“What better way for the entrepreneurially-inclined to spend a December weekend than holed up at the Microsoft NERD center in Kendall Square, conceptualizing new companies?”
- Scott Kirsner, Editor, The Boston Globe
“I couldn’t believe the energy in the room and was immediately grateful to [have] received the opportunity… I’m positive I’ll look back at this weekend as a stepping stone to my
future successes”
- Dan Davis, VP of Finance, Financial Plus Credit Union, Des Moines
“Wow! That’s really the only way to describe Startup
Weekend… It was much more
“work” than I expected, but I learned a lot around people/project management and demos, particularly. I would absolutely recommend Startup Weekend to anyone who is interested in tech startups and entrepreneurship.”
- Dave Rigotti, Redmond Startup Weekend Attendee
“I learned the importance of a clearly defined objective and a good plan to see it into fruition… I learned Rails. You can read all the books, blogs, tutorials, and articles, listen to all the podcasts and screencasts, etc., but until you actually work on a bona fide application, it never truly clicks. I don’t pretend to have it all down even at this point, but I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was previous to Startup Weekend.”
- Chris Pratt, Houston Startup Weekend Attendee
“It was an unbelievable event. Just standing next to a passionate group of people with so much drive and determination, but more importantly, the willingness to mess up and learn from it, was simply amazing. They had nearly 50 ideas pitched (in less than 60 seconds too), while the top 15got picked to be coded and get ready to ship in less than 54 hours.”
- Rob Garcia, Director of Product Strategy at Lending Club
“When I signed up for Cleveland’s first Startup Weekend, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The thought of grouping up with strangers to start a business in a weekend reminded me of some kind of reality show competition. I wondered what I would work on and with whom… We
have continued work on the site since Startup Weekend ended. Our energy and enthusiasm has not slowed down. I had a great time at Cleveland’s Startup Weekend. I am so glad that I attended.”
- Lori Boos, Owner, Boos Design Group
“This past weekend I participated in the most amazing event ever – Startup Weekend Tulsa. I plan to write more about the experience soon, but here’s the gist – about 45 strangers got together, formed 5 teams and created 5 startup companies over the course of about 54 hours. It’s the kind of thing that is really hard to explain without experiencing it, so for now I hope you can just take my word for it – it was a mind blowing experience. I was absolutely amazed at the quality and volume of ideas, product and collaboration from Oklahoma’s aspiring
entrepreneurs!”
- Matt Galloway, The Basement Blog, Attendee
“Is there a medical case study done on Weekenders after completion of Startup Weekend? If not, there certainly should be. I can’t possibly be the only one needing a steady IV drip of caffeine-ridden tea just to make it through the day… In all honesty, I’m really not complaining. I just spent the most unbelievably surreal weekend I’ve had in my short professional experience. I pitched a company Friday night and by Saturday morning, I was running a team of 11 professionals who all saw a great future in working on building my idea into a reality. Founder and CEO at 24? Anything’s possible in this magical world. It’s like playing dress up for super nerdy kids.”
- MegAnne, NYC Startup Weekend Attendee
“What an amazing event, and one that I will continue to participate in down the road. While we didn’t meet our goal of having something live at the end of the weekend, I’d say we’re about 80% done (damn that last 20%).Startup Weekend is about execution. I’m tired of panel discussions, and passive entrepreneurship. There
is a time and place for these things, but they tend to dominate the scene.”
- VoSnap Blog, A Startup Weekend Company
“This is a company that I’ve wanted to build for a year now and have made attempts at it and didn’t exactly know how to go about it.”
- Chris Rade, RTP Startup Weekend
“By the end of the weekend, not only did we have one company moving forward, but also we had a community of individuals collectively thinking about multiple business opportunities that they are working on right now – a great outcome.”
-Gwin Scott, President of EmergeMemphis, Memphis Startup Weekend
“WOW! That one word could sum up the whole Startup Weekend experience, but it would leave out all the fun and amazing details that happened.”
-Jennifer Navarrete, San Antonio Startup Weekend
“The down right most capable, friendly, willing, energized and organized team of hosts, speakers, organizers.It managed to create a world that for the 54 hours I was there- was free of negativity, doubt, the impossible and embraced a world of possibility, promise, potential, and unity infused momentum into everything we did.”
- Dan Rockwell, @floozyspeak, Columbus Startup Weekend
“I was brand new in town, and Startup Weekend introduced me to superb people who have made me feel at home, well-connected, and wildly enthusiastic about the future in this town. I had a great time, learned much, and feel proud to be associated with this crowd. Business as self-expression really suits me.
- Debra Louison Lavoy, productfour.com, DC Startup Weekend
“Startup Weekend has the pain and triumph of an Oliver Stone film and the perpetual emergency of 24. For whatever reason, some of us get a kick out of high-stress situations with a roomful of rock stars. It’s a chance for you to live at your finest hour…fifty-four times in a row.”
-Scott Andreas, Phoreo.com, London Startup Weekend
“Startup Weekend is like trying to build a fighter jet with a group of blindfolded people who you don’t know… without any tools… or instructions (not that this would help, you’re blindfolded, remember?). In other words, it’s a lot of fun.”
-Sanjay Parekh, sanjayparekh.com, Atlanta Startup Weekend
“Startup Weekend is absolutely one of the coolest things I’ve ever been involved in. Quite simply, it changed my life.”
-Michael Sitarzewski, zerologic.com, Boulder Startup Weekend
“A 54 hour MBA.”
-Laura Fitton, 140, pistachioconsulting.com, Boston Startup Weekend
“We hosted the DC weekend at Viget, and it was amazing. We connected with dozens of great people in the area, and met some superb folks from out of town as well. There’s just something about getting a bunch of passionate, talented people working on a project together for a weekend that is inspiring. Andrew was a great influence throughout — really kept things on track. Between connecting with the community, learning from a talented group of peers, and lucking out on great press coverage from the event, I’d say SW was a huge success in DC. I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested in web start-ups.”
-Brian Wynne Williams, viget.com, DC Startup Weekend
“I had a great time at the London startup weekend I attended. It was exciting to take on the challenge of putting a business together in such a short time, and a fantastic way to meet and work with some talented and motivated people. It’s no surprise that since the weekend several of us have teamed up to work on other projects.”
-Matt Collins, http://www.mulogy.com
“Startup Weekend was one of the most awesomely fun and challenging experiences I’ve ever had. If you want to know why anyone would ever start a company, go to Startup Weekend.”
-Andrew Evans, atevans.com, West Laffayette Startup Weekend
“When Andrew comes to town a lot of talented individuals crowd together to startup and deploy an idea. After he leaves, everyone quickly figures out is that the most important thing that launched was a new local, collaborative community. Unbelievable the good will and local collaborations that Startup Weekend has fostered and strengthened.”
-Fred Medlin, fredmedlin.com, Atlanta Startup Weekend
“As a veteran of several technology startups and a recent attendee of Startup Weekend, I strongly recommend participating in Startup Weekend to two particular groups. If you are considering joining a startup or are wondering what life would be like in a startup, in one weekend you will get a very realistic dose of what to expect. You will experience the challenge and excitement of creating a company from scratch in an environment full with uncertainty, huge egos, long hours, tight deadlines, junk food, and lots of caffeine. If you are looking for people, either to start a new company together, to find a job with an established company, join an existing startup, or a consulting company, or just want to network with technologist in your area, know that you not only will find people who are passionate about technology and the web at Startup Weekend, but you get a chance to spend an entire weekend with them to really learn what they are made of and if you would be a good match working together.”
-Nima Dilmaghani, nimad.wordpress.com, DC Startup Weekend
“Startup Weekend provided a great opportunity to not only meet many like-minded and talented individuals from my community, but also expedite the relationship building process through the shared experience of an AWESOME challenge. I recommend this to anyone who is considering, or has already started, their own tech business. It was so great, I drove 300 miles to do it again the following weekend.”
Jake Bohall, grapethinking.com, Chapel Hill and Atlanta Startup Weekend
“SW does an amazing job at building local tech communities. After SW, the DC tech community has gained momentum and cohesiveness. I look forward to attending other SW events in the future.”
-Luc Arthur Castera, dambalah.com, Atlanta Startup Weekend
“I had a total blast at both of the startup weekends I attended — I met interesting folks, worked with technology that’s radically different from what I do at my regular job, and might someday see some financial rewards from the companies we started. Even if I never do, it was a rich experience!”
-Gavin Doughtie, xdraw.org, San Francisco Startup Weekend
“StartupWeekend-Chapel Hill was awesome! From the manner in which scores of people were corralled into a cohesive, supportive, and productive group (nice job Andrew), to the caliber of people who showed up to donate their valuable time and effort for an “idea”, and to the gift of sharing and learning each other’s stories and motivations, Startup Weekend was surreal. I look forward to the next installment of SW-CH.”
-Logan Holt, disruptormonkey.com, Chapel Hill Startup Weekend
Have more feedback or stories? Tell us! Email stories@startupweekend.org