This July, Cagayan de Oro plays host to its first ever Startup Weekend. Basically, the SW is like a crash course in creating a business. For 54 hours, managers, developers, designers, leaders, product managers, students, and anyone with entrepreneurial goals will gather in one venue to pitch ideas, form teams, and develop and launch startups. The 3-day event is open to both aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs.
What Should Participants Expect in a Startup Weekend?
The Startup Weekend is a concept-to-launch event that follows one model. One the first day, participants will be given time to pitch their ideas (usually 60 seconds or less) without visual aids or any other supporting material. Each participant is then given the opportunity to vote for the pitch he likes best and to choose a team. On Saturday, everyone will be busy working with their teammates develop their chosen pitch. There will be discussions on which business models and designs to use, while others will be thinking about marketing and customer development. On the third and last day, Sunday, all groups will have the chance to present and demonstrate their prototypes in front of a panel of judges composed of industry leaders and local entrepreneurs. The judges will offer feedback and choose a winning startup team.
Throughout the 54-hour event, mentors and leaders will move around so participants can interact with them. They can share ideas and even fish for suggestions. The Startup Weekend, after all, is an event for like-minded individuals whose goal is to become a part of global communities by launching their own startups.
Why You Should Join Startup Weekend
There are two main goals that Startup Weekend organizers all over the world intend to highlight. First, to create local startups; and second, to support local businesses. SW is an activity that encourages growth and innovation, especially in the local scene. Anyone who is success-driven will want to be a part of this campaign.
Aside from these, there are other reasons why you should join the Startup Weekend:
- It is the ideal way to meet and interact with people who share your passion, ideals, and goals.
- It is the best way to meet and connect with inspiring business leaders, successful entrepreneurs, developers, marketers, and success-oriented students.
- It is an excellent opportunity for learning from some of the best and most successful people.
- It is a good venue for welcoming opportunities that showcase your business and creative abilities.
- It is your chance to become a part of the city and the region’s growing startup community.
Who are Qualified to Join the SW CdeO?
Every Startup Weekend gathers people with varying backgrounds. If you’re a kindergarten teacher wishing to experience a big change in your life; if you are a college student oozing with interesting ideas; or if you are an established businessman who wants to try out something different, the Startup Weekend is for you. Every SW is designed for anybody; for everybody – even for high school students. It is not just for managers, business leaders, or programmers. It is for anybody who is eager and passionate to share, create, learn, and develop ideas.
CDO’s First Startup Weekend
The success and influence of Startup Weekend is evident in the many cities and countries that have participated in the event. There are hundreds of grants around the world at present, and the number of Startup Weekend alumni total to around 100,000.
Kagay-anons will get the chance to become a part of this distinguished group through the Startup Weekend happening on July 11, 12, and 13, 2014 at Capitol University. The intense 54-hour weekend event will have local entrepreneurs and industry leaders serve as mentors for the teams. Startup enthusiasts, marketing people, designers, programmers, developers, students, and anyone interested in developing and launching a startup are invited to register through http://cdo.startupweekend.org/.
Cagayan de Oro’s first Startup Weekend is co-presented by the Cagayan de Oro ICT Business Council, DevCon (Developers Connect), Ideaspace, DOST-ICTO, and Microsoft. Updates about the event can be found through the SW CdeO Facebook Page.
About Startup Weekend
Startup Weekend started in 2007 in Boulder, Colorado when Andrew Hyde decided to gather some people for a weekend of brainstorming for a business idea. The group spent the weekend working on the idea and bringing it into fruition by Sunday. By 2-009, the Startup Weekend was registered as a non-profit organization. Since then, it has been operating in Seattle under the direction of Marc Nager, who gained full ownership of the organization along with Clint Nelsen. Together, the two developed the Event Model that is currently used in all SWs.
About the CDO ICT Business Council
The Cagayan de Oro ICT Business Council is CDO’s recognized and official ICT (Information and Communication Technology) organization. It is accredited by the city government as a social organization. CDO ICT members include BPO stakeholders, members of the academe, computer hardware vendors, and locators. The organization works in partnership with the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and government agencies that support its objectives and goals.