PORTLAND — A diverse group of for-profit and nonprofit collaborators have announced they will host a Startup Weekend in March. This is a no talk, all action event.
People with new business ideas are invited to participate and sign up now since space is limited. A Startup Weekend brings together entrepreneurs, designers, developers and startup enthusiasts to participate in an intense 54-hour weekend to take new business ideas from concept to launch.
Participants start at 5:30 p.m. on Friday night and work all weekend until they leave on Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. Nationally, 36 percent of ideas developed during a Startup Weekend have developed into new businesses.
On Friday night, attendees will take the open mic to pitch their ideas to the group of up to 75 participants in 60 seconds or less. After groups form, the rest of the weekend will be spent developing business models around the most popular ideas with the help of mentors, coaches and seasoned startup entrepreneurs. By Sunday, teams will be ready to present their ideas in front of a panel of judges who will award prizes, including coworking space and memberships in mentorship programs, all of which are targeted to help teams build their startups after the weekend.
Individual volunteers from PelotonLabs, AIGA, Blackstone Accelerates Growth, Maine Center for Creativity, Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, Olympico Strategies, Portland Greendrinks, Portland Public Library, Rising Tide Consulting, Shines and Jecker laboratories, and Southern Maine Community College are organizing this first local effort.
This first time in Maine event will take place on March 22 to 24. There are limited early bird tickets, so go to http://portlandmaine. startupweekend.org/ for a schedule of the weekend activities, as well as a way to get tickets in order to participate.
“We’re super excited to host a Startup Weekend at PelotonLabs,” said Elizabeth Trice of Peloton Labs, where the March event will take place. “The whole idea of PelotonLabs is to create space and a sense of community for entrepreneurs and agents of social change, and Startup Weekend brings together the excitement, intense team building, and professional support innovators need. People working on new ideas often work in isolation. A collaborative, professional space and support from peers can make all the difference.”
“Our mission on the weekend isn’t limited to just creating local startups. We want to support local business as well,” said volunteer organizer Don Gooding from the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development. “Part of the learning experience at Startup Weekend is demonstrating practices that encourage growth right here in Maine.”
First and foremost, Startup Weekends are about learning through the act of creating. Participants don’t listen to theory, but build their own and put it to the test while collaborating with like-minded, passionate individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and points of view. On top of that, participants receive invaluable one-on-one time with movers and shakers within the community, as local business and tech leaders take part in Startup Weekends as coaches and judges. Local CEOs, founders and startup veterans will be on hand to provide expertise and give talks on their fast-paced world of startups.
About Startup Weekend
Startup Weekend is a grassroots movement of volunteers and is organized as a 501(3) nonprofit based in Seattle, Wash. Founded in 2007 in Boulder, Colo., by Andrew Hyde, the organization has been based out of Seattle since 2009 under the direction of Marc Nager. Supported by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, Startup Weekend has held more than 325 events around the globe, inspiring nearly 30,000 entrepreneurs to take an idea from concept to launch. It has built a network of more than 55,000 alumni, thousands of volunteer organizers and hundreds of trained facilitators spread across more than 300 cities in 100 countries.
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