Tulsa Startup Weekend

More info and some cool librarians (yes you read that right!)

swtulsa — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:59:10 +0000

This year Startup Weekend is excited to be partnering with the Tulsa City-County Library and will have Research Center librarians on-hand Saturday during the event to help participants find the information they need to support their ventures.

In case you didn’t know, the city’s second Startup Weekend is taking place in conjunction with Tulsa’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. The week-long series of events will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12 at Tulsa Community College’s Center for Creativity.

Startup Weekend Tulsa sponsors include Tulsa Community College, Isocentric Networks and Okinetic. Register today!

….WTF?

swtulsa — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:21:28 +0000

Not sure how you got here or what the hell Startup Weekend is? Good, that means you have an inquisitive mind which makes you perfect for Startup Weekend …”Yes..yes I know that but i still don’t know what the hell Startup Weekend is!”

So here is the deal. Startup Weekend is one of the coolest things to hit the world of entrepreneurship since well -sliced bread (Just think how much money the first guy to slice bread must have made) But seriously there are millions of bright people running around the third planet from the sun with tons of great ideas rattling through their heads. The problem is that very few people seem to be able to execute on those ideas. They are constantly planning this or thinking about that but they never seem to actually get anything done. That is because they don’t realize that deadlines, at least in the world of entrepreneurship, are our friends. Setting deadlines is the swift kick in the butt many entrepreneur need to get things done. And (cue the music) that is where Startup Weekend enters (stage right). Startup Weekend is as real and in your face as it gets, You say you have an awesome idea? Great you now have 54 hours to get it done…and the clock is ticking. WTF 54 hours? Yes 54 Hours!

See Startup Weekend has produced more than a few of these little get togethers (over 115 actually) and every time we are blown away with how much teams can actually get done.

Oh, did someone say teams? Yeah I might have skipped over that part too. Besides setting deadlines Startup Weekend helps you do something else – form a team. The vibe and energy around Startup Weekend inspire all kinds of creative and dynamic people to come out for a whole host of reasons and before you know it you suddenly have access to the most amazing bunch of diverse and dynamic people you have ever met. So what do you think? Are you ready to dust off that idea and see where it might take you?

Startup Weekend Tulsa 2010 Event Details

swtulsa — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:51:16 +0000

Startup Weekend 2010 will be held Nov. 12th-14th at TCC Center for Creativity in Downtown Tulsa. We are very excited about this event being held as part of Tulsa’s participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).

Agenda

Friday, Nov. 12th

6:00 pm Doors Open – Food and drinks provided

7:00 pm Event officially starts

7:45 pm Elevator Pitches begin

8:00 pm Teams start forming

9:00 pm Doors Close – Teams will often head to a bar or coffee shop for more work!

Saturday, Nov. 13th

9:00 am Doors Open -

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided – mixed in with work, work and more work!

9:00 pm Doors Close – Time to blow off some steam with some libations – Details to be announced

Sunday, Nov. 14th

9:00 am Doors Open

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided – mixed in with work, work and more work!

7:00 pm Final Team Presentations/Product Launches

9:00 pm …that’s all folks!

SWTulsa 2009 Success Story: Matt Galloway

swtulsa — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:22:21 +0000

Matt Galloway also left Startup Weekend feeling confident and ready to create something of his own.
Before Matt could decide his next step, the universe decided for him.
The Monday after Startup Weekend, he found out he was getting laid off in February.
Matt spent the next few weeks deciding what his game plan was. A month after his layoff, Matt cofounded Architactile, a company that makes Apple iPad applications for architects.
Matt attributes the confidence he felt to start Architactile to Startup Weekend.
“That weekend helped me realize that I want to work in a startup environment, not in a big corporate atmosphere,” he said. “Startup Weekend really motivated me to take the leap and try to get something going.”
The company’s first endeavor is tentatively called Inception.
The application helps architects speed up the planning process by putting everything on the screen of an iPad. Architects can quickly show clients the project’s scope and conceptual budget, thanks in part to the fact that the application does formulas for the architects.
Anyone can download the free version of the application, Inception Lite, on iTunes. Matt hopes to launch the paid version in December.
Inception Lite has been downloaded more than 2,000 times. Only 40 percent of the downloads have been in the U.S., something Matt didn’t anticipate.
He soon updated the application to include metric units and international currency symbols to make it more applicable for use outside the U.S.
“We’re very encouraged at this point,” he said. “We have no idea whether anybody will actually pay for it yet. We’ll find that out in December.”

SWTulsa 2009 Success Story: Caleb Oller

swtulsa — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:21:22 +0000

Caleb Oller left Startup Weekend last year knowing that just because he’s 24, doesn’t mean he can’t try to start a business.

For young people, Startup Weekend is a huge confidence boost.
“It makes startup ideas feel more possible,” he said. “So, build stuff you’re passionate about, have fun doing it and something will happen.”
Caleb grew up in southeast Oklahoma in Wilburton, a town of about 3,000 people. He now works in Providence, Rhode Island, at a software engineering consulting firm.
Caleb wouldn’t be living 1,600 miles from home had he not attended Startup Weekend in Tulsa in 2009.
Startup Weekend got the ball rolling for Caleb. He was able to network with aspiring entrepreneurs and, through those connections, find out about opportunities like Betaspring, a 12-week startup accelerator program in Providence.
Caleb finished that program and is now in a great position to try for a second attempt with a startup business.
Caleb was the cofounder of a software development company that ended earlier this year when he and his business partner parted ways. Regardless, the experience was invaluable. And it taught him that it’s OK to fail.
“There shouldn’t be fear of failure,” he said. “If you’re scared of failure, you’ll be scared to go into Startup Weekend.”

SWTulsa 2009 Success Story: Geoffrey Simpson

swtulsa — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:19:33 +0000

Running a software company was a life goal for Geoffrey Simpson.
As a kid, he had two uncles who were computer programmers. Then in high school, he went to the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City where he took advanced computer classes.
Then came the computer science degree from Oklahoma State University followed by a master’s in business administration.
Then the job as a software architect.
Geoff had the skills to something really great. He just needed a little inspiration.
Cue Startup Weekend.
Startup Weekend allowed Geoff to see everything that goes into starting a company — from the product development side of things to the advertising, marketing and public relations aspect.
For Geoff, the actual software development part was the easy part.
The challenge was finding all the other people he needed — the graphic designers, copywriters and editors — and then creating all of the marketing materials.
Startup Weekend gets all of those people in one room and then energizes them to work together.
“That’s just something that doesn’t happen every day in business, or in life in general,” he said. “The experience was fantastic — for us to create a goal and then finish it by Sunday night.”
Meanwhile, at Startup Weekend, Geoff learned about Twilio, a service that allows a company to make phone calls and send text messages through coding and programming.
Geoff took what he learned about Twilio and turned it into a real-life product called Diner Connection.
He took what he learned about Twilio, and he and his wife Shawna then started Moxie Software, a custom software and web application development company.
They recently launched their first product called Diner Connection, a web-based program that allows restaurants to better communicate with their patrons.
For one, Diner Connection replaces bulky buzzers. Rather than waiting at a restaurant outside with a buzzer, the restaurant is able to send patrons a text message when their table is ready. Restaurants can also contact customers when their to-go orders are ready and also harvest the numbers and do text message marketing.
And customers can talk back. They can ask how long their wait is or maybe answer whether patio tables are available.
Diner Connection launched Sept. 1. So far, Iguana Mexican Grill in Oklahoma City is the closest customer to Tulsa using the program.
By using Diner Connection, the restaurant was able to open a bar area in its parking lot where customers have a more comfortable waiting area than a small crowded lobby.
The experience of the three jam-packed days last November gave Geoff and Shawna a concentrated view of what goes into running a company.
“I think it’s a worthwhile experience for anyone to try if they’re interested in starting a company,” he said.
“Anyone” can even include 20-somethings from small towns in Oklahoma.

Startup Weekend Presents Global Startup Battle

Startup Weekend Crew — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:00:43 +0000

Startup Weekend, a non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington, announced the first “Global Startup Battle,” an event designed to challenge and inspire entrepreneurs from around the world during Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Startup Weekend challenges those that attend any of its 100+ events around the world each year to pitch ideas for new technology startups, form teams and build functional prototypes in just 54 hours. The events are designed to provide entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet like-minded people, exchange ideas, and benefit from the educational value inherent in the hands-on experience of rapidly building a new venture. While these “tech weekend warrior” events typically result in declaring a winner, Startup Weekend is taking the competitive edge to an entirely new level during this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week by hosting a full-scale, no holds barred “Global Startup Battle.”

Global Startup Battle is a capstone event that ties together teams from over twenty Startup Weekend events taking place during Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 12-21) in cities around the world from San Francisco to Sao Paulo, from Boston to Beirut and beyond. The winning team from each event – as decided by a panel of local expert judges – will have 24 hours to create a 90-second video pitch that highlights their freshly-launched product or service. Viewers from around the world will then be invited to view the video pitches and vote for their favorite concept. The winners will take home an assortment of cash and prizes from partners such as Twilio, oDesk, Microsoft and Lexmark, and some one-on-one time with a celebrity venture capitalist or angel investor (TBA).

“Startup Weekend puts a bunch of smart, like-minded people in a room and says, ‘Go build something great’,” said Josh Bob, a Boston-based Startup Weekend organizer. “The Global Startup Battle is about showing them that there are many other people, all over the world, who also want to do amazing things. We want to foster friendly global competition based around innovation and celebrating entrepreneurship.”

Want to be part of the action? Head to startupweekend.org and sign up for one of the events happening November 12-14 or November 19-21. There will be one battle for each weekend. Next step – win your local event and join the Battle! If you can’t attend an event, watch the Battle at globalstartupbattle.com and cast your votes. For more information about Global Startup Battle or Startup Weekend, contact GSB@startupweekend.org.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is designed to draw attention to the power of entrepreneurial activity around the world, especially the efforts of young people who seek to better their lives and the future of their communities through entrepreneurship. Millions of people from countries around the world participate in local, regional, and global events. More information can be found at unleashingideas.org.

SWTulsa’09 Reunion/SWTulsa’10 Kickoff Happy Hour

swtulsa — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:07:19 +0000

We are in the home stretch for the next Startup Weekend Tulsa. To help everyone get excited about the next event, we are holding a Startup Weekend Tulsa Reunion Happy Hour at Leon’s in Brookside on Thursday October 28th from 6:00 until ???. We are also making this happy hour the official kickoff for the next Startup Weekend to be held on Nov. 12th-14th. So if you are an alumnus of Startup Weekend Tulsa or might be interested in attending SW Tulsa 2010 plan on showing up on Thursday. There will be some great door prizes, special discount codes given out, and even the long awaited T-shirts form last years event will be given out.

It’s Official! Startup Weekend 2010 to be held November 12th-14th

swtulsa — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:40:28 +0000

Stay tuned for exciting details for this years Startup Weekend Tulsa. This event is going to be even more amazing than last years incredible event. More details will be availa ble shortly.

Oklahoma Entrepreneur’s Conference 2010

Startup Weekend Crew — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:04:55 +0000

The Oklahoma Dept. of Commerce is hosting its Oklahoma Entrepreneur’s Conference Feb. 23-24 in Norman, OK. This conference is coordinated by okstartup.com

Last year was the first year for this event and they had around 250 attendees and this year proves to be bigger & better.

Come learn firsthand about the entrepreneurship movement in Oklahoma. Gain knowledge about valuable resources, expand you network & hear from none other than Chris Brogan. You read that right, Chris Brogan author of Trust Agents & the President of New Marketing Labs, will be speaking to the group about getting the word out and how to market your venture in the media channels of today.

To find out more info & for a registration form click here