University of Guelph students, faculty and staff will showcase ideas and skills for new entrepreneurial ventures during Guelph’s first ever “Startup Weekend” Aug. 15 to 17.
Startup Weekend involves people pitching and listening to ideas, and then forming teams to create business plans and even launch new companies. Local business leaders act as coaches and judges, offering advice, constructive criticism and feedback.
Besides U of G community members, the event will include local designers, developers and businesspeople. Up to 50 people are expected to attend.
The event runs from Friday at 6:30 p.m. to Sunday at 9 p.m. in the McLaughlin Library.
A not-for-profit organization based in Seattle, Startup Weekend has facilitated more than 1,000 such events in 450 cities around the world.
An organizing team of U of G staff, faculty and students representing varied interests and expertise led efforts to bring the event to Guelph.
“Our intention is to connect the makers and doers on and off campus, ultimately furthering the entrepreneurial ecosystem being built in Guelph,” said Emily Bremner, project manager in U of G’s Co-operators Centre for Business and Social Entrepreneurship.
“I hope that, in addition to business veterans and startup junkies, people who have dabbled in entrepreneurship or perhaps flirted with the idea of starting a business will come out to the weekend. Value-wise, it packs a punch.”
Bremner, who attended a Startup Weekend in Kitchener, Ont., last year, describes the event as a “54-hour frenzy” of business model creation, coding, designing and market validation.
The weekend begins with participants making pitches on Friday to persuade others to join their “team,” and will feature a keynote talk by startup veteran Jordan Bishop, founder of greeting card company Wise Words.
Over the weekend, teams will create their “business,” working on everything from the actual product to customer development. On Sunday from 5 to 8p.m., the teams will present their work to a judging panel. The final presentations are open to the public.
“Everyone is guaranteed to leave the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups,” Bremner said.
U of G students and faculty receive a discount on registration. Registration and cost information are available online at: http://guelph.startupweekend.org/.