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Table Of Contents
Our Core Ideology• WhatWeBelieve:OurCoreValues• WhyWeExist:OurCorePurpose
Envisioned Future• BHAG• VividDescriptionoftheFuture
The Why: What Will Never Change O1
Who Are We• GuidingPrinciples
The Who O6
Define SuccessCurrent Operational ModelsKey Strategic Metrics We Track
• Operations• BizDev• Marketing• Research• Community
The What 14
Operational Objectives to Achieve Our BHAGThe Startup Weekend Engine
Your First Day• FactsThatMatter:(Don’tForgetThese)
Work Culture• Work/LifeIntegration• WorkHours• OutoftheOffice
• Sickness• Vacation• PersonalTime
• WorkFromHome• Sociability• Travel• SoSummit/RegionalSoSummits• WorkplaceAtmosphere
Decision MakingOur Greatest StrengthsOur Greatest Weaknesses
Welcome To Startup Weekend 2O
Pivotal MomentCurrent Areas of FocusConclusion
Where Are We Going? 28
Not
es:
Our Core Idealogy
OurIdeologyisauthenticandpersonal:thisiswhoweareasindividualsworkingat
StartupWeekend.Thisiswhatguidesandinspiresustopursueourmission-thisisour
WHY.TheCoreideologyisdividedbetweenourourCoreValuesandourCorePurpose.
• Peopleshouldbejudgedbytheiractions,notbywhattheytalkabout
• Thebestwaytoleadafulfillinglifeistopursueyourpassions
• Entrepreneurshipisthesinglegreatestforceadvancingsocietyandhumanwelfare
• Empoweringothersisthebestwaytoidentifyleaders,buildcommunities,andinspire
change
The WHY: What Will Never Change
The WHY: What Will Never Change | 2
What We Believe: Our Core Values
AUTHENTIC
PERSONALCore
Not
es:
Ourcorepurposeistohelppeopleleadfulfillinglivesandcreatevalueforsociety.
Why We Exist: Our Core Purpose
The WHY: What Will Never Change | 3
Envisioned Future
StartupWeekendisfundamentallydisruptingthewaytheworldisapproachingentre-
preneurialeducation.StartupWeekendisademocratizerofentrepreneurship,makingit
accessibletoasmanypeopleaspossible-regardlessofreligion,race,gender,orsociopolitical
differences.StartupWeekenddarestoenvisionafuturethatimposesahuge,yetrealistic,chal-
lengetotheorganization.Ausefulexerciseinenvisioningthefutureistoexamineour“Big
HairyAudaciousGoal”(BHAG).
The WHY: What Will Never Change
INCOMING BHAG!
In 15 years, Startup Weekend will be the worlds largest start-ing point for entrepre-neurs creating mean-ingful and persistent firms.
BHAGBHAGIn 15 years, Startup Weekend will be the worlds largest start-ing point for entrepre-neurs creating mean-ingful and persistent firms.
Not
es:
The WHY: What Will Never Change
AssumingwecanachieveourBHAG,onecouldeasilyenvisionaworldwhereanyonewill
knowwheretogowhentheyhaveanidea,arelookingforateamorwanttocreateacompany.
StartupWeekendwillsuccessfullyprovethatwithinanystartupecosystemwecanincrease
notonlythevolume,butthequalityofentrepreneursandtherateatwhichtheyadvancefrom
onestagetothenextintheirjourney.Millionsofpeoplewillconsiderentrepreneurshipwhen
facingchallengesintheirprofessionalorpersonallives.Peoplewillbemoreresilienttofailure,
becominganentrepreneurwillbeasnaturalaslookingforanewjob,andpeoplewillfeelthat
ourorganizationhascontributedtotheirlifeinapositiveway.Countrieswillexperiencenew
growthandaneweraofwealthbecauseofaculturethathasneverbeenmoresupportiveof
freedom,creativityandinnovation.
Vivid Description of the Future
The WHY: What Will Never Change | 5
Not
es:
Who Are WE?
StartupWeekendisavolunteer-poweredorganizationwiththousandsofvolunteerson
everycorneroftheglobethatdedicatetheirtimetomakingthispossible.Forus,average
isnotanoption.Wearenotjustgoodatwhatwedo-wearethebestintheworld.
Fromateamof3enthusiasticentrepreneurswhohardlymaderentforayearandahalf,
StartupWeekendhasdevelopedintoanincredible,worldclassorganization.Weareateamof
passionatepeoplewhobelievethatwehavesomeofthecoolestjobsontheplanet. Maintain-
ingaculturethatembodiesourpastbutsetshighbarsforourfutureiscentraltooursuccess.
Welivelifetothefullest.Wetakerisks.Weconstantlyinnovateanddevelopnewmeansof
creatingvalueforourconsumers(participants),ourcustomers(partners/donorslookingfor
impact),ourcommunity(facilitators,organizers,coaches,panelists,investors),andourcom-
pany. Weapplyrigorousmethodstovalidatethefactthatweareconstantlyimproving.
Startup Weekend is an organization of entrepreneurs
The WHO | 7
The WHO
Not
es:
Whilewearenotdirectteachers,wearemastersatcreatingenvironmentswhereourattendees
canbecomeactivelearners.Wehelpdefinetheparametersandcreateopportunitiesforpeople
toaskhardquestions,achievegreatsuccess,andyes,evenfail.Thereisnobetterwaytolearn
thanbydoingit.Participantsbecomebetterentrepreneurs,coachesbecomebettermentors,
judgesbecomebetteradvocates,sponsorsbecomemoreengaged,and communitiesfoster
creativityandinnovation.
We are (experiential) educators
The WHO | 8
The WHO
Whileitmayseemcounterintuitivetosaythatourattendeesarenotourprimarycustomer,
itiscriticaltounderstandthatweexistbecauseofandtoserveourorganizers.Organizers
arethesinglelargeststakeholderinStartupWeekend’sabilitytoachieveitsmission.Startup
Weekendisdefinedbythepeoplethatweletrepresentus.Ultimately,ourorganizersare
responsiblefortheexperienceattendeeshave,andwecannotpretendtoknoweverything
thatbenefitsattendeesaswellasorganizersduetotheculturalandpoliticaldifferencesfrom
citytocity.Thisimpliesthatwewillalwaysmaximizethevalueweprovidetoorganizersand
entrustthattheyarerepresentingwhoweareatourverycore.
Organizers are the lifeblood of the organization
Guiding Principles
Inexecutingourmissiononadailybasis,wefollowanumberofguidingphilosophies.The
followingareimportanttoknowandrefertoonaregularbasis:
Theonlywaytolearnhowtostartabusinessisbyactuallydoingit.
You can’t learn entrepreneurship sitting in a classroom
Not
es:
The WHO | 9
The WHO
StartupWeekendisTHEbestwaytotolearnhowtofindaco-
founderandbuildagreatteam.Weaddressthisbyproviding
potentialco-founderstheopportunitytogothrougha“functional
interview”wheretheycanactuallyobservehowonanotheroper-
atesunderpressure.Theonlywaytoknowifyoucanworkwith
someoneistoactuallydoit.
The team is the most crucial element of a startup
Ideasareimportant-butsoaretheteams;astheyarewhatmakes
anideareal.Weemphasizethatbykeepinginmindthe“formula”:
Thebestteamscansucceedwithmediocreideas,butthemedio-
creteamswillneversucceedwitheventhebestidea. Ideasarean
extremelyefficientmechanismforconnectingpeoplewithsimilar
passionsandintereststhatareinterestedinsolvingsimilarprob-
lems.Itisimportanttorememberthatreallyamazingideasalways
havereallyamazingpeoplebehindthem,soweinsistthatamazing
teamsarecreatedasafirststeptoexecutingongreatideas.
Teams and Idea
Startup = Idea x Teamˆ2
(WealwayscapitalizethewordOrganizer):theyarethedriv-
ingforcefortheOrganization’ssustainability.Wemuststriveto
maximizethevalueweprovideourOrganizers.Thisincludesthe
supportandleverageofpasteventefforts,toolsforcommunica-
tion,managingattendees,finances,speakersandsponsorsaswell
asintroductions,newcareeropportunities,andbecomingpartofa
globalnetworkofcommunityleaders.
Organizers are our most important stakeholder
Not
es:
The WHO | 1O
The WHO
Thefutureofourcountryandourworldreliesonconstantinnova-
tionandadvancement.Whilelifestyleentrepreneurscanbuilda
greatlifeforthemselvesanditcanbeagatewaytobiggerthings,
highgrowthcompaniesthatbuildmeaningfulandpersistent
businesseshavebroughtforthalmostallofthegainsineconomic
wealthaswellasadvancementinhumanwelfaresincecommerce
began.AtStartupWeekend,wehaveauniqueopportunityand
responsibilitytoencourageanyone,nomattertheirlocationor
product,topursuetheworldastheirmarket,
notjusttheirlocalcity.
We encourage high growth companies
ThesinglegreatestassetStartupWeekendhasasabrandisthatit
canalwaysactinthebestinterestoftheentrepreneursandlocal
communitiesbynotalteringitsbeliefs,model,oraligningit’sinter-
esttothesolepurposeofanyoneparty.Opinionsarebasedon
researchandclear,objectivesources.StartupWeekendenlightens
attendeesofthemostcurrentmethodologiesandresourcesavail-
ableforstartingabusinessandgivesthemahigh-energy,low-risk
andsupportiveplacetoexperimentwiththem;however,thesewill
neverbeforced.
Neutrality
Theworldneedsmorepeopleandorganizationssupportingentre-
preneursandthecreationofstartups.Whenitisinthebestinter-
estofourcommunity,weindirectlysupportanyorganizationsthat
haveamissionsimilartoStartupWeekend.
Collaboration
Not
es:
The WHO | 11
The WHO
Almostasimportantaspickingtherightco-foundersisselecting
thebestadvisersforyourstartups.Mentorscanmakeorbreak
yourbusiness.Evenifsomeonehashadamulti-milliondollarexit
orstartedanamazingcompany,heorshemaynotmakeagood
coach.Westrivetoeducateexperiencedprofessionalstocoach
teamseffectively,andwehelpentrepreneurslearnhowtoutilize
andchoosethebestcoachesforthem.Wehavearesponsibilityto
helpaccomplishedindividualslearnthroughexperiencehowtobe
mentorsbyattendingStartupWeekendevents.
Mentors are like mushrooms
Entrepreneurshipisthesinglelargestdrivingforcetocreatingjobs
forourselves,opportunitiesforourneighbors,andbetter,more
responsiblesocieties.Beinga“socialenterprise”isabusinessmodel
decisionthatcanbestrategicallyintroducedintoanyfor-profitor
nonprofitmodeltooptimizeimpactoverprofit.Weallstrivetosee
agreaternumberofbusinessesthatactresponsiblyandsustain-
ably,butwearecautiousofassociatingtoocloselytoanytrends
thatcanbesubjectiveorisolating. “Social”isapproachedasisany
otherhorizontalthemethatcanapplytoanyStartupWeekend
event.
Every entrepreneur is a social entrepreneur
Alltoooftenweareledtobelievethatfundingrepresentsthekey
metricforsuccessforanearly-stagestartup.StartupWeekend
maintainsitsneutralityandencouragesentrepreneurstochalleng-
esthenotionthatinordertobesuccessful,youmustobtaininvest-
mentcapital.Assuch,weneverpromotecashprizesforteamsat
StartupWeekendevents.
Funding does not equal success
SUCCESS
Not
es:
The WHO | 12
The WHO
Someentrepreneursaregenuineideapeople,someareincredible
executors.Almostanyonecanbeconsideredanentrepreneuras
longasyoucanpointtosomemomentintimewhentheytook
asubstantialrisktobuildaninnovativebusinessorjoinayoung
teamwhenalloftheanswerswereanythingbutclear.
There are different types of entrepreneurs
Businessplansimplyapreviousknowledgeofwhatwillhappen,
butwebelievethisisnotthecaseforwhatwecallastartup.A
startupisdefinedasagroupofpeoplelookingtoscaleandsustain
abusinessmodel.Startupsarenotasmallerversionofa
bigcompany.
Business plans are dead R.I.P
Modelsareinherentlynotperfect,butsomeareuseful,createdthismodeltorepresentthe
phasesthatentrepreneursgothroughandcontextualizetheconversationsaroundwhatvari-
ousrolesexistwithinstartupecosystems.TheEntrepreneurialjourneyisagreattoolweuse
wheneverwe’retalkingabouteco-systemsorevenjustStartupWeekend.StartupWeekend
hasperhapsthemostpivotalroleinthismodelattheActionstep,themostunderservedstep.
Ultimately,webelievethatwecanincreasethevolume,qualityandrateofadvancementof
entrepreneurswithintheirecosystems.
The Entrepreneurial Journey
Not
es:
Not
es:
The WHAT
Define Success
SuccessforStartupWeekendisnoteasilyquantifiedinallaspects.Oftenfornon-profits,
andcontrarytostandardfor-profitbusinesspractice,wewillutilizeacombinationof
tangibletrackingmetricsaswellasmoreanecdotalevidenceofourimpactandperformance.
Successfulnon-profitorganizationsaregovernedbydifferentprinciples,becausethemeaning-
fulmetricisnotprofitabilitybuttheimpactanorganizationhasonaproblemorcause.
StartupWeekendhastheresponsibilitytoleadandthepowertogreatlyinfluencetheglobal
conversationaroundearly-stageentrepreneurship,startupecosystems,andjob-creation.
StartupWeekendwillcontinuetoshapeitsthinkingandapproachbasedonnotonlywhatthe
communityneedsbutalsowhatwelearnfromourownoperations.Whatwelearnwillalways
andregularlybesharedwithourcommunity.
The WHAT | 15
Not
es:
The WHAT
Current Operational Models
WhenunderstandingandexplainingStartupWeekend,itisimportanttobeableto
explainWHATStartupWeekendis;however,pleaserememberthatyoushouldAL-
WAYSstartbyexplainingStartupWeekendfirstwiththeWHY,thentheWHOandfinally,the
WHAT.Don’tbeafraidtochallengethatexpecttoheartheWHATfirst.
ThesestatementstendtobeusefulindescribingtheOperationalModelsfortheWHAT:
The WHAT | 16
Vision Statement
Startup Weekend will be the world’s single largest starting point for new entrepreneurs.
Startup Weekend inspires action in the lives of entrepreneurs through experiential education.
Mission Statement
Purpose StatementStartup Weekend provides anyone all over the world the opportunity to experience entrepreneurship and develop the skills, connections, and confidence nec-essary to launch a company.
What is Startup Weekend?It is the most accessible, low risk, and effective environment for building teams, validating ideas, and learning the first steps to launching a business.
Not
es:
The WHAT
Key Strategic Metrics We Track
The WHO | 17
Growth&SustainabilityRatio
Operations
Graduationrateorsuccessful“exits”:AttendeebecomesaVolunteerthenbecomesanOrga-nizerthenbecomesatrainedFacilitator.AtanytimeintheirlifecyclewithStartupWeekend,itissuccessfulforthemtobreakorexit.
Community
• Total$Raised• Ratioof:
Biz Dev
• MeaningfulStories-Illustrateimpact
• AttendeeRatios
Marketing
• ImpactScore• Numberofpublications• Numberofacademicpartner-
ships• Numberofarticle/blogposts
permonth
Research
Not
es:
The WHAT
Operational Objectives to Achieve our BHAG
The WHAT | 18
AWESO
MENESS
Time
• Onemillionattendeesby2018
• Serveasthestartingpointforatleast1Billiondollarentrepreneur
• By2018,over20,000Organizers&Facilita-torshaveeitherchangedtheirjobsorstartedacompanyduetotheirinvolvementwithStartupWeekend
BHAG
Define Success
Thefollowingisagraphillustratingwhatdrivestheorganization.Usingthisasatoolto
aidindecision-makinghelpsdriveclarityabouthowtoproducethebestlong-term
results.Allstrategicinitiativesshouldalignwithallthreefacets,and,intheeventtheydonot,
needtobeconsiderednotcoretotheorganizationandhandledaccordingly.
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Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Your First Day
Considerthisyourfirstdinnerwiththein-laws.Itmaybeabitawkwardatfirst,butyou
arepartofthefamilynow.
StartupWeekendisaflatorganization.Weareateamofself-startersandgo-getters.Youwon’t
findalotofmanagementhere,butyouwillfindthatyouareexpectedtoaskquestionswhen
youhavethemandvoiceyouropinionwhenyouhaveone.Wewanttoencouragecollabora-
tionandinnovationwithinourmodel,andthismeanspreservinganenvironmentinwhich
theyflourish.Thisorganizationisthemanifestationofallofitsteammembers,anditisyours
tosteer-towardsopportunitiesandawayfromrisks.Youhavethepowertoexecuteonproj-
ectsandthepowertoinfluenceanyconversation.Thiswillbeoneofthemostchallengingand
rewardingprofessionalexperiencesofyourlife,andyou’vegotanamazingteamtohelpyou
everystepoftheway.
Everyoneofusishereforveryspecialreasons,andthereisnoothergroupofpeoplemore
capableofmakingStartupWeekendoneofthemostimpactfulnonprofitsontheplanet.
Welcome!
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 21
Not
es:
• StartupWeekendisa501(c)(3)Non-Profit:Oursalariesarefundedby(a)eventlevelrev-enues,(b)sponsorships,and(c)donationsfromourpartners.Weareheldtomuchhigherfinancialrigorasanon-profit,andwemustmaintainhigherlevelsoftransparencyandconstantlystrivetoensureourcompliancewithIRSregulations.
• StartupWeekendisnotjustaneventcompany.
• WedonotdefineoursuccessbythecompaniesthatcomeoutofStartupWeekend:wede-finesuccessbyourimpactonpeople’slives.
Facts That Matter: (Don’t Forget These)
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 22
Work Culture
MostofusconsidertheStartupWeekendteamtobelikeasecond
family.Wearebothfriendsandco-workers,whichmakestheline
betweenworkandlifehardtodraw.Webelievestronglyinallow-
ingandencouragingoneanothertopursuenon-work-relatedac-
tivities,sowhetheryourfavoritebandisintown,afamilymember
isvisiting,aspecialeventhappening,thesnowisdeep,thelakeis
calling,orthatlastminutetriptoMexicopopsup,youareencour-
agedtoadjustyourscheduletotakeadvantageofthegreatthings
lifehastooffer.Ofcourse,weallexpectoneanothertomakeup
fortimespentdoingthesethings.
Work/Life IntegrationAt the office...
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 22
Whilepeoplewilloccasionallypushthemselvestoworksubstan-
tialextrahours,forthemostpart,doingthisforextendedperiods
indicatesafundamentalfailureinplanning,communication,
and/ortimemanagement.Thisorganizationwasbuiltwithlong
hoursandalotofhustle,butthiscanstillbeaccomplishedwithout
burningout. Ifyoueverfindyourselforseesomeonedoingthis,it
shouldbebroughttotheattentionofothers.Weareallheretolead
fulfillinglives.
Work/Life Integrations cont.
‘Ohana’ means family InAnd Out Of The OFFICE
The following provides a sample of how we define the Startup Weekend culture.
At the bar...
Whileworkhoursareflexible,weexpectthateveryoneputsinsuf-
ficienttimeandiswillingtodowhatittakestodeliveronprojects
andtasks.TheSeattleofficehascorehoursfrom9:00amto6pm
PST,andeveryoneisgenerallyintheofficeby10am.Morethan
anything,workhoursareaboutsettingexpectationswiththerest
oftheteamandvalidatingyourworkschedulethrough
effectivenessandproductivity.
Work Hours
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 23
Weencourageyoutostayhomewhenyouarefeelingill.You
shouldtaketheneededtimetogetbetterandnotriskinfecting
thosearoundyouaswell.Thisalsoincludestimefortakingcare
ofothers.Iftheyouareoutofworkformorethanfive(5)days
pleasenotifyourHRmanagerasfurtherinformationwill
berequested.
Sickness
Thereisadifferencefromgoingtoadifferentstateandstillbeing
inyouremail-thisisnotavacation.VacationtoStartupWeekend
meansyouarefullyunplugfromwork.Thatsright-noemail,no
phone...youare“offthegrid”.
Vacation
Thisincludestimetoattendvarioushealthappointments,personal
errands,mentalhealthdays,moving,religiousholidaysoutsidethe
StartupWeekendrecognizedholidays,etc.
Personal Time
StartupWeekend’spaidtimeoffcoverswhatevertimeyouneedinthesethreemainsections:
Out of the Office
Theonlyfailurehereisthefailuretocommunicateandplanappropriately.Employee’sshould
arrangefortimeoffwiththeirmanagers.Oncethisiscommunicatedwithyourmanager,
pleaseaddthedaysyouwillbeoutonthecompanyinternalcalendarandnotify
theHRmanager.
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 23
Occasionallyyouwillneedtoworkfromyourhome.Onlything
weaskisthatyounotifyyourmanagerandteamaswellasstillbe-
ingavailableviaphone/chat/emailduringthecorebusinesshours
(specifiedabove).
Work From Home
Weworkhardandweliketoplayharder.Anygivenweekthereare
variousHappyHours,teamactivities,startupevents,dinners,jam-
a-thon’setc.Weencourageeveryoneontheteamtoattendbutby
nomeansaretheseeventsrequired.
Sociability
ProvidingtravelopportunitiesforourbestOrganizers,Facilita-
torsandsupportersisoneofourcorevaluepropositions,and
goesalongwaytowardsbuildingloyalty/retentionandforging
importantrelationships/connectionsaroundtheStartupWeekend
brand.Fromtimetotimecoreteamemployeesareinvitedtotravel
toeventsandthisexperienceishighlyencouraged.Yourbusiness
travelshouldbecoveredbythecostoftheevent.Youaremore
thanwelcometohaveacoupledaystoenjoythelocationunder
theunlimitedPTOpolicy.
Pleaseremember,youwillbeattheseeventsasaSWrepresenta-
tiveandthisroleshouldbetreatedwithrespect.Useyourbest
judgement,butpleaserememberthatyourepresentaUSbased
non-profit.
Travel
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 24
aTheStartupOrganizerSummitisanannualeventwherewegatherourcommunitylead-
erstogetherfromallcornersoftheglobe.Wearelaunchingregionalversionsofthesummits,
withthegoalofstrengtheningconnectionsbetweenOrganizersandhelpingtoensurethe
sustainabilityoftheeffortsandenergyweallpourintothiseverysingleday...nottomention,
havealittlefun!
SoSummit / Regional SoSummits
Whileweoperatewithinthecasualandchaoticworldofstartups,weholdourselvestoavery
highstandardwhenitcomestopunctualityandpresentation.Ourworkspacecreatesthefirst
andmostimportantimpressiononanyonewhowalksthroughthedoor.Teammembersare
encouragedtocustomizeandgetcreativewiththeirworkspacesaslongastheyarekepttidy,
asweworkandpresentourselvesasaworld-classorganization.
Workplace Atmosphere
Please review our Employee Guide for information on payroll, benefits and other perks.
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 25
Conversationsinanycircumstancemustdemonstrateintegrityandnotdistract,offend,orde-
meanothers.Wetakeenormousprideinthecasualatmospherebutexpectthehighestlevelof
professionalismfromeveryone.
Workplace Atmosphere cont.
Westrivetohaveacollaborativeenvironmentbutwearealwayscautioustonotwastetimein
unnecessarymeetings.Allin-personmeetingsmusthaveaclearpurposeanddesiredoutcome.
Allmeetingsshouldbefollowedbyaclearlydelineatedactionitems.Attendanceatregularteam
meetingsisnotoptional.
Asissues,questionsandproblemsarise,teammembersareexpectedandencouragedtotalkabout
them.Westrivetofosteracultureofopenandfrequentcommunication,andexpectallcritiques
tobepairedwithproposedsolutions.
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 26
Decision Making
TheleadershipatStartupWeekendisveryintentionalaboutmaintainingalegislative
approachtoalldecisionssoastoensureallstakeholdersareinvolved;however,weare
justlargeenoughthatnoteveryonecanalwayspartakeineveryconversationordecision.
Everyoneisempoweredtomakedecisionstothebestoftheirabilityandareencouragedto
seekoutmultipledifferentpeopleforeverydayquestionstoreinforcetheflowofinformation
andknowledgeacrossdepartments.Everypersonintheofficehastheabilitytopartakeinany
conversation,andisexpectedtobeproactivetoweighinonanytopicordecision.Ifsome-
onefeelsliketheywerenotpartofadecisiontheyshouldhavebeen,itistheirresponsibility
tomakethatknown,asoften,anoversightisunintentionalandissimplyduetothespeedat
whichaimtomaintainforwardprogress.
A Decision Is Being Made!
Doyouwanttoparticipateinthedecisionmaking?
YesNo
Voiceit!Thendon’tworry,you’reingoodhands
Ok ;)
But I’m not happy with the result / wanted to add or discuss some-thing relevant...
Not
es:
Welcome To Startup Weekend
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 27
Our greatest strengths• Ourteam:Ourgreateststrengthisourabilitytoattractamazingpeopleandbuildateam
thatis,perperson,arguablyoneofthemosteffectiveforcesforgoodontheplanet.
• RapidIteration:Weprideourselvesonbeingabletoiteratequickly,experimentwithnew
ideas,andimplementeffectivelyinaveryswiftmanner.
• Balanceofmessy&intentional:Attimes,thespeedatwhichwemovecanmakethings
appear“messy,”butthatisembracedasagreatstrengththatallowsustocontinuallyin-
novate.
• Findingtherightadvisors:Whenwehaveproblemswithunknownanswers,nomatter
howtacticalorgrandiose,weareunafraidandproactiveinlookingtoexternalstakehold-
ersandengagingsomeofthemostqualifiedpeopletohelpusthinkthroughsolutions.
• Havingopinions:We’recontinuouslylearning(alot!),andwedevelopopinionsandshare
them.Theywillnotalwaysbealigned,buttheymakeforextremelyproductivedebates.
Nevershyawayfromdevelopingandstatinganopinion.
Our greatest weaknesses• Messycanbeconfusing.Sometimesitishardtokeepupwithothers,andsometimesitis
hardtokeepothersintunewithwhatyouaredoing.Youmustbeconscious,pro-active,
andforgivingaboutthis.
• Wearenotgoodathands-onmanagementanddailygoal-setting:StartupWeekendisan
organizationof‘doers’,notelaborateplannersormicro-managers.Teammembersthatcan
writetheirownjobdescriptionsandcontinuetoevolvethemovertimewillexcelthemost
andberewardedforit.
• Wearechallengedbyinvolvingthosenotintheofficeinstrategicconversations.It’sjust
hard.Ifyouareoutoftheoffice,youmustbepro-activetostayinvolvedinanytopicsyou
feelnecessary.
Not
es:
Pivotal Moment
StartupWeekendisatapivotalmoment(in2012),bothinternallyandwithrespecttothe
largerrolethatitplaysintheworld.Wehaveenlistedthemostpassionateandcapable
team.Wehavevalidatedourvolunteered-poweredmodel,relyingonhighlypassionateand
motivatedindividualswhoareexcitedtobringStartupWeekendeventstotheirrespec-
tivecommunities.Webelievethisdecentralizedandopen-sourcedmethodofoperatinghas
helpedusgrowandincreaseouroverallimpactaroundtheworld.Aswecontinuetogrow,it
willbedisciplinedgrowththatdistinguishesusfromagoodorganizationtoagreat,enduring
one.
Where Are We Going?
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 29
ArticulatingStartupWeekend’smissioniscentraltoenvisioningourfuture.Oursteadfast
dedicationtothismissioninallofourdailyoperationspushesusforwardonthepathto
greatness.Thisdocumenthashopefullyprovidedsomeofthatclarityandtherestwillcome
onlythroughyourquestions,conversationswiththeteam,andexperiencewithallthatis
StartupWeekend.
Wearehere
Not
es:
Current Areas of Focus
Thefuturealwaysholdssurprises(andwearenotfortunetellers),butatthispointintime
StartupWeekendwillmostlikelybuildonoursuccessbyfocusingeffortinthefollowing
areas:
Where Are We Going?
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 3O
• Research:Understandingandcollectingvaluableinsightsfromourcommunity.Weare
positionedtobethesinglelargestwindowintoearlystageentrepreneurship.Thiswill
driveourinnovation,growth,fundraisingabilities,andabilitytoinfluenceothersultimate-
lyfulfillingourmission.
• VerticalsandHorizontals:Applyingourmodeltoamyriadofindustries.
• Pre&PostWeekendPrograms:IncreasingthequalityandreadinessheadingintoSW
eventsbyprovidingcontextualizedlearningopportunities(pre-eventprograms),and
increasinghigh-potentialteams’chancesofsuccessbyprovidingmoredirectsupportafter
theweekends(post-eventprograms.).
• Our“EconomicDenominator”:Devotingsignificantattentiontorevenue-generating
activities.
• MaximizingtheValuePropositiontoourOrganizersandeffectivelymanagingorganizer
turnover-oneofthesinglegreatestthreatstooursustainability.
• Regionalizingouroperationstohelpusachieveincreasesinthequalityandvolumeof
events.
Conclusion
TAtnopointintimeinhumanhistoryhastheglobalbusinesscommunityeverbeenso
connectedoraccessible.Morethananythingelse,thephenomenaofentrepreneurship
hastheabilitytoalleviatepoverty,takeusintothecosmos,leadtomorefulfillinglives,and
increasehumanwelfare.Inthiscontext,StartupWeekendissettobecomeoneofthemost
importantnon-profitsintheworld.
Not
es:
Where Are We Going?
Welcome To Startup Weekend | 3O
Wemustnevertakeforgrantedthebrevityofthetaskbeforeus,forStartupWeekendtrulyhasthe
potentialtofundamentallychangethefabricofsocietyincommunitiesaroundtheworld.Weare
spreadingaculture-onethatfosterscreativityandinnovation;onethattranscendsreligion,poli-
tics,race,andbeliefs.Becauseoftheworkwedoeveryday,hundredsofthousandsofpeoplewill
discovertheirpassions,solvemeaningfulproblems,createjobs,andcontributetoabettersociety.
Weareaforcetobereckonedwith,amovement,arevolution.Now,enoughtalking.Let’sstartdo-
ing,together.
Conclusion cont.
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