In this 3-day event you’ll meet the very best mentors, investors, co-founders and sponsors and maybe even start that Business!
Techstars Startup Weekend is an exhilarating weekend starting Friday afternoon, where creativity and energy will set the tone. We’ll begin with introductions, pitches, and stimulating brainstorming sessions. From there, teams will be formed, and work will begin!
Teams will collaborate intensely from Friday evening until Sunday, refining ideas and crafting prototypes in preparation for the final pitches.
Participants will craft functional startups over the weekend, collaborating with peers beyond their usual networks. Expect insightful talks by local leaders and invaluable mentoring from seasoned entrepreneurs.
The teams will pitch their ideas at the end of the three days, and the best one will win! You will leave this weekend feeling more capable than ever to launch that idea you had been sitting on!
Network with aspiring entrepreneurs, potential co-founders, and industry experts. There’s no better place to build valuable connections and find mentors.
Receive mentorship from experienced professionals who can guide you through the entrepreneurial journey. Gain insights and knowledge that you can apply to your own startup.
Enhance your capabilities in a hands-on environment. Whether you are a developer, designer, or business enthusiast, you’ll gain practical skills crucial for startup success.
Quickly validate your business idea and receive feedback to refine it. Winning teams get support to turn their concepts into reality, with help from investors and mentors.
Network with aspiring entrepreneurs, potential co-founders, and industry experts. There’s no better place to build valuable connections and find mentors.
Receive mentorship from experienced professionals who can guide you through the entrepreneurial journey. Gain insights and knowledge that you can apply to your own startup.
Enhance your capabilities in a hands-on environment. Whether you are a developer, designer, or business enthusiast, you’ll gain practical skills crucial for startup success.
Quickly validate your business idea and receive feedback to refine it. Winning teams get support to turn their concepts into reality, with help from investors and mentors.
Introduction and Network
Pitch Presentation
Project Shortlist
Building the teams
Finding a problem
Validation
Building Solutions
Mentoring
Selling
Pitching
Evaluation
Celebration
If you have a groundbreaking idea, this is your chance to bring it to life.
Curious about what it takes to launch your own business? Discover the entrepreneurial journey here.
Eager to learn more about the startup ecosystem? Join us to gain valuable insights and skills.
TSW Porto Facilitator, Startup Program Manager @ Veridion, Head of Product @ Yepp Interactive
Growth Specialist @ Granter.ai; CEO & Co-founder @ Hortee; Startup Mentor; Speaker
CEO & Co-Founder @ iLoF, Venture Building Expert @ EISMEA, Forbes 30 Under 30 2020
Co-Founder @ YAngel, Co-Founder & Board Member @ COREangels, Co-Founder & CEO @ REDangels
Communication & Community Manager at 351 Portuguese Startup Association, Content Strategist & Creator, Marketing Specialist
Communication & Community Manager @ 351 Portuguese Startup Association, Content Strategist & Creator, Marketing Specialist
Volunteer @ 351 Portuguese Startup, Organizational Development Consultant, Coach
Volunteer @ 351 Portuguese Startup, Community builder, Entrepreneur, Mentor & Startup Enthusiast
15th to 17th November 2024
If you are interested in entrepreneurship the answer is most likely yes. Whether you are a serial entrepreneur or new to the startup scene, you’ll fit right in as long as you are motivated to build a product or startup and are open to new ideas. We believe that great ideas can come from anywhere.
The event is intended to be a collaborative and inclusive forum for sharing, learning, building, and having fun. We expect each member of the startup community to be inclusive of all people and their ideas at Techstars Startup Weekend and we welcome all, regardless of experience, industry or background.
Apart from the organizing team, mentors, speakers, event volunteers and judges, everyone who participates in the event is expected to participate in all three days. This is important not only to preserve your own learning experience, but also to minimize distractions or disruptions for the team you choose to join. At many Techstars Startup Weekends, a “Sunday Presentation Only” registration option is available for those wishing to only view the teams’ final pitch presentations. We welcome any friends, family or colleagues you would like to invite to watch your final presentation to see all you have accomplished in just one weekend. Please check the registration page of your city’s event website for availability.
Everyone who attends the event as a participant is expected to come to the event without a team and then join and participate with a team at the event. This is important to preserve the Techstars Startup Weekend educational experience. The ideal team consists of members from diverse backgrounds and experiences who collaborate to build a great minimum viable product (MVP) using the Lean Canvas framework. The more people you have on your team to help you do market research and business model development, the quicker you’ll develop an MVP to pitch on Sunday.
No, but we highly encourage you to. You can pitch an idea you’ve been thinking about for years, or something you think of at the last minute during the event. Please don’t pitch an idea that you’ve already been developing or have been working on outside of Startup Weekend. The point of the event is to learn how to go from ideation to product.
Pitching provides invaluable practice for public speaking. You won’t regret pitching, but might regret not pitching.
A key part of every Techstars Startup Weekend is the valuable advice and assistance provided by the event’s speakers and mentors. In the spirit of our motto, “No Talk, All Action,” we try to keep talks short and sweet, focusing on practical issues (i.e. “How to give a persuasive pitch” and “Best approaches to customer validation”) that can actually help you and your team better achieve your weekend goals. Mentors – community experts in various fields ranging from entrepreneurship, software development, marketing, finance, law, and more – dedicate their time to provide advice. In addition to the most valuable resources at the weekend (the people), we’ve put together a list of some useful resources and tools for before, during, and after the weekend. Check out the Tools for Participants section above for more info.
While there are no specific requirements in terms of what teams should have accomplished by Sunday, it’s in your best interest to plan your execution around what you’ll be judged for on Sunday:
As far as presenting goes, some of the most common presentations include any, or a combination, of the following:
We will be providing a vegetarian option with all of our meals, if you have additional dietary requirements let us know. We are unable to cater for all requirements but please check with us and we will advise.