Denver Startup Week organizers Monday announced online retail platform giant Amazon agreed to serve as title/headquarters sponsor for the 10th event, scheduled for October.

The popular event, which was held completely virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is scheduled for Oct. 4-8. Live events and networking return to the 2021 event, but plans also call for a lot of virtual content.

“Throughout the economic downturn, in Colorado and across the country, we’ve seen countless Americans turn to entrepreneurship to replace lost income,” said Brittany Morris Saunders, Amazon’s Denver Sr. Manger of External Affairs, in a statement. “The education, training, and guidance that Denver Startup Week provides entrepreneurs is more important than ever as businesses begin rebounding from difficult times, and as new businesses emerge and grow.”

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The event has grown to one of the largest in the nation, according to the Downtown Denver Partnership, and it remains free to participate. Programming is “centered on the entrepreneurial community with an emphasis in technology, design, social entrepreneurship, manufacturing and business,” according to DDP.

Amazon, with some 36,000 small and medium businesses and authors using the platform to sell products, has been growing its Colorado presence for years, with regional office space in Boulder and distribution centers either opened or being built up and down the Front Range.

“We are thrilled to partner with Amazon to deliver our entrepreneurial ecosystem the best content and experience to date,” said Tami Door, President and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership and co-founder of Denver Startup Week, in a statement. “As Amazon continues to grow their footprint here in Denver with over 16,000 employees already in the market, we’re proud to be partners in continuing to grow Denver Startup Week.”

Denver Startup Week Organizing Committee Monday also opened the call for session idea submissions. The sessions “are meant to serve entrepreneurs, empower businesses, provide much-needed inspiration, and strengthen the community.” Proposals, which can be submitted to DenverStartupWeek.org, are due by June 11.

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“Denver Startup Week is a weeklong event that is truly for the community, by the community,” said Co-founder Ben Deda, CEO of FoodMaven, in a statement. “Over the past decade, this event has become nationally recognized as the week each year where entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country can come together to showcase their best ideas and leadership. Never has this convening been more important than this year as we look to economic recovery and supporting small and emerging businesses. This year is set to be a groundbreaking tenth year for Denver Startup Week.”