18. Lake Wales Startups
Lake Wales needs a place where people building things can find one another. That is the purpose of Lake Wales Startups. It is the local founder layer, not a replacement for the government offices above.
Startup Night is deliberately informal: founders, students, business owners, professionals, developers, creators, mentors and people with ideas at the same tables. It meets monthly at The Thirsty Dragon, 126 N. 1st Street, downtown. It is free. Somebody should be able to show up with nothing more than "I have an idea" and leave knowing a person who can help with the next step.
Founder Lab: February 26 to 28, 2027
For people who want to go deeper, Lake Wales Startups is running a small Founder Lab weekend.
- February 26 to 28, 2027, at Downtown Pizza in Lake Wales
- Free, by application
- 20 participants at most
- About 20 mentors, four judges, one MC and five organizers
- Four meals together over the weekend, inside the restaurant's normal hours. It does not open early.
The point is not a giant conference. It is a small group around real ideas for a whole weekend: validate, build, question assumptions, work with mentors, and present what was learned.
Applications are not open yet. When they open, the apply link and the participation rules will be on the Lake Wales Startups site. Younger participants may need guardian consent, and Startup Night and Founder Lab do not necessarily have the same admission rules.