TechFuel: Networking Event, May 8th, 2008 - 5:00pm-7:00pm, Fox & Hound (Sanderlin)
Mark your calendar’s for May 8th, 2008 for the first TechFuel Event which will also serve as the Kick-off of LaunchMemphis activities.
Inspired by other networking events occurring across the country like Tech Cocktail, TechFuel is designed for technologists, entrepreneurs, media (bloggers), and other business professionals to meet, and share ideas in a fun and open atmosphere.
With the first TechFuel event we will also Kick-off LaunchMemphis activities formally. It is our hope to continue these events to grow the Memphis tech community and better connect members. The event is open to the public, and will be held at the Fox and Hound on Sanderlin.
Memphis Business Journal: Next great company could be in Memphis
Memphis Startup Weekend was recently featured in the Memphis Business Journal. Check it out here . . .
Memphis Business Journal
Friday, February 22, 2008
Next great company could be in Memphis
After beating out such cities as San Diego and Indianapolis, the city of Memphis was selected to be the next site for Startup Weekend — an event that aims to bring together local entrepreneurs with the goal of creating a real company in just 54 hours.
Memphis will join cities such as San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C., which have all hosted Startup Weekend events.
“Over 600 people in Memphis have said we want Startup Weekend here,” says Eric Matthews, Mercury Technology Labs founder, who is helping organize the event. “It is a real testimony to what people want here as far as building an entrepreneurial community.”
Matthews says Memphis Startup Weekend will be held May 30-June 1 and will be hosted at EmergeMemphis at 516 Tennessee St.
EmergeMemphis is helping organize the event along with Matthews and Harry Brown, a local entrepreneur.
At the event, participants will decide on an idea for a company the first night.
After a decision has been made on a company, participants will split up and work on all the issues that come with starting a company — from branding to public relations.
Participants will be rewarded with shares of the company, which ideally could become operational in the future. Matthews says five of the original Startup Weekend businesses are still around and 10 more don’t have the funding, but could be viable businesses.
From staff reports
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Daily News: Biz Startup Event Slated for Late May
Memphis Startup Weekend was recently featured in the Daily News. Check it out here . . .
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Biz Startup Event Slated for Late May
ROSALIND GUY | The Daily News |The possibilities are endless.
With a group of 100 people, experts in various fields and many different visions, there’s no telling what ideas will come out of the weekend event that br….
Startup Weekend Comes to Memphis: May 30th - June 1st, 2008
Startup Weekend has select Memphis, TN as it’s latest city to visit — basically, 100 community members (those that register to participate, even you), come together over the course of a weekend to found a new technology startup company in Memphis — yes, you can walk away with founding level equity for your effort.
More Details . . .
Startup Weekend brings motivated individuals from the community together as company founders to decide what to make and earn an equal share of stock in the developed business. Attendees are responsible for bringing the ideas, desire, and passion to the project and walk out of the room with a brand new business by Sunday night. In this short 52 hour period, there will be entrepreneurs, lawyers, marketers, business developers, designers, technology developers, and many other individuals all working together to build a business from scratch. Think about it: 100 people times 52 hours is about 1-2 years of a small startup crew working full time. The outcomes are great, building not only a company in a weekend, but also further binding our entrepreneurial community together. We need all sorts of skills and we want you on board.
Memphis Startup Weekend will be held from May 30th at 6pm through June 1st at midnight. Hosted by EmergeMemphis and the Mercury Launchpad you will need to register in advance at http://memphis.startupweekend
Jump starting your mind for Startup Weekend
Someone recently recommended the show Startup Junkies as a good show about the startup life. If you have never seen it, I have to highly recommend it. Having been through one funded startup and having started 2 other companies, I have to say that it brought back memories (some of which I wish had stayed forgotten). This show can really give you a feel for what goes on in terms of the pressure to execute, get funding, sell, etc. as well as the constant awareness of the cost of failure to achieve goals. If you’re joining us for the weekend, I highly recommend watching at least a few episodes of this show–it’s on Comcast HD in Memphis (851 for you lazy people out there), but you can watch some episodes online, too.
There’s also a good show on the same channel called Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist, but that’s a little less up my alley, personally. Still, it’s a good way to see some ideas that get shot down and more of a turnaround story, but mainly you get to see another point of view. Enjoy and looking forward to seeing and meeting everyone.
LaunchMemphis Getting Going
LaunchMemphis was recently established by Memphis area leaders to grow an entrepreneurial community. By undertaking a series of events throughout the year all designed to bring focus to entrepreneurial activities in Memphis, TN, we hope to deliver new technology business startups to our economy.
While we will be working to expand LaunchMemphis activities to be year round, our present focus is on a series of activities to occur in late Spring and early Summer of 2008. We will kick off the activities with a networking event focused on technology and startups and end with an investor forum where startup companies at the seed or venture stage can pitch for funding to move forward. This year, we have the privilege of hosting Startup Weekend in Memphis, a national program in which a new startup business is created in 52 hours by Memphians. For more information visit our Events Page.
