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.