The international phenomenon known as Startup Weekend made it’s way to Summit County this past weekend from April 10 – 12 in the ELEVATE coSPACE and Evo 3 Workspace in downtown Frisco.
The weekend began Friday night when one-minute startup pitches were given to the event’s audience to be voted on. A handful of teams were determined winners and selected to develop teams and business models for their ideas – a process that culminated over the course of the weekend.
Imagine That’s CEO Tom Fellner had the privilege of serving as a mentor and coach at the event and was honored to bring his experience to the table.
“To see these teams go from a one-minute pitch idea to a full-blown business model in two days was amazing,” he said.
The selected teams spent the weekend turning their startup ideas into a viable business structure utilizing the business model canvas. Teams had to come up with their value proposition, identify customer segments, cost structure and revenue streams. Fellner mentored the teams through this process, drawing upon years of running and marketing his own business.
One of the teams Fellner coached put together a startup plan for an app called “Skillet,” a cooking resource for college-aged demographics to provide cheap, fast and easy recipe ideas for quick meals; essentially a smart-phone dream cookbook for those lacking the funds and cooking experience required to put together elaborate meals.
Fellner spent a majority of the weekend coaching another team that pitched an idea called “Adrenaline Escapes,” a model similar to the popular “Airbnb,” but for extreme sports enthusiasts. The team won first place in the Startup Weekend and Fellner was thrilled to be a part of its success.
“It was an amazing experience,” he said. “Absolutely incredible.”
As part of the first place prize package, which is centered on continuing the startup into a lucrative business, the winning team received a $1,500 value social media marketing setup plan from Imagine That.
Startups in Summit County have been growing rapidly in recent years, as have events such as the Startup Weekend. Towns with an abundance of these locally owned businesses help to sustain a thriving local economy. This not only generates exciting and innovative new endeavors, but a continuous flow of local revenue that helps to enrich the community.
As one of these local businesses, Imagine That is proud be a part of events such as Summit County Startup Weekend.
“Communities succeed when businesses help each other grow,” Fellner said. “I hope we can be a part of these events every year, and that these local start ups continue to break new grounds.”
