Vancouver Startup Weekend, October 8-10!
Great news for folks in the greater Vancouver region! In October, Startup Weekend will visit the fine city of Vancouver for the very first time!
Now, you might be wondering, “What is Startup Weekend and why should I care?” The basic premise for Startup Weekend is simple:
- Pitch on Friday Night
- Work with your team on Saturday
- Present your product Sunday
For inspiration, the organizers invite folks who have lived the startup experience to attend, provide guidance, and inspire attendees to be awesome. For feedback, they also organize a list of judges to evaluate the ideas being presented. All-in-all, it makes for a pretty wicked event. From the group’s about page:
Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists and more to a 54-hour event that builds communities, companies and projects. It is an amazing opportunity to connect with other passionate and skilled individuals, and perhaps even find a co-founder or two to transform your idea into reality.
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About 1/3 of your communities brightest will have 60-90 seconds to present ideas for new startup ventures, we then crowd source the favorites and form teams around those ideas. Teams are between 4-10 people, and consist of about 50% technical people and 50% non-technical. You then spend the entire weekend getting advice from professional mentors, and building a proof of concept, demo, or sometimes even a finished product.
Startup Weekend embodies the culture around all things related to startups. It brings together developers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts - from all walks of life - to meet and have fruitful discussions. Providing a forum like this is intentional; the goal is to spawn new ventures by the end of the weekend. As a huge fan of Scott Joplin, I can’t help but to include the promo that Startup Weekend includes on its site:
If you’re in the greater Vancouver area and you are inspired to meet up with a group of your startup brothers and sisters, I’d recommend giving this event some serious consideration. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Startup Weekend Vancouver will also feature a turkey dinner to honour Canada’s Thanksgiving? (Yes, there will be gravy.) Students can register for just $40! And if that’s not enough to change your mind, perhaps this will: If you register for Startup Weekend Vancouver with the discount code, JohnFriends you’ll save 20% off the ticket price!
Finally, if you’re a startup, you really need to check out BizSpark from Microsoft. BizSpark is designed to help accelerate the success of entrepreneurs and early-stage startups globally. The program provides fast and easy access to current, full-featured software development tools and platforms, and a connection to over 2,000 BizSpark Network Partners - including university incubators, hosters, government agencies, investors, consultants and financial institutions – all with a common goal of supporting entrepreneurship.
Vancouver Startup Weekend: October 8-10. Your peers, your ideas, your Next Big Thing. Oh, and turkey. What could be better?