Startup Weekend: How to Take a Company From Concept to Creation in 54 Hours Read Online Free PDF Page B

parts of the country and around the world. She'll send out an e-mail: “I'm coming to Chicago and I'd really like to meet some developers and entrepreneurs in your community. Can you connect me?”
    What makes the Startup Weekend network so powerful? Danielle explains, “You don't stay in the network unless you actually get stuff done . It's pretty awesome to have that kind of access to smart people who [are actually accomplishing something].” In fact, she says, “I imagine [that] if my company got really big someday, [Startup Weekend] would be the most efficient way for me to hire people.” The Startup Weekend brand has become synonymous with people who are willing to do the work. When people approach others they have met at our events, they trust that the work will get done.
    That spirit of trust and community also pervades many of the innovations that come out of the weekends. For example, at a Startup Weekend in Brazil, someone suggested a mobile application that listed the Saõ Paulo bus schedules. We, too, were a little surprised to find that there were no schedules posted at the bus stops. People stand 20 yards behind the bus to see what number it is; then they sprint to the stop to make it onboard when it arrives. This is obviously a weakness in local government and infrastructure, but one that became solvable when a group of willing and able participants got together. In addition to posting schedules in a way that is accessible by mobile phone, the participants also worked to develop a network of people who would make sure that the buses have numbers on them, and that the schedules were correct.
    These Startup Weekend participants are building on the trusting relationships they have developed and trying to bring that level of trust—a real working relationship—into their larger communities. After the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, folks at a Startup Weekend in Cambridge, England, set up a humanitarian website for the victims to find cherished lost belongings. While local relief efforts saved lives and addressed immediate needs, the team at Cambridge developed a tool for a later stage when victims want to find lost belongings that have sentimental value. BelongingsFinder.org (in Japanese: Monosagashi.org ) will help to restore identity by enabling people to photograph, upload, and search details of lost belongings. This free-of-charge application can be used by relief organizations, individuals, governments, and local communities.
    One of the founders, a University of Cambridge student named Stefano Orowitsch, wrote to us that there was “no way I could have ignored Friday's news during this year's Startup Weekend. I immediately decided to team up with some of the world's best software engineers and mentors at Cambridge Startup Weekend.” Indeed, by the end of the weekend, Orowitsch's team had developed BelongingsFinder.org . He wanted to “create hope for victims who lost their belongings.” Users of the site are able to upload pictures of any object they find to a database via a mobile app, while others are able to search for missing objects on the website. Additionally, the whole service is being provided free of charge.
    We read recently about something called the Legatum Prosperity Index—a global study that looks at the business climates in a variety of countries. We were not surprised to find that a country's ability to foster a climate of entrepreneurship has a significant effect on that country's overall well-being. An atmosphere of trust is at the heart of both.
    It can be scary trying to be an entrepreneur. But we need to help people come together and move beyond that feeling. All you need are the right people and the right resources to begin creating solutions. Our philosophy is all about building trust in a community so that we can create the newest, greatest, and most innovative businesses imaginable.
Startup Weekend