Startup Weekend Wine Country Coming to Napa in May
Napa, CA (PRWEB) April 02, 2014 -- Startup Weekend Wine Country will connect local entrepreneurs, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts with mentors and resources at its first event aimed to bring the North Bay entrepreneur community to Wine Country. Throughout the course of this 54-hour event, attendees will share ideas, form teams, and launch startups.
"This is going to be a great weekend for the startup community in the North Bay Wine Country," said Douglas Allan, one of the local volunteer organizers. "It’s great to see the experienced guys donate their time and money to help the community grow locally. Not enough has been done to foster the entrepreneur spirit in the wine business at this level."
Here’s how it works: On Friday night, attendees will take the open mic to pitch their ideas to the group in 60 seconds or less. After groups form, the rest of the weekend will be spent formulating the most popular ideas with the help of mentors and seasoned startup entrepreneurs. By Sunday, teams will be ready to present their ideas in front of a panel of judges who will offer feedback and prizes, including memberships in mentorship programs at Napa Valley College, all of which are targeted to help teams build their startups after the weekend.
Local CEOs, founders, and startup veterans will be on hand to provide expertise and give talks on their experiences in the fast-paced world of startups: Paul Mabray, CEO and Founder of VinTank; Douglas Allan, former Co-founder of Stacked Wines, LLC; Andy Starr, former Co-founder of NeoCork; Tim Keller, CEO and Founder of VinPerfect; Charlie Monahan, Napa Valley College. All of these great local volunteers have all signed on to coach and mentor at the event. More coaches and judges will be announced as more are added.
Napa Valley College, in coordination with the Small Business Development Center at NVC, is the main sponsor for donating the location and resources.
“The wine community has traditionally been slow to develop and adopt new technology. I think Startup Weekend is a welcome platform to bridge that gap,” said Paul Mabray, one of this year’s judges and mentors. “The time has never been better to organize this event. The wine industry is bursting with ideas and this event offers the perfect platform to develop the next generation of entrepreneurship in the North Bay.”
Although Startup Weekend Wine County is in Napa and is fostering entrepreneurship within the wine industry, participants of all interests and ages are welcome.
Startup Weekend Wine Country will be May 2-4, 2014 at Napa Valley College. Registration is open to anyone. Tickets, including food for the entire weekend, are available starting at $99 per person. Early bird discounts available before April 18. Student discounts available. For more information or to register/purchase tickets, visit http://napa.startupweekend.org.
ABOUT STARTUP WEEKEND: Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities. Come share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. It is a 501c(3)non-profit based in Seattle, Wash. All time and resources are donated by local businesses and volunteers. Supported by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, Startup Weekend was founded in 2007 in Seattle. It has now hosted events worldwine, inspiring over 30,000 entrepreneurs to take an idea from concept to launch. For information about the Napa organization, please visit http://napa.startupweekend.org or contact community organizer Douglas Allan at (310) 913-3361 or napa(at)startupweekend(dot)org.
Douglas Allan, Startup Weekend Wine Country, http://napa.startupweekend.org, +1 310-913-3361, [email protected]
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