What Is Startup Weekend?

What is Startup Weekend?

Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities. Come share ideas, form teams, and launch startups.

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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!

Schedule

Friday

Apr 12
  • Registration & Check-In
  • Dinner & Networking
  • Welcome & Speaker
  • Pitches Start
  • Attendees vote for the top ideas
  • Teams start forming and discussing ideas
  • Start to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. Be honest, and direct about what resources and skills are needed for the weekend. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

Saturday

Apr 13
  • Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • Teams formed and setting up workspace for the weekend
  • Lunch
  • Call for needs & skills
  • Coaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
  • Dinner
  • Mid weekend check-in, status reports, call for help
  • Finished for the day. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

Sunday

Apr 14
  • Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • Call for help (this is self motivated, so don’t be shy)
  • Lunch
  • Coaches arrive… ASK QUESTIONS
  • Gut check. Start prepping for presentations
  • Dinner
  • FINAL PRESENTATIONS
  • Judging & awards
  • Wrapup
  • Go home!
Speakers

Chris Franz

Chris has founded, invested in, and mentored more than 20 high technology startups, focusing on software, data center, and defense electronics technologies. He has served on numerous start-up and non-profit boards to drive the entrepreneurial ecosystem including the board of Startup Colorado, Startup Colorado Springs, and Peak Venture Group

Judges

Jan Horsfall

Jan Horsfall, currently Co-Chairman of Startup Colorado and was the former VP of Consumer Brand Strategy for Valvoline, SVP of Marketing of Lycos, CMO at Turbine, Inc. Founder and CMO of many other firms over the past 20+ years. Jan sits on the boards of the CSU College of Business as well as many Colorado Springs based companies. Jan resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, and five children. He enjoys all of the steps in growing a business

Jeff Chapman

Jeff has over 30 years of experience in product development, enterprise architecture planning and product planning and management. He currently provides consulting services in Strategic Planning, focused on new products and business formation. He has had roles both as an internal and independent consultant in the high tech, software and telecom industries. As Vice President of Product Management at Intelliden, Inc. he was responsible for all product and business planning and definition from startup of the company, and assisted closely in the initial funding process. As Chief Application Architect at MCI he led the Enterprise Architecture and Planning team

Coaches

Dan Macfayden

CEO -Stori

I'm the founder of Stori, a location-based social media app that is currently in development and I run a design company called Bombproof Design. I've worked on three startups and specialize in design, UI/UX, marketing and business development. I also have a knack for presenting ideas. I'm passionate about building beautiful products really fast.

Bryan Lee

President - Oscium

Bryan is a serial entrepreneur. Throughout his entire career, he has been either 100% commissioned or self-employed. Currently, he is the President of a small tech company called Oscium. Bryan won an R&D 100 award in 2012, which recognized his company’s iPad oscilloscope as one of the 100 most technologically significant products of the year. He also holds a B.S. in Finance from The Master’s College and an executive MBA from the University of Denver.

Leif Ullman

CEO - KidReports

Leif is CEO and head of software development for KidReports. Leif brings over 15 years of software development experience, primarily focused on US Department of Defense and other advanced military and intelligence applications. He holds a B.S in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics from the University of Colorado. In addition, Leif received his Executive MBA from the University of Denver. Leif is married with two young children and enjoys the Colorado outdoors.

Organizers
Ian Lee
Nick Lee
Jon Rossi
Chris Franz
Courtney Thurman
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Resources

by swcoloradosprings

Startup Weekend attendees get access to an amazing pool of resources to help them develop their ideas. Here are just a few [...]

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