What is Startup Weekend?
Startup Weekend is an intense event bringing brilliant tech minds together to create a company from concept to launch over a weekend!
What is the weekend like?
The weekend is fun, mentally simulating and always profitable (2 of those are true)! It starts Friday at 6pm and finishes up Sunday at 6pm, the hours in between are up to the community. Startup Weekend gets everyone in the same room, sometimes clothes and always feeds. What is next is really up to the people that show up, it is your drive and passion that will lead the weekend.
How did it Start?
One night at dinner, two entrepreneur friends Danny Newman and Stan James discussed how they missed collaborating on projects with others now they were working on bigger projects, later David Cohen and Joe Scharf pushed founder Andrew Hyde to take the concept into reality.
What is the agenda?
Have you ever worked at a startup? Startup Weekends don’t really have agendas, just general times when the building is open for everyone to meet and work. If you are an agenda driven person, Startup Weekend might not be for you. You make the agenda based on the people, ideas and mood.
Is the expectation to launch a startup in one weekend?
That is generally the goal but launching and incorporating are totally up to the teams that are put together at the start of the event.
Multiple startups?
Yes. Depending on the number of attendees your number of projects will vary but typically 6-9 are formed in a given weekend
How are details like legal, ownership, members etc handled?
The people working on the products will determine these issues during the weekend. Startup Weekend, LLC will not retain ownership of any company coming out of the weekend and does not issue any shares.
Is everyone who attends a participant?
Again, this will be determined by the participants.
What happens once the weekend ends?
Above all, we hope that a strong community bond will form. Beyond that, it depends on the group. Past weekends have seen groups work beyond the weekend and continue to build and market their products.
Aren’t people concerned about someone running away with their idea?
Given the nature of the event, and the fact that it will be live twittered/blogged/streamed etc., trade secrets will be difficult to enforce. We suggest that if you have an idea that you don’t want taken, then don’t present them
Do You Sleep At the Event?
Yes. Definitely. Generally the hours are Friday from 6-10pm, Saturday from 9am-9pm and Sunday from 9am-6pm. If you have reasons to be away during the weekends, by all means feel free to do so (kids soccer game, dinner with the Prime Minister, etc).
Who Runs Startup Weekend?
Startup Weekend LLC is run by the community supporting entrepreneurship. Every weekend has a facilitator that is approved by Startup Weekend, LLC.
Is Startup Weekend a Company?
Yes, Startup Weekend is a startup in its own. The company and Trademark are used to make sure the quality of each Startup Weekend.
Can I sponsor the Weekend?
Yes you can, in two ways. You can be a local sponsor for one weekend or a national sponsor for all the weekends. Email andrew@startupweekend.com to discuss.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Aaron // Jun 29, 2008 at 1:30 am
Keep me posted
thanks..
Bostic@indy.rr.com
2 Dave // Aug 28, 2008 at 12:15 am
What about product marketing?!?! The only marketing function you have “on staff” is PR, which (does involve strategy but) is far more tactical than the truly strategic work of a product marketer to determine (1) who’s buying and selling the widget, and (2) the go-to-market plan (which, btw, includes PR).
3 admin // Aug 28, 2008 at 11:14 am
The categories for registration are really just to get a feel for who will be attending and what roles we have filled. They are not restrictive by any means and you’re welcome to try anything! Typically the marketing gurus end up in PR or Business Development.
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