Startup Weekend is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington, USA, that organizes 54-hour weekend events during which groups of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists and more pitch ideas for new startup companies, form teams around those ideas, and work to develop a working prototype, demo, and/or presentation by Sunday evening. In the past 3 years Startup Weekend has grown into an organization with a global presence, having organized (as of December 2010) 207 events spanning 120 cities and 35 countries. Startup Weekend's stated mission is to be the most valuable and influential organization in fostering startup communities around the world. In September, 2010, Startup Weekend received a grant from The Kauffman Foundation, the largest foundation for entrepreneurship in the world.

History

Founded in 2007 in Boulder, Colorado

Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

 by Andrew Hyde, Startup Weekend LLC was initially created as an event where a group of individuals would brainstorm a single business idea and work to bring that business to fruition over the course of the weekend. Due in large part to complications around ownership and equity sharing, this idea quickly began to evolve into its current form (see 'The Event Model' below.) In June 2009, Marc Nager and Clint Nelson took over full ownership and registered the organization as a 501c6 not-for-profit, relocating to Seattle. As of the acquisition, Startup Weekend had organized approximately 34 events in the USA and Canada.. In February 2010, Franck Nouyrigat joined as a Co-Director and CTO. In the fall of 2010, Startup Weekend gained 501c3 status and received a grant from the Kauffman Foundation. By December 2010, the organization was composed of 8 full-time employees, over 15 'Key Facilitators', and more than 100 local organizers. To date, Startup Weekend has organized over 200 events in 30 countries, including Lebanon, Israel, Oman, Spain, Portugal, Russia, UK, Italy, Chile, Brazil, US, Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and more (for a full list, see 'Cities' below).

The Event Model

Startup Weekend events span the course of a weekend (approximately 54 hours), and are generally composed of 50-100 participants (although events in the past have ranged from 13-300+). In addition to attendees (otherwise known as 'Weekend Warriors'), the event attracts speakers, mentors, panelists (generally well-respected members of the local startup community or notable names in the tech industry), and various sponsors and company representatives. A short documentary film explains it best, but a typical event schedule is as follows:

Friday:

6:30pm – Registration starts
7:00pm – Dinner & Networking
7:20pm – Welcome & Speakers
7:30pm – Pitches Begin - 60 Seconds per person
9:00pm – Attendees vote for the top ideas
9:15pm – Teams start forming and discussing ideas
10:00pm – 1:00am - Teams begin to work

Saturday:

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 – Mentors help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
6:30pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Mid weekend check-in, status reports, call for help
10:00pm – Finished for the day. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow.

Sunday:

9:00am – Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
10:00am –
12:00pm – Lunch
12:30pm – Mentors arrive… ASK QUESTIONS
3:00pm – Gut check. Start prepping for presentations
4:00pm – Dinner
5:00pm – FINAL PRESENTATIONS
7:30pm – Judging & awards
8:30pm – Wrapup
9:00pm – Go home!

Cities

North America	Europe	Other
Atlanta, GA	Aarhus, Denmark	Bangalore, India
Austin, TX	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Beijing, China
Baltimore, MD	Athens, Greece	New Delhi, India
Bay Area, CA	Barcelona, Spain	Malaysia
Boston, MA	Berlin, Germany	Oman
Boulder, CO	Bucharest, Romania	Seoul, S. Korea
Charlotte, NC	Cambridge, UK	Singapore
Chicago, IL	Copenhagen, Denmark	Tokyo, Japan
Cleveland, OH	Dublin, Ireland	Beirut, Lebanon
Columbus, OH	Eindhoven, Netherlands	Tel Aviv, Israel
Corvallis, OR	Galicia, Spain	Auckland, New Zealand
Dallas, TX	Geneve, Switzerland	Sydney, Australia
Washington DC	Glasgow, Scotland	San José, Costa Rica
Denver, CO	Helsinki, Finland	Chihuahua, Mexico
Detroit, MI	Istanbul, Turkey	Mexico City, Mexico
Haiti	Kaunas, Lithuania	Guadalajara, Mexico
Hawaii	Kazan, Russia	Santiago, Chile
Houston, TX	Kiev, Ukraine	Sao Paulo, Brazil
Indianapolis, IN	Lisbon, Portugal	Lagos, Nigeria
Des Moines, IA	Lithuania	Tunis, Tunisia
Kansas City, MO	London, UK	Cairo Cairo Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life... , Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
Los Angeles, CA	Lund, Sweden	Alexandria Alexandria Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving... , Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
Lansing, MI	Madrid, Spain	Dubai Dubai Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi... , UAE
Las Vegas, NV	Manchester, UK	Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million... , Pakistan Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
Lexington, KY	Marseille, France	Hong Kong, SAR
Madrona, WA	Milan, Italy
Miami, FL	Montpellier, France
Minneapolis, MN	Moscow, Russia
Twin Cities, MN	Nizny Novgorod, Russia
New England	Nuremberg, Germany
Northwest Arkansas, AR	Olympia, Greece
New York City, NY	Oslo, Norway
Oklahoma City, OK	Paris, France
Omaha, NE	Porto, Portugal
Phoenix, AZ	Prague, Czech Republic
Portland, OR	Rome, Italy
Puerto Rico	Saint Petersburg, Russia
Redmond – Bizspark	Sofia, Bulgaria
San Diego, CA	Stockholm, Sweden
Santa Fe, NM	Stuttgart, Germany
San Francisco Women 2.0, CA	Tallinn, Estonia
Seattle, WA	Timisoara, Romania
St. Louis, MO	Toulouse, France
St. Paul, MN	Venice, Italy
Tampa, FL	Brussels, Belgium
Topeka, KS	Vienna, Austria
Tulsa, OK	Vilnius, Lithuania
West Michigan	Warsaw, Poland
Canada	Zurich, Switzerland
Edmonton, AB
New Brunswick, NB
Montreal, QC
Toronto, ON
Vancouver, BC
Waterloo, ON

Awards & Recognition

In November, 2010, Startup Weekend was listed in Forbes as a "Name You Need to Know In 2011"

In February 2011, Startup Weekend was featured on the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine.

Past Media Coverage

ReadWriteWeb: http://www.readwriteweb.com/start/2010/09/startup-weekend-set-for-rapid-with-kauffman-foundation-grant.php

Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/helencoster/2010/11/16/names-you-need-to-know-in-2011-startup-weekend/

Entrepreneur magazine: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218104

Newsday: http://www.newsday.com/business/startup-weekend-48-hour-labor-for-business-births-1.2021510

Columbia Business Times: http://www.columbiabusinesstimes.com/12891/2011/09/16/startup-weekend-brings-a-meeting-of-entrepreneurial-minds/

PC World: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/240124/weekend_startup_blends_gaming_ads_education.html

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