One question on the minds of many is “What will the future of Startup Weekend look like?”.
The answer is quite simple…. VERY EXCITING.
Startup Weekend is a truly amazing thing. The community it builds can’t be beat, the ideas that come out of it are amazing, and the entire concept is truly revolutionary.
When I found out about coming on board I was ecstatic. Next my mind started filling with a plethora of new ideas and I literally told Andrew I had to stop doing what I was doing and run to my whiteboard and start putting them down.
As I type this I look up at that whiteboard and I see a large mix of ideas and I can feel a sense of enthusiasm that I don’t think I could ever get with another project.
I’ve already plotted out a large list of places that I want to visit, and a large list of people I want to meet. The City Vote section of our website is one of the most powerful aspects and enables you fine people to vote directly on the cities that you’d like to see Startup Weekend at. I’d HIGHLY encourage you to take a look at the amazing selection of cities that are up for voting and if you see one you’d be interested in attending vote for it. If you have a new suggestion that isn’t up for voting please email me directly at ray@startupweekend.com and I’ll get it up for votes.
Speaking of emailing me directly I’d love to hear what you are thinking about Startup Weekend. I will always reply to your messages and am very open to new ideas, concepts, and even just a good chat at any time. Again the email address is ray@startupweekend.com.
I’m going to be streamlining the process of information dissemination coming out of our weekends so that those of you startup enthusiasts and Startup Weekend fans can get a nearly first-person experience online if you can’t make it to a particular Startup Weekend. I’ll be posting more information on the exact details over the upcoming weeks but I promise you that it’ll be rockin’.
Startup Weekend is an amazing event for building community, finding co-founders and finding a challenge for yourself. The new format has proven itself to be a powerful change and I have every intention on continuing the success that we found it had at Boulder this year. The idea of allowing multiple groups, projects, and even companies is a powerful new format. Letting people decide at the event what they are doing, who they are doing it with, and how they will do it truly allows for some amazing new things to come out of the weekend.
To that end a complete overhaul of the Startup Weekend Founders Agreement is underway. No longer are weekends constrained to giving up equity to Startup Weekend nor are they detained on how they will divide equity up on companies and projects to whom they want… the group members will be able to determine the solution that will work best for them.
This is truly a powerful change because it allows the groups to determine how they want to go about forming a company, organization, or group. We are simply enabling them a place to finally work on new ideas, concepts, improve previous ideas, and gain insight on what startup life entails. I’ll explain these changes in the near future on an upcoming post.
Also I am proud to announce we have launched a new web based community for people from previous weekends, current weekends, and future weekends to meet, speak, plan and more. I’m really excited about this because it will finally give like-minded people a place to speak, and it will help make the planning and execution of the weekends easier for those involved. Not to mention how it’ll be a great direct line for me to get in touch with people who have ideas on where Startup Weekend should be going. If you have ideas for categories you’d like to see added please suggest them on the new community.
I’ve got plenty of ideas where we can take Startup Weekend and with the suggestions of the community we hope to build out even more.
iPhone app that does a location based updates for you to find friends or events. Uses the Google Maps feature as well as its own. Think of dodgeball, twitter, a GPS and an iPhone in a blender… will it blend?
Originally pitched as a joke, Web2Splash creates a splash page and email collection for new startups needing a quick online presence. The two founders are looking to create a customizable backend so you can upload your logo, pick your layout and collect email addresses of people who are interested in what you are up to.
EcoBox
High level concept for a EcoBox, a containerized emergency generator.
IMDB for Podcasting
A simple, targeted idea, create a way for personalities to list which podcasts they have been on, and who the crew was as well. Look for it to expand to social media as well. Guy Kawasaki said this one has legs, we will see where the one person founder Andy Stanberry does with it.
Think of it as insurance for your website, HItsurance is there when your website goes down due to high traffic. It replaces your site with an email form and an explanation that the site is down due to high traffic, and hitsurance can email you when the site goes back up. They produced some great blog posts as well.
Take Startup Weekend, take out the creating a company part, and make the event two hours long, add a dash of your favorite libation and you have Startup Drinks. A drinking club with a startup problem, Startup Drinks aims to get extremely busy startup folks together to have a pint and talk about what they have done, what they need help with and what they help each other out with.
Not really a company here, but a really cool project. It was a brilliant experiment, using all forms of social media to report on an event. Laura (@pistachio) asked some friends to video conference in to talk to the other companies created during the weekend about their products. Guests included Loic Le Meur, Guy Kawasaki, Eric Litman, Jeff Pulver, and Stowe Boyd.Check out their website to see all the amazing content they produced.
All in all the new concept is here to stay. I was able to run some personal projects by some brilliant minds, gather some important feedback and most importantly, come away inspired and excited about life in the tech field.
The new format is a hit. The same passionate and in depth conversations are happening. Everyone is developing a new startup concept (with the goal of having the idea, model and prototype by the end of the weekend), or are walking around and tasting what a bunch of different startups are like.
Because of this, progress is being made on current startups as well as creating new startups.
Cofounders are meeting. The community is getting stronger. This is the main goal of the weekend, glad to see it working so well.
We have quite a few students tagging along with startup veterans (I wish I could have done this while I was in school!).
Reed Foehl came and played a 3 song acoustic set, and was a huge hit. This is one of the amazing musicians that SMTVmusic.com has provided to the weekend.
Laura and Tara are doing an amazing job with MediaCasters.tv, doing a very interesting experiment of using utterz, ustream, seesmic, blogtv, and twitter to give up to the minute updates and live video coverage of the event. I think they are doing an amazing job, you? Thank you to pulver.tv for sponsoring this aspect of the weekend!
Six people have flown or driven quite a distance to be here (one driving from Indiana)
We were front page news for the two local daily papers. Fun to see a social media geek get something on an old media front page.
The Weekend’s first lifecaster came in and started up some amazing conversation, which built up because there was interaction happening at home (contradicting my dislike of live video). It was very cool seeing the interaction of the at home community.
It looks like there will be 8 substantial projects coming out of the weekend. I will write up a few of them tomorrow, when they launch (oh, no, did I just jinx it?).
I’m sure you’ve heard all the typical reasons to live in Colorado before. However, you might not know what it’s like to work for a startup here in Boulder, let alone head your own. Lucky for those of us already involved in the local startup scene (and those looking to be) the best reasons to live here transfer to the working culture in their entirety with the added benefits of Boulder’s own element of flair. Outside of the Valley and the Boston area, Boulder is often mentioned as one of the top cities for starting a business (at least in the tech industry). Offering access to a young, but intelligent population and the experience of seasoned angel investors and venture capitalists, this area is an excellent choice as a place to launch your next great idea or find a new job. Taking a tour of local startups it’s not uncommon to see company ski passes hanging outside the rec room, an occasional Wii tennis match in progress, or the requisite foosball table(s).
The quality of life attracts a good number of the best and brightest and Forbes agrees with Boulder topping their list of the smartest cities in the US. Even more compelling, recent research shows that socially liberal locales tend to drive innovation and enable creativity - this city certainly falls into that category. It seems as if everyone here is involved in something new and intriguing, evident by the growing popularity of the numerous events each month. Staying connected or getting involved is simple with the morning coffee meets and open forums for discussion, the more structured New Tech meetups where new companies or people with cool ideas can give presentations, or a green tech event everywhere you look. We even even have our own clothing line for venture capitalists and investors!
The original Startup Weekend was held here, and it’s come full circle.. back to where it all began, though this time with a twist. The format’s been changed up, rather than focus one one company and one idea we’ll be working on starting up many projects and companies (as many as the group desires). Come experience Boulder’s startup scene with the perfect venue - the Second Boulder Startup Weekend starts at 6pm today. Missed it the first time around - won’t make that mistake again. See you there.
Full of great ideas, but just can’t seem to get started? Got loads of talent, but haven’t a clue where to begin? Maybe just looking for something new and different to do with your weekend?
Join over 75 entrepreneurs, software developers, and creatives for Boulder’s second Startup Weekend March 21st - 23rd.
15 Weekends have come and gone with basically the exact same format.
It all started in Boulder, and it is only fitting that we try something new for the second weekend to come through this great city.
So now we launch the marketing term Startup Weekend 2.0 for our weekend. Startup Weekend is an amazing event for building community, finding cofounders and finding a challenge for yourself. Looking back over the past weekends there is a huge opportunity to build on our strengths by changing around the format.
The main changes are:
Multiple Projects
As a group we are no longer working on just one company. If a group of seven, one or 45 for that matter wants to tackle a project or start a company, fantastic. The community will take charge here, but nothing will be decided until Friday night. All equity decisions will be made at the event.
Build on a Project
An existing company can recruit a few some brilliant tech minds to spend two hours with working to make their project stronger.
No Company Required
Every project will be different, but there will be no requirement to incorporate a company
We are going to try this model out this weekend, and really listen to the community to see how it goes, at the Boulder Startup Weekend, taking place this Friday at 6pm in room S125 at the Leeds Business School building at the University of Colorado, Boulder. If you have not registered you can still get a ticket and see who is coming on the registration page.
One of the great things I love about living in Boulder is the amount of humble talent that is around town. I ran into Ginnie Meyers of BizChicks at a party last week and we started talking about our current businesses and state of entrepreneurship and startups (both loves of ours). I asked her if she could help answer some questions. Hope you enjoy Ginnie’s thoughtful answers.
I have written about the accessibility of entrepreneurship and lack of women in technology being a problem, what has been your experience?
I do not consider myself a tech-savvy person. That being said, I have come to the conclusion that a lack of a presence of women in the tech sector is a result of the socialization of young women away from technology. We (women) are told that we can be good artists, writers, caregivers and elementary school teachers, but society makes us less inclined to take on the role of a programmer, scientist or tech entrepreneur.
You worked with the Techstars program last year, what did you learn? Being the only girl in the program, did you have any negative experiences?
Coming in to Techstars, I had very little exposure to the opportunities of the tech industry. I come from a business background, so most of what I learned pertained to technology.
While working for Techstars this summer, I was treated with the utmost respect. Being the only woman had no impact on the way that I was treated by the Techstars founders and investors.
Would you recommend the startup world to other females? What is the biggest drawback?
The start-up world is not for everyone. It requires an adventurous personality. However, for those women who might be entrepreneurialy-inclined, the tech sector has some of the biggest potential pecuniary rewards.
What is the biggest positive?
For me: freedom.
What are you currently working on to boost female participation in tech?
My focus is not on boosting female participation in technology, per se. I look to encourage female participation in business, through BizChicks™. However, we have had a trend of tech entrepreneurs coming to speak to the BizChicks™ recently, including Terry Gold, the President of Gold Systems and Lucy Sanders, the founder of the National Center for Women Information Technology (NCWIT).
What needs to happen for more females to get involved? What is your theory on why the percentages are so low?
There needs to be a societal shift away from conventional gender roles. At a very young age, women need to be encouraged to take advanced math and computer science courses and to not shy away from the more male-dominated classrooms. The biggest shift needs to be in parents’ and teachers’ thought toward women in technology (and the sciences).
Does being a female in tech open doors or close them?
I think it opens them. More and more, we are becoming a society controlled by our technology. We are at the point that no one can avoid technology, from cell phones to laptops, every industry has become a tech industry. Even if a woman is not a programmer or a techie, having an understanding of the fundamentals of tech are essential to success in any field.
As for being a female in the tech sector, I think more and more companies are looking for women to create an androgynous perspective of their products. It is a very good time for women to pursue tech.
What are your plans post college?
Since I graduated in May, I have been working with the BizChicks™, trying to franchise the organization to schools beyond CU- Boulder. I have also been working for Search to Phone™, Inc., working on miscellaneous finance, marketing and biz dev projects. I will be moving to London in the coming weeks to pursue investment banking.
Thanks again Ginnie! I hope to do this more on different topics.
Ever since Startup Weekend Houston there has been talks about doing another weekend back in Texas. There is an amazing amount of drive and talent in the region, the perfect mix for a Startup Weekend.
The wait has been too long, but the San Antonio Startup Weekend will take place on May 16-18th. We will be hosted by the great folks at the San Antonio Technology Center.
Friday at 6pm- 10pm
Saturday 9am-midnight
Sunday 9am-9pm
Hope to see you all there!
Jennifer Navarrete has done a fantastic job of setting up and getting they community together. If you want to help put everything together, drop a comment and we let you know what we need help with.
Thinking of flying in from out of town? Many are, you can leave a comment if you need a host or just want to meet some of the nice folk in Texas.
iPhone app that does a location based updates for you to find friends or events. Uses the Google Maps feature as well as its own. Think of dodgeball, twitter, a GPS and an iPhone in a blender… will it blend?
Think of it as insurance for your website, HItsurance is there when your website goes down due to high traffic. It replaces your site with an email form and an explanation that the site is down due to high traffic, and hitsurance can email you when the site goes back up. They produced some 
Take Startup Weekend, take out the creating a company part, and make the event two hours long, add a dash of your favorite libation and you have Startup Drinks. A drinking club with a startup problem, Startup Drinks aims to get extremely busy startup folks together to have a pint and talk about what they have done, what they need help with and what they help each other out with.
Laura
I’m sure you’ve heard all the typical reasons to live in Colorado before. However, you might not know what it’s like to work for a startup here in Boulder, let alone head your own. Lucky for those of us already involved in the local startup scene (and those looking to be) the best reasons to live here transfer to the working culture in their entirety with the added benefits of Boulder’s own element of flair. Outside of the Valley and the Boston area, Boulder is often mentioned as one of the top cities for starting a business (at least in the tech industry). Offering access to a young, but intelligent population and the experience of seasoned angel investors and venture capitalists, this area is an excellent choice as a place to launch your next great idea or find a new job. Taking a tour of local startups it’s not uncommon to see company ski passes hanging outside the rec room, an occasional Wii tennis match in progress, or the requisite foosball table(s).
15 Weekends have come and gone with basically the exact same format.
Ever since Startup Weekend Houston there has been talks about doing another weekend back in Texas. There is an amazing amount of drive and talent in the region, the perfect mix for a Startup Weekend.
