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Coloft - Tickets go on sale APRIL 16TH at NOON!!!!

Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

The professional and personal challenges, the high and lows, the failures and the success?

Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 400 past events in 100 countries around the world in 2011.

The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle, Washington but Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa to London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.

All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.

Whether entrepreneurs found companies, find a cofounder, meet someone new, or learn a skill far outside their usual 9-to-5, everyone is guaranteed to leave the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups. If you want to put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, register now for the best weekend of your life!

******TICKETS GO ON SALE April 16th AT NOON!******

We sell out EVERY time so get to it fast!

Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Organizers
Tyler Koblasa
Cameron Rasouli
Avesta Rasouli
Yohei Najajima
Judges

Coaches

Skot Carruth

Co-founder/UX/Product Strategist/Managing Partner, Philosophie   |  

Skot started his first e-commerce business in 1997 at the age of 12. Since then, Skot has worked as a freelance designer, developer, and strategy consultant, working with startups and small businesses throughout high school and college. Skot earned his degree in Communication Studies from UCLA, and spent a brief stint in investment banking before returning to his digital roots to co-found philosophie in 2008. He currently leads the firm's User Experience Strategy practice and serves as its Managing Partner in Los Angeles.

Eric Galen

Technology & New Media Lawyer   |  

After practicing law at some of the nation's biggest firms for 7 years, Eric joined Audiolife as VP Business Development and General Counsel in 2007. Eric helped Audiolife pivot to launch, raise $5M from angel investors, and secure major partnerships. In 2009, Eric founded and launched Music180, an online talent discovery network, where he forged deals with hundreds of top music industry pros, major labels, and brands. As a tech and media lawyer, Eric sees firsthand what it takes to build a successful company. His clients have included Fullscreen, Eventup, Wiredrive, Topfloor, Wittlebee, Citrusbyte, Viddy, Tradesy, Survly, Lean LA, and many others. Bridging the gap between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Eric has helped clients develop working relationships with CAA, Disney, UTA, Starbucks, entertainment companies, influencers and celebrities, as well as leading startup accelerators, incubators and development shops.

Aaron Stannard

Founder, MarkedUp (an SWLA alum!)   |  

After two years of working as a Developer Evangelist at Microsoft, Aaron left to start MarkedUp. He's passionate about native app development, ASP.NET MVC, gaming, traveling, and camping. This is Aaron's second company in the analytics space.

Programming Languages: C#, JavaScript, Python, Ruby
Currently Learning: WinJS, MonoTouch, CSS3, Headless Distributed Systems

Dave Schappell

Director of Business Development at Amazon Web Services   |  

Dave is a Director of Business Development at Amazon Web Services, focused on the early-stage startup community. Prior to his current role, he was the CEO of TeachStreet.com, led marketing and product development at JibJab and Unitus, and also worked with Amazon.com from 1998 to 2004, when he led Amazon Marketplace product development, managed the Associates program, and more. He has a B.S. in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University and attended the MBA program at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Schedule

Friday

May 31
  • Registration Starts
  • Dinner & Networking
  • Welcome & Speakers
  • Pitches Start
  • Vote for top ideas
  • Team formation
  • Start to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. Be honest, and direct about what resources and skills are needed for the weekend. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow

Saturday

Jun 1
  • Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • GET SHIT DONE.
  • Lunch
  • Coaches will be around to help
  • Dinner
  • Mid weekend check-in, status reports, call for help
  • Go home and get some rest

Sunday

Jun 2
  • Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • GET SHIT DONE.
  • Lunch
  • Gut check. Start prepping for presentations
  • FINISH UP!
  • Dinner & FINAL PRESENTATIONS
  • Judging & awards
  • Wrapup
  • AFTER-PARTY!
Media Sponsors