Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend, a 54-hour crash course in company creation, will be taking place at UConn March 1-3.

Startup Weekend is a global event that brings entrepreneurs and developers together for a weekend marathon. By the end of the event, they seek to have an operating business. The event begins on Friday when individuals pitch ideas for what they believe would make a viable company. A vote is held, and the top 20 are selected. Teams are then formed, which consist of people with backgrounds in business and technology. The teams work nearly non-stop with the aid of coaches throughout Saturday and Sunday, turning their concepts into reality. Each business gives a presentation assessed by a panel of judges.

The event is an opportunity for students and entrepreneurs to get educated in production and management, build their professional network, and get advice from successful business owners and CEOs. According to the official website, over 36 percent of businesses created at Startup Weekend are still active three months later, and 80 percent of participants continue to develop their ideas after the event.

Registration for Startup Weekend can be done online or Friday evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Speakers include: Rob Hughes, CEO of TopCoder, Inc., based in Glastonbury; Mary Anne Rooke, chairman and managing director of Angel Investment Forum, located in New Haven and Stamford and Hadi Bozorgmanesh, director of engineering and physical sciences for UConn Ventures.