So what did you do
last weekend?
Partied? Slept all day? Relaxed? Took the kids & wife to
the Mall? I’m sure whatever you did was interesting but I…
… I attended Startup Weekend
in New Delhi.
Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders
and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals,
teams and communities.
Startup Weekend has been bringing together people from
across the country on a common platform to present their ideas.
These ideas, if liked by the panelists which include angel
investors, venture capitalists and their ilk from across corporates, support
the young pool of talent and handhold them to reach their ultimate goal.
So not only does Startup Weekend provides a platform where
your ideas are heard, but it also supports entrepreneurs financially.
54 hours and you get to launch a startup … Phew!
The event had people from across the country and even some
expats who pitched their ideas, shared their vision and built teams to execute
their ideas.
When one of my friends introduced me to this community, I
thought it would be a great event to participate in, while also getting to meet
new people and entrepreneurs-to-be. So I volunteered to handle their Twitter
page during the event.
This event primarily focused on Mobile. So participants could
develop some interesting apps with the three best ideas chosen as winners. Let
me take you on a little journey…
Day 1: Friday evening
When I got to the venue, I was amazed to see over 100
participants…all enthusiastically ready to present their ideas.
The pitches started and each person got one minute to pitch:
that’s 67 pitches in 67 minutes, after which teams were formed. Everyone chose
who they would want to work with and started planning.
It was an amazing sight to see so many people under the same
roof enthusiastic about entrepreneurs and working towards some great ideas.
Day 2: Saturday
This time when I got to the venue, I saw a few people
sleeping on the couch, a few working all night, a few fighting to get their
point across to the team and a few just chilling.
And then, they were busy the entire day – working, planning
and scribbling across the whole room to get their ideas to work.
Day 3: Sunday… The
Verdict
I entered the venue and saw a lot of seriousness on
everyone’s face. The apps were built, final presentations were being prepared
and, yes, a few teams struggled to get their ideas into the execution phase
right up until the last moment …
…and then, that evening, the winners were announced.
Lessons learned
First, this experience taught me a lot about the
entrepreneurial journey. From forming a team to getting your point across to
everyone to making your team excited about your idea…. there is a lot that goes
before a successful company is formed.
Second, I learned yet again how social media can engage
participants as well as the outside world with what’s happening around you. It
made me realize how Digital PR can help run the event in a much better way and
engage internal as well as external audiences.
Third, I realized that it all about “sharing.” People love
to share, people love to discuss current happenings, and I was just helping
them tell the world what they were up to at that point in time!
Great ideas I saw up close:
An app to kick corruption out of the country (Awenest);
An app to find the best street vendor in a particular place
(Buzz In);
An app to find skilled workers in your area (Parichay);
To mobile CRM for unorganized & informal pharmacies
(Data Cure)…
… all the pitches were crazy, huge fun and amazing to listen
to.
It was also fascinating to see the team spirit in each of
the participants, which makes me reiterate the fact that a team can pull
together and execute an idea into a successful business! After all, a great
idea needs a great team to execute and make the business successful.
…and that was one hell of a weekend!
So, do you agree with
me that my weekend was better than yours?
