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“Klaar aan het maken voor #swutrecht ! Nou hopen dat de drukker mijn nieuwe business cards een beetje mooi afleverd... :)
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“Nog een uurtje en dan begint #swutrecht Geen idee wat te verwachten en eigenlijk helemaal geen tijd, maar toch zin in!
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19:00An Experiential Education for Entrepreneurs
After Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Groningen, now Utrecht has its moment of glory. Live from the 21st floor of the Conclusion-building (Herculesplein, Utrecht), this is the kick-off of the Startupweekend! A happy crossover of businessschool, codecamp and slumberparty. Here, high above a beautifully lit Utrecht-by-night, new meetings occur between about a hundred digital-creatives of all kinds (dev and design, marketeers and businessmen). Designed to join forces and let loose the new ideas that come into existence. -
"A gathering of like minded entrepreneurs!"; with an energetic introduction video this business-brainstorm is officially opened! About one fifth of the audience has visited a Startupweekend before. A relatively large amount of visitors comes from out of town. In fact, some of them are actually from abroad, determined to travel along with the inspiring vibe of Startup, that today brought them to our 'Domstad'. It's probably the best harbinger of success we can get. After all, as has been said during the introduction; "Startup is not an organization, it can be characterized best as a movement". So, without further ado, let's find out where it leads us.
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“#swUtrecht speaker Murat Kiran quotes Churchill: "if you're going through hell, keep going, it's the only way out"
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19:30
"If your going through hell, keep on going, because it's the only way out."
One of the keynote speakers of tonight is Murat Kiran, an entrepreneur that shares his life story, and the wisdom that came along. Murat came to the Netherlands are a foreigner, and has struggled to find a job that could offer him financial stability, but also -and more important- personal fulfillment. Unsatisfied with this painstaking slow process, he decided to dedicate more time to tutorials on software techniques. With success; even before he actually had to actively search for carreer opportunities, he was asked to participate in several projects. By now, he has founded several companies, in various areas (software, entertainment and even real estate). Even though he found a way to change his own path, his underlying message from those days still stands: "I'm here to tell you that it's a hell of a job to get there." -
“#swUtrecht Murat Kiran "startup life is a game of inches, every inch counts, fight for inches to live or die"
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Murat emphasizes that Startupweekends can be a new beginning: "Life is about inches, each inch counts". Every conversation, every idea, phone number or email address: they're all new beginnings of something that can evolve into an amazing result.
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19:50This is what business looks like"I thought about my preparation for this Startupweekend; ironing my shirt, shave a little bit. But then I realized, this is Startup, this is what business looks like. So I didn't shave, and I think I had half an apple pie for lunch today."
Maarten Brands -game-entrepreneur and founder of FunkyFish- shares a vivid story of being a young entrepreneur. His message is one of willpower and devotion: "You need to be emotionally invested, because you will need to battle for everything; clients, money, but also on a very personal level. Questions will emerge: Can I do this, or am I crazy?" -
“You don't know how hard work it is to start a start-up. Real hard work. Battle yourselves. Be manic depressive. #swutrecht @Maarten_Brands
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Especially for a newbie, bluffing is the only way to go. Maarten shares a hilirious memory of his early days: his friends were still building his office, while he was on his way to the airport to pick up a first client, figuring out how to buy more time. Illusions may come in handy, to convince new clients you're an experienced know-it-all. Even if behind screens you're still attempting to master your skills.
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When it comes to collaborations, Maarten has some important advice: "If you work with people, you need to know if you're in for the same thing. It's like a marriage. Don't underestimate that."
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The insights of both keynote speakers can be summarized as follows: [1] "Never ever -ever!- give up" and [2] "Embrace the power of loving and caring about your business".
Last but not least, before we start pitching, we make mention of what we battle for. How about 5 months of incubator space and program at the Dutch Game Garden or UtrechtINC? Now we're talking! And don't forget the media coverage it might lead to. For our runner-ups, there are all kinds of useful rewards (new possibilities to pitch your idea elsewhere, books about enterpreneurship, and more). -
20:10The floor is yours!
So, who's ready to pitch an idea? No need to repeat; a long line of enthusiastic creatives line up near the stage. After an encouraging cheering of the audience, brave new talent steps forward. We have an amazing total of 42 pitched ideas! Some well thought through, others a bit more vague (due to the fact that they're made up on the fly, or perhaps nerves kick in, while standing in front of a large crowd of critical like-minded). I'm not yet going to give you the exact details of what's brewing here (hey, after all, you could have been here yourself), but here's a preview to give you an idea: A coaching app for writing speeches? Crowdsourced dating? An app to locate small missing objects in your own living space? An augmented reality game of Snake? After a short break, all audience members will vote for their favourites. Which ten ideas gain enough support to be developed in the next 50 hours? Exciting times ahead! -
“Wow some really good ideas during the pitches this #swutrecht weekend!!
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“Nu al ruim 25 pitches op het Startupweekend Utrecht. Nieuwe ideeën, op zoek naar de juiste personen om ze te realiseren. #swutrecht
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21:15
The wall is yours!Digital voting apps, live processing data? Been there, done that. There nothing better than analogue voting visualization: with only 3 cheery colourful post-its, all audience members get to speak their minds. Post-its are attached on the most feasible and fun ideas, neatly lined up on the wall. It's interesting to see patterns emerge; some ideas clearly caught grip, others seem less attractive. Some initiators are still trying to sell their ideas to the ones who have not made up their minds yet. But most of the audience members stand ground; based upon their professional knowledge and experience they have a pretty good idea of what is viable. -
"These are the ideas you believe in most. You're excited about the results?" Cheering everywhere. With slight tension, the best ideas are announced, their creators called back on stage. We meet the most promising creatives, that will play an essential role within the next few days. All participants get to choose one, to enforce the team that's going to pursue the idea and make it happen.Some last minute advice is given: "Always have an open attitude towards co-ownership; your team is everything!" And "focus on what you've accomplished, ignore painstaking details and make sure to nail down the most fundamental aspects. There are only 50 hours left, use them wisely!" Harsh but exciting reality: the clock is ticking, and which each minute that goes by, steps should be taken along the road of business development in action.
As Murat has said earlier: "Each inch counts."
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“Startupweekend #swUtrecht update 99 deelnemers -> 42 pitches -> 13 kansrijke business ideeen! checkout final pitches zondagmiddag
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23:00
Time for drinksTune in back tomorrow! Again, we will keep you updated on the progress, and provide you with the inside scoop. Which ideas turn into swans? Which will remain ducklings, struggling to afloat? Are we having some true (business) romance? Or do we need to stop participants from smashing each others heads in with laptops, ipads and harshful remarks? This is Startupweekend Utrecht! Where new ideas find ground, love and lack of sleep (the good kind, that is). -
“Haha this startup weekend is crazy! Chaotic but awesome, now working on an international sustainability project, more info soon. #swUtrecht
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00:00
A good night to you all
Startup Weekend Utrecht (Friday)
No talk, all action. Launch a startup in 54 hours. This is how we roll. SETUP is proud sponsor of this event, and gives you the inside scoop. @fjvanlunteren is blogging, @yastraver provides you with the photos.
