DREAM, BUILD, LAUNCH A BUSINESS IN 54 HOURS!
STARTUP WEEKEND DUNEDIN IS BACK FOR 2019!
About Startup Weekend: Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations. Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams are mentored by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurs. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education.
KEY DETAILS
Date: 5th, 6th, 7th April 2019
5.30pm Friday, Doors open registration
5:00pm Sunday, Final Pitch/Celebration night begins
Venue: Otago Polytechnic Student Hub
Ground Floor, H Block, Corner of Forth Street and Union Street, Dunedin.
WHY ATTEND A STARTUP WEEKEND?
Many people want to try entrepreneurship, but can't find time around their study/work/family commitments. Startup Weekends are a high-impact/low-commitment vehicle for you to test your ideas and see if entrepreneurship is for you. Even if you aren't looking to start something new, this experience will equip you with entrepreneurial thinking, that you can bring into your existing work.
Not everyone can spare 3 months, but everyone can spare a weekend.
WHAT DO I GET OUT OF IT?
You will get a taste of the startup world, and gain first-hand experience about every step of building a startup (at the very least, it'll be a memorable weekend away from your usual daily routine).
You might find your perfect co-founder soulmate with whom you'll go on to launch a multi-million dollar startup, be it on this weekend or down the road.
You will get a chance to network and mingle with some of the top brass in the New Zealand entrepreneurship/investing communities - individuals that would otherwise be very hard to reach - and ask them questions to your heart's content.
You will greatly expand your network and build lasting relationships with the most innovative, creative and motivated people in Dunedin. This could mean a new client, employer, business partner, new employee, investor or even a friend!
Plus, if your team wins, you will get heaps of additional resources and mentorship to help you get your startup off the ground. There are also plenty of investors in the crowd, so if your pitches were something special, you might even get funding (it happens!).
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We begin on Friday night with open-mic "elevator pitches", where participants get 60 seconds to pitch their ideas to the crowd and try to recruit the best talent in the room! Teams then form around the most exciting ideas, and spend the rest of the night planning for the battle ahead. The whole of Saturday and much of Sunday is a mad dash to build, validate, pivot, polish and test your Minimal Viable Product (MVP). The weekend culminates with a pitch-night where teams present their MVP to a panel of judges, guests and fellow participants. At the end, a winner is crowned and everyone celebrates over a few casual drinks - a chance to network before saying goodbye!
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY?
The price of your ticket almost covers the cost of your food and drinks; if you work out how much six meals + free beer + unlimited coffee will cost, you could more than break even just by showing up and eating! On top of all the grub, all participants get heaps of exclusive goodies including free domain names, web services and more. Not to mention free coaching and guidance from some of the best mentors around. All in all, its probably the best $99 you'll ever spend.
BUT I'M NOT AN ENTREPRENEUR...
You don't have to be! At every Startup Weekend, participants come from all walks of life, ranging from students to educators, bankers to doctors, even retirees! Worried you don't have the skills? That is why we have experienced mentors here to guide you (and Startup Weekends are about learning anyway). Too young/old? We have had participants as young as 12 and as old as 70, so if you fall within 0-100 years old, you're sweet!
Get off that fence, join us, and get ready for the ride of your life. #SWDUD
Our Event Sponsors:
I'M INTERESTED IN SPONSORING STARTUP WEEKEND
We still have sponsorship packages avaiable for Startup Weekend. Bronze ($500), Silver ($2000) and Gold ($3000).
Please contact donna@startupdunedin.nz for full details.