average Ticket Price (including free events):

  • 300€

With all things considered, not bad at all. And let’s be honest, how many of them did you know about?

With an average of 66 events/month that’s simply impossible to keep track of. Unless of course you’re Selected.

The Selected by Sesamers Top 5 Greatest Hits

Two recurring themes: Positivity and Solidarity.

5. It’s ALL about the community.

Ben broke it down. From what a community isn’t, to why event organizers understood they need(ed) to become communities, to why investors are clamoring for communities and startups that built a following that goes beyond business.

Why Building an Event Community is Important in 2020 – Ben Costantini
Why are events launching communities in 2020? Are they even communities? And what does it mean for your business?
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4. Live events are much more than just content!

Contributor Yvan Boudillet checks in from his intersection of technology and live music. He emphasizes that the experience must be paramount to the actual product; be it a rock band or a VC, it’s more than just content.

Virtual Conferences and Concerts
I used to be a globe-trotter; travelling from tech conferences to showcase festivals. As the CEO of a strategic advisory company specialized in Music & Technology, I used those events as a platform. First of all to meet people but also to learn, test, be inspired and stay ahead of the curve.
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3. Paul converts his home office into his home studio?!?

Keynote speaker and MC, Paul Papadimitriou walked us through his process of converting his home office in his home TV studio. Timely advice and instructions in a Zoom filled world. Sidenote: The Selected Podcast Episode 004.

Creating a Home Studio by Paul Papadimitriou – Selected
When COVID hit, I knew immediately everything had changed. My life had been relying on air travel for more than 12 years, living in different cities around the world, from Tokyo to London, making 80 trips a year, mostly long haul, tons of miles, tons of trees planted, tons of memories created.
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2. Well we caused a bit of a stir with this one, didn’t we?

What started out as a LinkedIn musing from Ben, developed into a positioning of The Human Element of Business. … And Anna explained why online events are like masturbation.

Remote Events: Dope or Nope – Selected
Online/remote/virtual events. Are they even events? Some say yes! Others say yes? I say nope. Let me explain how having events online is exactly like having sex online.
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1. Your resource for 2021 – Events & Conferences

No surprise here: you asked for it, you got it! Not only our most viewed article to date, but also the one we’ve received the most requests for. We’re happy to be your go-to source when it comes to the best of the best listings for 2021.

Note: This list serves as a living document, and will be updated regularly.

Top 60 startup events & conferences in 2021 – Selected
Well we all learned how to use Zoom in 2020, didn’t we? So much so that Zoomitis has become a word. Here’s looking forward to 2021.
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One Last Thought

This was sent to me by a friend at JUST the right moment. Hold on to this:

You’ve been incarnated at one of the most intense times of human history. During this time, you’re navigating your foreign status, freelance work & the implications of being an adult during a global pandemic, whilst inhabiting a 3 dimensional body with a nervous system that is wired to be triggered & overwhelmed by the environment it occupies & the people in it (did I mention inherited ancestral trauma). But still, you’re showing up to this challenge, showing up for friends with grace and humility. That my friend, deserves self-appreciation and celebration. So please take a moment to honor the person doing the miraculous job of surviving the shit-fit being thrown at you.

Be well friends. 2021 might not be much better, but we’re all moving forward.

Together.


Lead Image provided via EFF Photos under the CC-BY License.

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