Startup Weekend How to Take a Company From Concept to Creation in 54 Hours

by Nager, Marc; Nelsen, Clint; Nouyrigat, Franck

• ISBN13: 9781118105092
• ISBN10: 1118105095
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-11-08
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Tested principles for transforming an idea into a fully operational company Startup Weekend-the organization behind 54-hour events where developers, designers, marketers, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and create startups-has spawned both a global initiative in entrepreneurship as well as numerous successful startups. Startup Weekend, the book, contains best practices, lessons learned, and empowering examples derived from the organizations experiences for individuals and small organizations to follow as they launch businesses. Each of the key beliefs outlined has been tested by Startup Weekend and has yielded powerful results. The principles described in each chapter will give any business idea a greater chance for success. Chapter topics include trust and empowerment, flexible organizational structures, the power of experiential education, action-based networking, and much more Describes consequences for startup development as entrepreneurs and founders begin doing much more, even faster Profiles successful Startup Weekend companies, including two powerful examples: Memolane, an application that captures a users online life in one timeline making it easy for users to travel back in time and relive memories; and Foodspotting, a mobile and desktop app that allows users to find and share the foods they love Apply these simple actionable principles to launch your own startup revolution.

Author Biography

MARC NAGER, CLINT NELSEN, and FRANCK NOUYRIGAT are the Co-Directors of Startup Weekend, a nonprofit with the mission to educate entrepreneurs, strengthen communities, and launch startups.?Startup Weekend holds weekend events where developers, designers, marketers, productmanagers, and startup enthusiasts cometogether to share ideas, form teams, buildproducts, and create startups in 54 hours.Startup Weekend began in June 2007, and the core team has grown to nine full-time and three part-time employees, along with a network of more than 120 Startup Weekend volunteer facilitators and organizers who plan and lead?Startup Weekend events around the world. For more information, please visit www.startupweekend.org.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xxi
Acknowledgments	p. xxv
Introduction: Why Starting Up Is All about Trust and Empowerment	p. 1
Marc Nager and Clint Nelsen	p. 3
How Trust Led Us to the Greatest Adventure of Our Lives	p. 7
Franck Nouyrigat	p. 9
How We Empower People to Get the Most Out of Startup Weekend	p. 3
Why You Have to Have Trust to Be a Successful Entrepreneur	p. 15
No Talk, All Action: Action-Based Networking	p. 21
You Must Join a Team	p. 26
Breaking Down Barriers	p. 31
Taking Advantage of High-Energy, Low-Risk Settings	p. 34
Get Out of Your Bubble	p. 38
If Not an Actual Startup, at Least Always Build Relationships	p. 43
Diversity of Backgrounds Is Key	p. 45
How Do You Keep the Momentum Going?	p. 47
Good Ideas Need Great Teams: Pitch for Talent Not for Funding	p. 51
The Magic of 60 Seconds	p. 54
Deliver a Solution with One Sentence	p. 57
Build a Team	p. 60
What You Need-Talent and Energy	p. 61
Experiential Education: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone While Working Together as a Team	p. 67
The Importance of Context, Deadlines, and Instant Feedback	p. 71
Braindump	p. 74
So You Have a Viable Idea-Now What?	p. 77
Learning by Doing	p. 79
Risk Mitigation	p. 81
Allocating Tasks	p. 83
Recognizing Failure	p. 86
The Three Main Criteria	p. 90
The Startup Business Model: Adapt, Stay Lean, and Reiterate	p. 95
The Customer Development Revolution	p. 102
Getting Lean, Staying Agile, Preparing to Pivot	p. 107
Communication Is Key	p. 112
Stick with the Basics	p. 115
The Missing Pieces of the Entrepreneur's Curriculum	p. 118
Mapping the Startup Ecosystem and Subversive Reconstruction	p. 121
The Entrepreneurship Leap	p. 124
The Cofounder Leap	p. 126
The Startup Leap	p. 130
The Funded Leap	p. 133
The Scaling Leap	p. 135
External Growth Leap	p. 136
Leaping More Often	p. 137
The Future of Startup Weekend	p. 140
The Startup Foundation	p. 141
Conclusion	p. 143
Viva la Revolution	p. 145
The Entrepreneur Culture	p. 149
Your Next Iteration	p. 150
Further Readings	p. 153
Index	p. 159
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