Techstars Startup Weekend planned for March 9-11 in Fayetteville
by January 17, 2018 9:13 am 344 views
Techstars Startup Weekend, an educational and networking event where participating individuals are tasked with starting a business in 54 hours, is planned March 9-11 at the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub at 123 W. Mountain St. in Fayetteville.
The event will begin with a pitch competition. Then, participants will divide into teams to work up business plans, prototypes and other materials, with each team focusing on one of the top pitch concepts, as voted on by attendees.
Startup Weekend will conclude with team demonstrations and presentations. Prize packages are still being assembled, but event organizer Haley Allgood, executive director of the Startup Junkie Foundation in Fayetteville, said prizes will include free co-working and assistance from Startup Junkie Consulting, a design package provided by the Fayetteville-based marketing agency Give A Damn and business cards provided by Moxy Ox of Springdale.
Startup Weekend is a national organization. Since 2007, it has taken place in 150 countries with more than 200,000 alumni, according to its website.
“Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks,” according to a press release from local organizers. “All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurs. The weekend is centered around action, innovation and education.”
Allgood said, “Attending Startup Weekend 2015 was one of my first experiences on the Startup Junkie team. I remember entrepreneurs working on their ideas and creating MVPs (minimum viable products) for businesses including RaftUp, Lawnly and LBD.”
Local entrepreneur Dennis Wemyss, founder of Give a Damn and 2018 Startup Weekend organizer, said his current position in the entrepreneurial world stems from connections he made at Startup Weekend 2013.
Clete Brewer, managing director at NewRoad Capital Partners in Rogers, will be the featured speaker at Startup Weekend.
Event judges are Jeff Amerine, principal of Startup Junkie, and Joe Payne, vice president of design at RevUnit in Bentonville.
Coaches and mentors to participate in the weekend include Spencer Jones, CEO of Lineus Medical of Fayetteville; Cannon McNair, co-founder of Give a Damn of Fayetteville; Devin Howland, director of economic vitality at the city of Fayetteville; David Kersey, executive director of the New Design School in Fayetteville; Helen Maringer, CEO of Shire Post Mint in Springdale; Chris Ladd, principal at NewRoad Capital Partners; and Stephanie Funk, founder of Funk & Co. in Bentonville.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite.com for participants and members of the public wanting to attend the demonstration portion of the event. Early bird tickets for participants are available until Jan. 31.