Rules & Requirements

Organizer Requirements

  • You must have attended a Startup Weekend event prior to organizing one of your own.
  • Why?
    Simply put, if you haven’t been at a Startup Weekend, it’s impossible for you to deliver the experience to others. Attending an event beforehand will ensure you understand the full attendee experience and give you a better idea of how to plan.
  • All Startup Weekend Organizers are individuals: you cannot organize a Startup Weekend event on behalf of another organization, group, or institution without specific approval from the Startup Weekend core team. (Nor can an Organizing team solely consist of members of the same Organization.)
  • Why?
    We want Startup Weekend to be run by people who are passionate about building their startups and their local community, not by people who are told to do it as part of their job. Aside from this, it is always people that do the work, and have the responsibility to deliver. We want those people to be recognized. 
  • Startup Weekend events must be organized by a team. Ideally two lead organizers and three to five other members of the team.
  • Why?
    It takes a lot of effort to create the Startup Weekend experience. Sharing this workload reduces both the pressure on each volunteer and reduces the risk of things going wrong.
  • Lead organizers should be prepared to hand over responsibilities to new organizers after two or three events.
  • Why?
    No city should have to rely on the same one or two people to run their Startup Weekend events forever. Part of the role of an organizer is to lead and share the knowledge with new people so the community can thrive. New perspectives will also keep the event experience fresh for future attendees.
  • Startup Weekend Organizers are expected to be living within (or close by) the community in which they plan to organize, unless you have prior approval from your Regional Manager.
  • Why?
    As an organizer, we consider your team the local experts. If you are not local, it can be very difficult to find the right resources and people to contact. Not to mention the perks that come from organizing will come from the local relationships you form within your community.

General Event Requirements

  • All Startup Weekend events must follow the standard 3-day, weekend-long format.
  • Why?
    Well, apart from the fact we are called Startup Weekend, this is the format which works. We’ve tested it, a lot.
  • All events must be open to the public (exceptions require specific approval from Startup Weekend HQ).
  • Why?
    Startup Weekend isn’t an elitist club. Our aim is to inspire anyone to take entrepreneurial action in their life. Blocking people from entry goes against our mission. That being said, we’ve developed some tricks to boost event quality while keeping the event open to the public. Let us know if you have any concerns beforehand.
  • No legal documentation or contracts of any kind are allowed to be signed at the event.
  • Why?
    Startup Weekend is a not for profit organization delivering experiential education and inspiration. Legally binding documents are for after the event, and should be handled by the appropriate professionals. If this becomes an issue during your event, your facilitator is trained to help attendees resolve the issue.
  • You may not Organize a ‘themed’ event without prior authorization from Startup Weekend HQ.
  • Why?
    We’ve tried a lot of different formulas and the weekend long formula doesn’t serve specific sectors very well, unless it is organized under specific guidelines. For all events, we want our organizers to be setup for success. If we find your team is capable to host the event, we’ll allow it under some additional guidelines.
  • All Startup Weekend events must have a certified Startup Weekend Facilitator chosen by the SW Regional Operations Manager, and include this expense within the event budget.
  • Why?
    A Facilitator is someone who has organized at least 2-3 Startup Weekend themselves, and is trained to handle big crowds, sticky situations, and effectively deliver the Startup Weekend experience. This helps our organization ensure all events have a consistent level of quality across the world. You can think of your facilitator as an extra level of support to make your event a success.
  • No Startup Weekend event should have more than 125 active participants.
  • Why?
    We’ve found that event quality starts to decrease once an event reaches more than 125 attendees. Bigger events mean there are less resources available to attendees (and it can be very overwhelming to have everyone sit through 25 presentations on sunday night).
  • Only seed-stage ideas (no concrete work done) are allowed to be pitched and worked on at Startup Weekend events.
  • Why?
    More often then not, pre-formed ideas mean that the founder is only looking for people to help building their pre-determined vision. Nobody wants to work on a project for free and at Startup Weekend, all member should be starting with equal ownership and the ability to shape/change the vision. It’s much easier to have a level playing field if little to no work has been done on the idea beforehand.
  • All Startup Weekend events must give proper recognition to global as well as local sponsors.
  • Why?
    Our sponsors provide a lot of support for our events, and often times it’s more than just money (attendee resources, mentors, marketing etc). It’s important we give them with the recognition they deserve, especially if you want to create a long lasting relationship.
  • No cash prizes may be given at a Startup Weekend event. We encourage in-kind prizes (donated co-working space, networking opportunities, travel opportunities, etc.) that directly impact the progress and success of Startup Weekend teams.
  • Why?
    Cash prizes can create some legal issues, but more importantly we’ve found attendees end up dividing prizes amongst themselves instead of using it on their startup. Our goal at Startup Weekend is to create impact, and we want prizes to reward attendees with opportunity instead of physical goods. We recommend finding prizes that help advance the attendees journey into entrepreneurship. Reach out to your Regional Manager if you would like some good suggestions.
  • For Themed (Vertical) events, at least one-third of the organizing team should represent that Vertical. (For example, a group of 6 people applying to organize a Startup Weekend Education event should have at least 2 people with a background in education on their team).
  • Why?
    Themed events should be bringing in the local community and expertise of that theme. We’ve found that this is the best way to ensure that.

Branding Requirements

  • All Startup Weekend events are stand-alone events and cannot be co-branded.
  • Why?
    Co-branded events rarely add extra value to Startup Weekend and frequently cause additional problems and/or add unnecessary pressure to the local organizers.
  • All Startup Weekend events must be named according to the following standard:

Startup Weekend + [City Name]  or [City Name] + Startup Weekend

Note: This requirement does not apply for University, Themed (Vertical) or Corporate Events. Please contact the Startup Weekend team for alternative naming arrangements.

  • Why?
    This helps us keep our nomenclature consistent, and will make it much easier for participants to find events in your city.
  • All Event Logos, Banners, and Other marketing materials must include the following:

The Startup Weekend Beaker Image
The text: “Powered by Google for Entrepreneurs” 

Note: The SW Beaker can be slightly modified/adapted to each Event’s local branding.

  • Why?
    This helps preserve and strengthen the global brand (which in turn will help organizers locally). In order to cater for localization, minor customization of the beaker image is allowed, but the beaker must remain readily identifiable.

Website Requirements

All Startup Weekend Events must have a dedicated website in order to explain the format and purpose of the Event to the public, showcase the Event’s Coaches, Speaker, Judges, and Organizers, and provide proper recognition to the Event Sponsors. All Startup Weekend Event websites must contain:

1. A header/logo that adheres to the Branding & Naming Requirements (listed above)

2. The Event’s Coaches, Speaker, and Panelists

3. The Startup Weekend Global Sponsor Bar

4. A page/section dedicated to on-line ticketing.

IMPORTANT: Unless otherwise agreed, all Organizers must use the Website Template provided by the SW Team, with the URL of [City].startupweekend.org. Once your Application has been approved you’ll be given instructions for setting up and managing the site.

  • Why?
    This ensures that your organizing team has everything you need on the local site. Attendees will be able to find event details, and consistent messaging and branding.

Financial Requirements

  • Monetary compensation for Organizing or Facilitating an event is prohibited. Startup Weekend event funds can not be used to for personal financial gain.
  • Why?
    We recognize that our success is largely due to the work of our organizers, however we feel there is much more to gain from organizing besides a salary. Financial gain puts our non-profit status at risk and is unfair to sponsors, attendees, and our community who also invest in our mission.
  • Revenue from Ticket Sales and Sponsorships must be used to cover basic Event expenses:
    • Food and Drink
    • Event Supplies
    • Associated Venue costs (wifi, maintenance, security)
    • Facilitator Travel and Accommodation

Note: For a more detailed breakdown of typical event expenses, see the Budgeting Section of the Organizer’s Guide.

  • Why?
    We have structured our finances to best support the growth and impact of the organization. Unfortunately that does not yet include event level finances (with 650+ events per year, our funding would be gone in less then 6 months). That being said, we are constantly looking for additional resources that will make life easier for organizers.
  • All events must charge for admission.
  • Why?
    Experience shows us that a small barrier to entry, in the form of a ticket price, increases the quality of the attendees and significantly decreases the cancellation and drop-out rate.
  • All event Organizing teams must have at least one Organizer specifically dedicated to managing the finances and event budget.
  • Why?
    Delegating someone to watch over finances helps keep your team and HQ on top of all finances and makes communication between everyone much easier.
  • All ticket sales and sponsorships must go through Startup Weekend HQ. Funds will be advanced prior to or reimbursed after the event.

Note: In some instances, sponsorships may be received locally with prior authorization from SW HQ.

  • Why?
    This removes the liability from our organizers and also allows Sponsors and Attendee to file a tax deduction (using our non-profit status).
  • 50% of all leftover revenue (net profit after the above expenses have been covered) is retained by Startup Weekend, and 50% is reinvested back into the local startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem via the Startup Weekend Community Chest
  • Why?
    We want to support our local and Global community! Head over to the Community Chest page to find out more.

Ready to apply? Verify that you’ve read and agree to the rules and go to the Event Application.

Still not sure? Advance to the Startup Weekend Organizer’s Guide to get more details on what it means to be an Organizer.

Past Event Photos