StartUp Week Worcester, a multi-day event highlighting the growing local entrepreneurial scene, is back for its second year, with an expanded lineup of programming and two new competitors in its collegiate pitch competition.
Scheduled for April 7-9, StartUp Week Worcester will feature an innovation crawl featuring prominent local companies, as well as six workshops and the annual WooTank Intercollegiate Pitch Competition.
The workshops will guide participants through moving their entrepreneurial ideas past the idea stage, securing funding, and moving products from the prototype stage and into production, among other topics. The innovation crawl will feature a bus trip across the Worcester area to businesses and nonprofits like Westborough-based manufacturer Coghlin Cos., Worcester’s UMass Chan Medical School, and the Worcester Regional Food Hub.
StartUp Week Worcester is presented by Auxilium, an innovation studio and accelerator program launched by Rucker Investments Founder and Worcester Railers Owner Cliff Rucker in January 2025. The first StartUp Week was held last year.
“StartUp Week Worcester is an opportunity to bring the community together and highlight the innovation happening across the region,” Zachary Dutton, executive director of Auxilium Worcester, said in a Tuesday press release announcing the 2026 lineup. “The week is about showcasing the ecosystem, creating connections, and supporting founders at every stage of their journey.”
The WooTank Intercollegiate Pitch Competition, first held in 2024, will include competitors from two new higher education institutions, as young entrepreneurs from Worcester’s Assumption University and Quinsigamond Community College will join the fray. Last year’s event led to $15,000 being awarded to six startups. The event will take place at 5 p.m. on April 7 at Off The Rails restaurant in Downtown Worcester.
More information can be found at the StartUp Week Worcester website. Tickets for the innovation crawl are $50 and include transportation and lunch. The rest of the week’s programming is free to attend.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Worcester Business Journal is a sponsor of StartUp Week Worcester.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
