After the successful events in London, Paris and New York, Techstars Startup Weekend is coming to Thessaloniki!
05 - 07 DECEMBER
3
DAYS
54
HOURS
PKM Regional Council Hall, 26th October 64
Frequently Asked Questions
Before the Weekend
Is this event for me?
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.
Do I have to pitch an idea to attend?
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 is already in development 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.
Do I have to participate in all three days?
Everyone who registered for the full weekend 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.
Do I need a team?
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 (https://toolkit.techstars.com/build-your-lean-canvas-worksheet). 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.
What should I bring for an in-person event?
Laptop/Portable Computer Power cord for Laptop. Your phone – feel free to take pictures or video of the event. Whatever helps you to be most productive. Lots of energy!
How do I prepare?
Doing some market research (https://business.google.com/us/think/) will give you a better understanding of the problem you are trying to solve. Practice your pitch. You’ll have 60 seconds on Friday to persuade other participants to join your team. Make it clear, concise, and convincing! The elements of a good 60 second pitch are to: State who you are and what your background is. Mention what problem your product is solving. Explain the product and how it solves the problem. What skill sets you need on the team like a developer, marketer or designer. Provide a name for your startup. Get familiar with some of the tools that you can use during the weekend like the Lean Canvas (https://toolkit.techstars.com/build-your-lean-canvas-worksheet). Get some rest!
What are the rules?
A code of conduct is in place for the weekend which help to ensure that everyone has a great experience. The Participant Code of Conduct Techstars Startup Weekend is always open to all. We’re committed to making everyone feel included and welcome — before, during and after the weekend. We want to provide all participants with an incredible networking and learning opportunity. The event is intended to be a collaborative forum for sharing, learning, building, and having fun. We believe that great ideas can come from anywhere. We expect each member of the startup community to be inclusive of all people and their ideas at Startup Weekend.
As such, by registering as a participant, you acknowledge that any ideas shared by you or anyone else over the course of the event are contributions to the overall experience of the Startup Weekend community. If you, as a participant, are worried about someone ‘stealing your idea,’ please reconsider sharing specifics about your idea. You can bring another idea to work on and take your experience, learnings, and contacts from the weekend to further develop your idea after the weekend. Bringing legal documentation to the event is not allowed, and Techstars Startup Weekend does not get involved in any legal matters.We believe that everyone should act with integrity and be held accountable for their actions. You agree to act professionally, treat everyone with respect and dignity, and treat the event facilities with proper care. You agree that you are responsible for any accidents or damages that you cause. You also agree to not hold Techstars Startup Weekend, your local organizing team, or any of the event supporters liable for any loss, damage, injury, or any other unforeseeable incident.
Do I need to know how to code
No coding skills are required!
Will accomodation be provided
Participants are responsible for providing their own transportation and accommodation (if needed) to in-person events. If you are traveling and unfamiliar with the location, reach out to the organizing team to ask for nearby recommendations.
During the Weekend
What types of ideas can I pitch?
All business ideas are welcome, whether they’re for-profit or non-profit organizations, however the event is typically tech-oriented. Approximately 90% of all ideas are Software as a service (SaaS). Given the short time-frame to develop your product, we recommend that even non-tech ideas focus on a scalable tech-related deliverable (for example, a website) by Sunday to be able to demonstrate the Minimum Viable Product. This doesn’t mean participants have to be coders. There are plenty of no-code, low-code tools available.
Can I pitch more than one idea?
Depending on the number of ideas pitched and the event schedule, you may or may not be able to pitch multiple ideas. Prioritize your ideas: pitch your best idea (and the one you have most prepared for) first. Please note that you will only be able to work on one idea through the weekend.
Can I pitch my existing business?
No. Techstars Startup Weekend is designed to be the most effective platform for growing new businesses from the ground up over the course of a weekend. A key facet of the weekend, and a central value for participants, is the spirit of complete collaboration, buy-in, and ownership. We’ve found that having existing businesses in the mix undermines this spirit, in addition to creating an unequal playing field alongside those ideas that are truly conceived at the grass-roots level. The local organizers have the right to disqualify any existing ideas pitched during the event at any time.
What if my idea isn't selected?
Am I expected to work for 54 hours?
No. At some events, certain teams will decide to work all through Friday and/or Saturday night, but this is by no means obligatory or expected. The venue may not be able to accommodate beyond their building hours. If teams decides to work beyond the building hours, they will need to find their own accommodation.
What resources/assistance are provided over the weekend?
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. These tools will be communicated out as the event gets closer.
How do I, or my team, address the issue of Intellectual Property or Ownership?
To the extent intellectual property is presented or disclosed by participants during an event, Techstars doesn’t retain or claim ownership to any of these ideas and any discussions of ownership is left up to the teams. We do acknowledge that the issue of patents, copyrights, and other IP is an important one but the decision to discuss any specific intellectual property during the Startup Weekend is, in the end, a question of risk and reward for you. Techstars Startup Weekend is about the educational experience of learning how to build a business, so even if you don’t pitch the idea that you’re worried about disclosing publicly, you can still take the learnings from the weekend and apply it to your idea afterwards. You might also make valuable connections with mentors and other participants during the weekend who you want to involve going forward, so participating is still valuable, regardless of the idea. Beyond just intellectual property, keep in mind that Techstars Startup Weekend does not support or take part in the signing of any legal documents between participants at the events, and while mentors with legal backgrounds are often present and able to give general advice, they are not permitted to give specific legal counsel.
Are teams expected to continue after the event?
Whether or not you continue to work on the idea, with some or all of your team, is completely up to you.