Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur?
The professional and personal challenges, the high and lows, the failures and the success?
Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 400 past events in 100 countries around the world in 2011.
The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle, Washington but Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa to London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.
All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.
Whether entrepreneurs found companies, find a cofounder, meet someone new, or learn a skill far outside their usual 9-to-5, everyone is guaranteed to leave the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups. If you want to put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, register now for the best weekend of your life!
Prizes
The winner will automatically be eligible as a “semi-finalist” for the TechLaunch LaunchPad 2 program. The team will receive 2 hours of legal counsel from SorinRand and 2 hours of accounting services from WeiserMazars. In addition, DirectNorth will provide 20 hours worth of software development and agile coaching for the winning team. The team will receive 1 year of free cloud services from hosting.com (a $6,000+ value). They will receive 5 hours of business consulting from COO on Demand and 3 days of Private Window Office use plus 3 hours of conference room use @ Morristown Workplaces ($700 value). 1 year subscription to Apstrata for up to 100,000 users of an app ($10,000+).
2nd Place: 3 hours of business consulting from COO on Demand. Also, 2 days of Private Window Office use plus 2 hours of conference room use ($450 value). 6 month subscription to Apstrata for up to 100,000 users of an app ($5000+ value).
3rd Place: 1 hour of business consulting from COO on Demand. Also, 1 day of Private Window Office use plus 1 hour of conference room use ($225 value) 6 month subscription to Apstrata for up to 100,000 users of an app ($5000+ value).
*All attendees receive a 3 month SEO software package from SEOmoz (a $300 value).
