CEDAR CITY – Entrepreneurs are invited to participate in Startup Weekend Cedar City April 11 to 13, where business ideas will be developed, pitched and launched in a whirlwind 54-hour session.
During Startup Weekend, experienced and aspiring entrepreneurs, computer programmers, graphic designers and business developers will assemble in one large room to form a dozen new companies. Each company, with the help of expert coaches, produces a completed, market-validated product which will then be presented to a team of expert judges.
Teams are judged according to the three criteria: Business model, customer validation and execution, which are weighed equally. All participants retain ownership of what they create; many have continued their companies after past Startup Weekend sessions and obtained significant funding from investors.
Cedar City resident Abraham Hunt’s company, Print Badger, won second place at Startup Weekend Ogden last year and is now a sponsor of Startup Weekend Cedar City.
“Startup Weekend gave me an opportunity to put my skills to the test,” Hunt said. “Lots of people can make a program, but can you have a finished product ready to sell at the end of two days? That is a real challenge and shows what you are made of. I love the whole experience and can’t wait for our own Startup Weekend in Cedar.”
“My first Startup Weekend fueled my passion for innovative business startup,” said Todd Hess, lead organizer of Startup Weekend Cedar City. “The fact that you can go from concept to market in 54 hours straight blows me away.”
The session will be held at the Vivint Hub from 6 p.m. on April 11 to 9 p.m. on April 13. Online registration costs $100 per person, which includes meals throughout the event.
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 alone. Startup Weekend events are supported by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, along with other sponsors such as Microsoft BizSpark, Google for Entrepreneurs, Amazon Web Services and Domain.com. Local sponsors for Startup Weekend Cedar City include Vivint, Skywire Communications, Southern Utah University, Crystal Inn Hotel and Starbucks Coffee.
Event details and contact information
Date: April 11 to 13
Time: 6 p.m. April 11 to 9 p.m. April 13
Location: Vivint Hub, 246 East Fiddlers Canyon Drive, Cedar City
Admission: $100
Contact: Startup Weekend Cedar City – 435-572-0223
Submitted by: Cedar City-Brian Head Tourism Bureau
Email: [email protected]
