Think you're ready to take the plunge?
I get to meet with would-be entrepreneurs all year long. Buffalo is fortunate to host numerous events to help these folks along, but October is special. October is when Buffalo Startup Weekend happens.
Startup Weekend is a grassroots movement of organizers in 200+ cities around the world. Volunteer organizers help early-stage entrepreneurs think through their ideas and address the basics behind starting and running a business. As a consortium of WNY's business incubators, we back Startup Weekend because we know it builds a pipeline of entrepreneurs for our area.
How does Startup Weekend work?
First things first - sign up to attend!
Friday night, anyone attending is free to pitch an idea they want to work on. Last year, more than 40 people got up to pitch, and then spent the rest of Friday night recruiting other attendees to join their teams.
By Saturday, the teams are working on their ideas, turning them into business models and even building out prototypes. Volunteer mentors arrive to provide teams with outside perspective.
On Sunday, teams keep working, address any remaining issues, and prepare to pitch. Expert judges are brought in to rate the teams. Top performers receive a suite of prizes to help them launch their business.
What’s the value?
Judges select winners and prizes are awarded, but the relationships built over the 54 hour weekend are what really propels teams forward. Startup Weekend is an opportunity to meet and work with hundreds of WNY’s forward thinkers, dreamers, and doers. It’s your chance to meet new people and try new things.
You’ll meet business owners looking to stay sharp, founders with big ideas who need help to make them happen, and skilled coders looking for projects to work on. You’ll meet the champions of entrepreneurship in WNY who will back your business from its earliest stages until you’ve made it big. You might even meet your future.
