Startup Weekend returns to the Netherlands

After the successful Startup weekend in Amsterdam, the entrepreneurial event returns again to the Netherlands, but this time at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven.

What is the Startup Weekend?
Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of developers, technical experts, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists and more, to a 54-hour event that builds communities, companies and projects.

It is a unique opportunity to connect with other passionate and skilled individuals and perhaps even find co-founders to transform your idea into reality. Startup Weekend does not teach entrepreneurship in a boring classroom setting, but in a fun, interactive, and results-driven way.

Startup Weekend began in June 2007 and became a non-profit in June 2009. The Startup Weekend Global HQ is in Seattle USA, operating out of a small condo. Startup Weekend’s primary mission is to be the most valuable and influential organisation for startup communities around the world and support the creation of an "entrepreneurial ecosystem."

During the past three years, over 170 Startup Weekends have been organised in more than 25 different countries. Because of these weekends, more than 700 startups have been formed and over 20.000 entrepreneurs have been inspired. Examples of success stories include Twitpay (500 US dollars funding), Mugasha, Memolane (2 mil. euros, first VC round), Autobutler and Foodspotting (750 US dollars, angel seed investment)

About the event 
Startup Weekend is a 54-hour event starting on Friday evening with anyone pitching a startup idea. About 40 to 50 percent of the participants will have 60 seconds to present ideas for new startup ventures. The attendees (a mix of hackers, techies, creatives, researchers, social media-experts and business people) then vote on the best pitches.

About 15 to 20 teams are formed around the best ideas which then spend the entire weekend getting advice from professional mentors (experienced entrepreneurs), building a proof of concept, demo, prototype or sometimes even a finished product. Most ideas are web and tech focused but almost any new business needs a web, marketing and business strategy regardless if it is tech-centric or not.

Who can attend? 
The event is for anyone who considers him / herself an entrepreneur or wants to be one. The primary demographic is working professionals aged between 25 and 45.  Around 50% of the participants have a technical background (developers, high tech experts, researchers, designers, CTOs, computer scientists) while the others have a non-technical background (business, marketing, law, investments, VCs, social media). 

What do Attendees Get? 
› Co-founder matching
Visitors get the chance to meet other like-minded people. This is probably the most valuable type of networking participants could ever do if they want to start a business. 

› Education
You spend a weekend with some of the brightest and most creative minds. You can learn a new programming language, what MVP stands for, how to build an actual strategy, get feedback from experienced entrepreneurs, and actually create and test something rather than just theorising. 

› Learn how to launch a startup
This is the epitome of LeanStartup Methodology at its finest. Go from idea to launch. 

› Actually launch a business
Over 36% of the Startup Weekend Startups are still alive after three months. 
 

Notes
› Dates and times:
- Friday Feb 18, 5.30 pm - 11.00pm
- Saturday Feb 19, 8.30am - 10pm
- Sunday Feb 19, 8.30am - 9pm
› Location: High Tech Campus Eindhoven
 

IamExpat is the media partner of the Eindhoven Startup Weekend