Past event…

Sep 28 2012 Event Ended

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!

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.

Schedule

Friday

Sep 28

6:30pm Registration Starts
7:00pm Dinner & Networking
7:20pm Welcome & Speakers
7:30pm Pitches Start
9:00pm Attendees vote for the top ideas
9:15pm Teams start forming and discussing ideas
10:00pm 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

Sep 29

9:00am Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
9:30am Teams formed and setting up workspace for the weekend
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Call for needs & skills
2:00pm Coaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
6:30pm Dinner
7:30pm Mid weekend check-in, status reports
10:30pm Finished for the day.

Sunday

Sep 30

9:00am Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
10:00am Call for help (this is self motivated, so don’t be shy)
12:00pm Lunch
3:00pm Gut check. Start prepping for presentations
4:00pm Dinner
9pm Go Home!
6:00pm FINAL PRESENTATIONS
7:30pm Judging & awards
8:30pm Wrapup

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Speakers

Dan Dato

Dan Dato is an experienced entrepreneur and veteran senior executive of several venture-backed digital businesses. His passion has always been working with startups. His expertise in digital business has taken him around the globe, living in China & Europe, and includes leading The Motley Fool’s European operations (internet content, community & advertising) and founding a digital marketing strategy firm. Dan has helped his companies raise more than $50 million in venture and corporate financing.

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Judges

Howard Marks

Co-Chair at StartEngine | Twitter

Howard is a 20-year industry veteran, having co-founded juggernaut Activision as well as Acclaim Games. After its acquisition by Playdom, he was most recently head of the Acclaim studio and Sr. VP, Strategic Planning at Disney Interactive Media Group. Howard is currently the CEO of Gamzee, a social games company that makes game that play everywhere written in HTML5.

Jay Samit

President, ooVoo | Twitter

Jay is a digital media innovator who has pioneered advancements in music and video distribution, social media, and ecommerce. This includes stints at Universal Studios New Media Group, EMI (Capitol Records), Sony and SocialVibe. Jay is now President at free social video-chat service ooVoo.

Brent Bushnell

Director, Two Bit Circus | Twitter

Brent Bushnell is an engineer and entrepreneur. He has worked on several projects including Syyn Labs which designed and built the Rube Goldberg machine in OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass" music video. Brent has a passion for fostering entrepreneurship from a young age

Serena Ehrlich

Director of Marketing, Mogreet | Twitter

Serena started her career in advertising where she developed an understanding of branding from a large-scale perspective, but it was her 14 years in the newswire industry. In 1994, Serena was part of a small team who introduced the communications industry to the Internet via a series of first-ever conferences, and her love of technology hasn’t stopped since. As a director at Mogreet, she is the foremost expert on mobile marketing.

Coaches

Dan Dato

Co-founder at Cross Campus | Twitter

Anna Sergeeva

Co-founder, Planana | Twitter

USC Alum and all around badass. Anna is co-founder of Planana, a startup which allows event organizers to reward attendees for spreading word of the event and bringing friends along. Planana is great for event organizers who want to increase their attendance, sell more tickets, and make their event go viral.

Fei Xiao

Co-founder, Planana | Twitter

USC Alum, too, and equally badass. With Anna, Fei has launched Planana (which is a pivot from their previous company trueRSVP), and is the other half of the heart that beats for revitalizing event planning.

Eric Galen

Eric is a USC Alum, entrepreneur and lawyer. As co-founder of Heimann Galen LLP, Eric provides strategic business and legal services to select entertainment and technology companies. Eric works with a number of local incubators and startups such as Science, Wittlebee, TopFloor, Fullscreen, Column Five Media, Originate, Citrusbyte, io/LA, Coloft, Lean LA and others. In 2009, Eric founded Music180, an online artist development community that helps unsigned artists meet and work with the world's top producers, songwriters, managers, publishers and labels. He is also a frequent speaker and published author, having been featured at UCLA, ASCAP Expo, Musicians Institute, Los Angeles Magazine, CMJ, and Miami Music Festival. When he's not working, Eric enjoys coaching entrepreneurs at Startup Weekend and Lean Startup Machine, running the New Music Business Meetup, and motorcycle racing.

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