Is it worth $75 to spend 54 hours taking a business idea from rough concept to a real company? If you ask Aidan Augustin of Feathr, the price tag for the next Startup Weekend Gainesville is totally worth it.
“Startup Weekend provided the perfect catalyst for me to take an idea I had been chewing on for months and finally go through the process of getting feedback, testing hypotheses, asking tough questions, and iterating towards better answers,” Augustin said. “Basically, it was a great kick to actually start working on what would eventually become Feathr.”
The idea he had been chewing on was a digital business card mobile app for business networking. At a previous Startup Weekend, he gave his one-minute pitch, formed a team and won that event. The team continued on with its startup and pivoted for better product/market fit. It is now one of Gainesville’s fastest growing tech companies.
Startup Weekend Gainesville, which will be held Oct. 12-14, is the place to look for a team, create a prototype of your idea, validate your business idea and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs, all in one weekend.
The event brings together designers, developers, marketers and startup enthusiasts from across the state and beyond to share ideas, form teams and launch business ventures.
Participants select ideas with the most promise and make as much progress on the business as possible over the course of three days. In addition, business leaders and mentors are on hand to share insights and experience.
“Startup Weekend provided the perfect catalyst for me to take an idea I had been chewing on for months and finally go through the process of getting feedback, testing hypotheses, asking tough questions, and iterating towards better answers.”
–Aidan Augustin
“When I meet people around town, and they learn I’ve worked for SharpSpring and other startups, they say ‘You know I’ve got this really great idea for an app, but I don’t know how to get it built,’” said Bryan Tobin, the lead organizer. “I tell them, ‘Come to Startup Weekend to find developers and designers and marketers to help you launch your business.’”
The 54-hour event will be held at Gainesville Technology Entrepreneurship Center at 2153 SE Hawthorne Road. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12 and will end at 9 p.m. Oct. 14.
Startup Weekend is a collaboration between StartupGNV (formerly GAIN) and GTEC to promote local businesses. Registration is $75, ending on Oct. 12, when the event begins. Local sponsors include SharpSpring, Feathr, Fracture and Trimark Properties.
To sign up for Startup Weekend, visit: bit.ly/swgnvfall2018.