Startup Weekend is a global initiative to bring together creative thinkers in local areas who are passionate about bringing to life a new idea. The format of the event is synonymous with the entrepreneurial model; teams are formed around the best startup proposals as determined by popularity. Everyone is welcome to attend the event and pitch a startup idea, or become part of a group.
What makes these events so unique is the emphasis on impacting local communities. With a focus on things like sustainability, ethical business models, and not to mention integration of local figures, Startup Weekends have the potential to bring innovation into small towns. The idea is not just to figure out how to sell an idea, but how to sell it in a particular community. At the end of the weekend, teams present their business models in front of a panel of judges; comprised of local CEO’s and business leaders who have venture and startup backgrounds.
For the last seven years, Imagine That has been dedicated to the growth and development of local businesses in Summit County. Your success is our success, and in a small community such as ours great things can be accomplished when people share ideas and work together. That’s why we are proud to announce Imagine That’s involvement in the area’s local Summit County Startup Weekend.
In addition to the lineup of judges, the event enlists the participation of local business founders to volunteer as coaches and mentors during the event as well. Among the selected, Imagine That’s CEO and co-founder Tom Fellner.
As a CEO who built his own startup on the principle foundations of building up other companies, the chance to coach at Summit County’s Startup Weekend event is an exciting endeavor for Fellner to continue to inspire and get involved in the local community.
“I love Summit County,” Fellner said. “I love being a part of this community. Simply put, it’s why I started my business here. The chance to help a group of people achieve the same is sort of like a personalized way to give back. It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
Summit County Startup Weekend takes place in the ELEVATE coSPACE & Evo 3 Workspace from Friday, April 10-12. The event begins at 6:30 pm on Friday, kicking off with registration and a networking dinner. At 7:20 speakers, coaches and community leaders are introduced, followed by open-mic pitches. Participants then form teams around their favorite ideas, and the brainstorming begins! The next two days consist of work and meetings with coaches. Fellner and the other event coaches are assigned to help teams one-on-one, implementing their kills and experience to help the start up teams succeed in bringing their ideas to life. Check out what the hype is all about at the Summit County Startup Weekend website.
