Garages. That’s once place where they tended to happen. Google, Apple, Intel… they all started up in a garage. Or a basement, like in the case of Fibernetics.
Every successful business had to start someplace, and in the past the one thing in common they all seemed to share were the places were dark, dank and dirty. But above all cheap.
When a company is in startup mode, the last thing they want to spend money on is a slick looking lobby and executive suite. All money goes to development and marketing, and those “nice things” hopefully come later. Today, starting up a business has changed for the better. The garage is out, and business incubators are in, and in the tech triangle, the No.1 hatcher of small businesses is the Communitech Hub.
Next weekend (April 4-6) Communitech is holding its Startup Weekend – Waterloo Region Community Edition – for the next generation out to change the world. The focus is on creating companies that —in some way, shape or form— enhance community life.
They’ll have lots of help. The key to their success is access to those who have been there before. Entrepreneurs who have successfully transformed their vision of a successful service or product into reality. These are the mentors, and this extraordinary group includes Fibernetics Co-Founder John Stix:
“Being apart of Start up weekend is more than a chance for me to give back, it’s also a chance for me to be immersed in the total entrepreneurial experience which I love. Such great young minds show up every year and I come out of it inspired myself.”
“I intend to broaden my mentoring because this is where positive change can really happen, not only for the motivated entrepreneur but the community at large. I can say that Fibernetics at one point only existed on a bar napkin and now we employ over 200 great team members.”
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 work with business leaders like John, and put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, register HERE.