This May 1st – 3rd, Leuven hosts its second Startup Weekend, an event that brings together entrepreneurs, designers, developers and business specialists, to participate and form start-ups in 54 hours. Right from pitching an innovative business idea to developing its minimum viable product, this event has it all! Sponsored by StartIt KBC, Microsoft Innovation Center Vlaanderen and LCIE, and venue hosts are Agora Learning Centre this event will be joined by local CEOs, founders and startup veterans will be there to mentor the participants, and give talks on their experiences in the fast paced jungle gym of technology startups.
“After the first edition’s success, this year Startup Weekend Leuven opens its doors for the new startup scene in Leuven – the student city of Belgium.” Says Shamma Raghib, one of the organizers of Startup Weekend Leuven.
On Friday evening, the participants get 60 seconds each to pitch their business ideas, after which voting is done and teams are formed with most voted pitches. From then on, the teams work on over the weekend with developers building the MVPs, the designers making sure the final product is cooler than anything else out there, and the business specialists validating the demand of their teams’ idea and creating a market strategy for it. And to guide them, they will be mentored throughout the event with business experts and veteran startup entrepreneurs. On Sunday evening the teams will present their “working prototype” and a “business model” in front of external guests and panel of seasoned judges, to award prizes worth over €1000, including professional coaching to launch the business idea and providing co-working space for the winning teams.
Around 100 participants are expected to take part over the weekend, with additional tickets available for the public to witness the presentations and networking dinner later on Sunday night. Special Early Bird discounted ticket prices are valid through 23:59, April 6, 2015. For more information about this event, as well as opportunities to participate, please visit: leuven.up.co
Startup Weekend Leuven runs from Friday, May 1st at 6:00 pm to Sunday, May 3rd at 10:00pm at AGORA Learning Centre (few minutes’ walk from Leuven Station), Edward van Evenstraat 4 Leuven, offering a very large flex space and individual working rooms for the teams with smart screens and 24x7 tech support. The Sunday evening presentation will be held at the Agora Learning Center.
ABOUT STARTUP WEEKEND: Startup Weekend is a 501c (3) non-profit based in Seattle, Wash. Founded in 2007 in Boulder, Colo., by Andrew Hyde, the organization has been based out of Seattle since 2009 under the direction of Marc Nager. Supported by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, Startup Weekend has held over 400 events around the globe, inspiring nearly 30,000 entrepreneurs to take an idea from concept to launch. For information about the Leuven organization, please visit leuven.up.co or contact lead organizer Shamma Raghib at 486-390-144 or leuven@startupweekend.org.
Startup Weekend is an opportunity to show your talents, your skills, and to share ideas. It is also an excellent way to collaborate with professionals from different horizons and to meet real entrepreneurs, journalists and investors.
