Reel recapping the recent Startup Weekend Auckland hosted by Pauli Sosa and Coby Zutt at GirdAKL. 7 - 9 June 2024
Background
In 2011 I got invited along to event called Startup Weekend and it changed my professional life forever. I was visiting a friend (Dan Khan @LeanCTO) who was participating in this crazy 54 hour innovation marathon where; 1) you take an idea, 2) build a team and 3) race against the clock to see how far you could take it before the time ran out.
The atmosphere was charged with creative energy and hustle. Every team seemed to be engrossed and engaged … A cocktail of nerves, optimism, painful realisations and a hint of ecstasy as they made progress with their crackpot business ideas. It was exactly the kind of environment that attracted the free thinkers, the misfits, the radicals and true innovators. I was most impressed by the organising team of Startup Weekend. These were a passionate team of serial entrepreneurs who were learning to hone their craft and were generous enough to share their knowledge by hosting this event. I was smitten…
🌟 Celebrating an incredible Startup Weekend Auckland! 🌟
As the Lead Mentor, I had the privilege of working with a team of passionate volunteer mentors and over 70 participants who formed 11 dynamic teams. The event was a fantastic showcase of grassroots problem solving, nurturing better entrepreneurs, and gaining a deeper understanding of the issues affecting our communities.
Why do events like this matter? Well I believe that better entrepreneurs create better businesses… and better businesses help our society thrive.
A huge shout out to the organisers, Pauli Sosa ✨ and Coby Zutt and all the volunteers and fellow mentors who made this event possible (mentions below). We were even graced by visits from a few celebrities like Dr Michelle Dickinson (MNZM) <3
I am particularly proud of my 15-year-old son, Indi, who joined Team AlcheMe and came third overall. I’ve never seen him work so hard and he just raved about his team <3.
Hayley Fung, Jeremy Tran, Lionel Wood
Check out this 60-second Reel for a glimpse of the journey we had together.
#StartupWeekend #Entrepreneurship #Community #Innovation #Mentorship #Auckland
#Mentors
Rick Shera, Jade Tang-Taylor, Monika Tylova, Catrin Kemp, Stephanie Quantrill, Dan Khan, Kim Thibault, Glen Harris, Dafydd Jones, Dale Clareburt, Keren Phillips, Troy May, Amanda Butterworth
#Facilitators
Pascale Hyboud-Peron, Dan Thurston Crow