Startup Weekend began in 2011 as a 54-hour event where developers, designers and more came together to launch successful ventures. The global network of passionate entrepreneurs has now held over 400 events in 100 countries around the world.
This weekend, the weekend-long, hands-on experience makes it way to Baton Rouge. The event is calling all entrepreneurs, creatives, idea people and startup lovers to learn the basics of founding startups and launching ventures.
Registration starts tomorrow night, August 16th, at 6:30 PM at the Bon Carre Business Center. Teams will begin forming shortly after 9:00 PM for what is sure to be a whirlwind weekend of business model creation, coding, designing and market validation.
Startup Weekend is an excellent opportunity for those registered to work in a startup environment, whether pitching ideas, finding co-founders, or just learning the ins and outs of the event.
Clayton White from the South Coast Angel Fund and David Crais, President at Crais Management Group will be the judges at SWBR. A number of seasoned entrepreneurs and businesspeople will coach Startup Weekend, including: Manuel Valencia, VP of Strategy at Excelerant; Jeremy Switzer, Software Developer at LocalMed; Mike Melancon, Software Architect at Ultix Technologies; Chris Sutherland, Programmer at Lamar Advertising; John Edel, Managing Member at Edel Patents; Jennifer Fowler, LSU Student Incubator Director at Louisiana Business & Technology Center; Stephen St.Cyr, Owner at Vivid Ink Graphics; Calvin Fabre, Software Architect and Founder at Envoc; Romalise Robertson, Banker at Accion; Stafford Kendall, Principal at Covalent Logic; and Gary Anderson, Senior Business Coach at The UEP/UEPGC.
The Startup Weekend crew says the three reasons to sign up are to:
- Join a movement. Startup Weekend take place all across the world, traveling from city to city stirring up innovation and ideas wherever it goes. This 54-hour weekend event brings designers, marketers, entrepreneurs, developers, product managers and all-around startup enthusiasts together to share ideas, strategize to solve real problems, build teams and then build products, all with the goal to launch a new and viable startup.
- Get hands-on experience. Startup Weekend is all about getting you inside the creative process. You aren’t just learning by listening, but you are getting your hands dirty by taking part in the total creative building process, letting you ‘see for yourself’ by building strategy and testing as you go. The beauty of this process, is just that, the process. It takes you from start to finish, letting you learn first hand how to build and launch a successful, peer-reviewed startup.
- Find networking opportunities. Startup Weekend is not just an event that brings people together for a few days and at the end of it, each participant leaving and going their own way. It is a place for people to come together, work together, innovate together, and build together. It builds on collective brainpower, with each person bringing their strengths and skills to enhance the creative process. It introduces you to the key players in your community who are interested and invested in taking part in a startup, connecting you with potential partners and co-creators.
Follow along with Startup Weekend Baton Rouge on Twitter and use hashtag #swbtr!