How to launch a company in 54 hours

Massey University’s Innovation Campus will live up to its name this weekend when entrepreneurs, designers and developers take part in a 54-hour competition to transform an idea into a new business.

The Auckland Startup Weekend will take place at the ecentre, the business incubator located on Massey’s Albany campus. The University is also a key sponsor of the event, along with the ecentre and MYOB.

There have been 578 Startup Weekends around the world - and counting. The Auckland event will allow participants to become part of New Zealand’s wider entrepreneurial community and the global Startup Weekend movement.

The event starts with open microphone pitches on Friday evening, with teams forming around the most inspiring ideas. Teams then see how far they can work towards launching a real business in 54 hours. Prizes for the winning team include a place on the ecentre Sprint programme valued at $4500, $1000 worth of MYOB products, and a trip to the Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco.

The ecentre Sprint programme is designed to assist entrepreneurs in developing both their own capability and validating their idea and business model. It aims to get the business to the point where it is ready to scale and grow, and establish itself offshore. 

The leaders of the winning team will head off to San Francisco for a four-week trip to explore offshore opportunities at the Kiwi Landing Pad, which helps New Zealand entrepreneurs create connections for their business ideas in the USA.

Last year’s winners TranscribeMe are proof of how Startup Weekend can launch a successful company. The entire team stayed together to form the company, which now has eight full-time employees, funding out of San Francisco, a website and iPhone app, and impressive growth figures.

“We trusted our instincts, took a leap of faith and threw our hearts and souls into the project,” says Helga Sonier, TranscribeMe’s public relations manager.

The event’s judges are: Candace Kinser, chief executive of the New Zealand Information and Communication Technologies Group, and a member of Massey’s College of Business advisory board; Nick Gerritsen, owner of Crispstart Ltd; and Brett Roberts, chief executive of Wharf42.

For more information visit: http://auckland.startupweekend.org/