Good morning friends, Happy Thursday-is-the-new-Friday!
Lots going on this weekend but I want to focus on something very unique that has come to West Palm Beach – Startup Weekend is coming to West Palm Beach this week!
What is Startup Weekend?
Have you ever had an idea of something that you think could turn into a great business, but just didn’t have the team and/or business connections/time to turn your idea into a reality? Startup Weekend was formed because there are a lot entrepreneurs with great ideas among us, and sometimes all that is needed is to bring together the right team with the purpose of building & launching a product and amazing things can happen.
Startup weekend will start at 5pm on Friday afternoon and will pack Saturday and Sunday full of events, mentorship and development opportunities. All the attendees will join teams which will form organically around the top ideas. Then it’s a 56 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing and market validation. There are mentors along the way who will guide you through the potential hurdles along the way, and after 54 hours of development and teamworking each team will present in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.
This is an event that everyone, young and old can benefit from being involved in.
Here are some highlights:
Day 1: Friday
Registration at 5pm. Teams pitching different ideas, everyone votes on what the top ideas are and teams are formed based on talent.
Day 2: Saturday
8am start. Teams get to work, coaches make themselves availalbe to build business plans. 10pm finish.
Day 3: Sunday
Teams finish up their work, coaches ask questions about the product & help streamline. 5pm Final Presentations – with Judging and awards. 9pm Go Home.
Day 4: Monday BarCamp at Bar Louie from 5:30pm till 9 – This is my unofficial post-Startup Weekend Party! Free event – come and enjoy with us! More details here.
Over 70 people have already registered, and we really want YOU to join us as well for this great experience.
Technology and West Palm Beach
I got involved in the West Palm Beach technology scene in October of 2009 when I started up WebMonday, our group of technology enthusiasts who get together on the first Monday of each month to discuss developments in technology and learn from each other. I very early on saw the potential of West Palm Beach as a technology hub, for a small(ish) town we have good established technology companies, but even more important we have a very large pool of entrepreneurs and small technology businesses who really helping to grow the local technology ecosystem.
Palm Beach Post just reported that West Palm Beach was #2 in a survey of most digital cities in 2013, while this might not sound like a big deal to many, a strong technology core is essential to spur growth and help bring business to ever other type of industry in the city.
Chris Callahan & Nick Mohnacky and their Startup Palm Beach initiative are responsible for putting this all together, so I wanted to give a shoutout to them and thank them for the hours and hours of work and phone calls they put together the sponsors and all the moving parts that are needed to make this happen.
I hope to see you there!
This blog entry is day 14 of my 30-Day blogging challenge where I have committed to post a blog every day.
Please read the previous blog entries in this series:
Day 13: Dreyfoos in White is Tonight – Location will be announced at 5pm
Day 12: Inside the Palm Healthcare Foundation in Downtown West Palm Beach on Diabetes Week
Day 11: Honoring our Veterans on Clematis Street – the West Palm Beach Parade!
Day 10: Muses & Visionaries – M&V Magazine & a short chat with Roy Assad
Day 9: What does diversity mean to you? WebMonday & bringing everyone in!
Day 8: Weekend is almost here – Fun things to do in West Palm Beach
Day 7: J. Flynn opening on Clematis – this is an Irish Gastropub, it’s all about the food.
Day 6: Why every small business owner should read the Costco Connection
Day 5: Bee Organics – The new organic café and “lifestyle space” in Downtown West Palm Beach
Day 4: Introducing BarCamp Palm Beach – Monday the 18th of November
Day 3: My top 5 Beaches in Palm Beach County
Day 2: City of West Palm Beach Chili Cookoff
Day 1: It’s November, and I’m Starting the 30-Day Blogging Challenge!