What Is Startup Weekend?

What is 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.

Startup Weekend Global Site

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Vivacom HQ 5th Floor


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Ever wondered what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

The professional and personal challenges, the high and lows, the failures and the success?

Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 400 past events in 100 countries around the world in 2011.

The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle, Washington but Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa to London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.

All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.

Whether entrepreneurs found companies, find a cofounder, meet someone new, or learn a skill far outside their usual 9-to-5, everyone is guaranteed to leave the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups. If you want to put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, register now for the best weekend of your life!

Startup Weekend e интензивно, 54-часово събитие, на което програмисти, дизайнери, маркетинг разбирачи и стартъп ентусиасти се събират, споделят идеи, сформират екип, изграждат продукти и стартират нов бизнес.
По време на събието пичваш своята идея, събираш екип и я разработваш. Освен страхотна идея, която е хубаво да се доведе поне до демо версия в рамките на един уикенд ти трябва як екип – някой, който може да направи дизайн, да формира бизнес модел. Защо не и да направиш някоя продажба и да валидираш целия бизнес.

Schedule

Friday

Apr 5
  • Registration Starts
  • Welcome & Speakers
  • Pitches Start
  • Attendees vote for the top ideas
  • Teams start forming and discussing ideas
  • Startup Weekend Basics - short workshop on how SW operates
  • Start to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills

Saturday

Apr 6
  • Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • Teams start to work on the projects
  • Lunch
  • Call for needs & skills
  • Coaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
  • Dinner
  • Mid weekend check-in, status reports, call for help
  • Finished for the day, but you may stay late

Sunday

Apr 7
  • Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
  • Call for help (this is self motivated, so don’t be shy)
  • Lunch
  • Gut check. Start prepping for presentations
  • FINAL PRESENTATIONS
  • Dinner
  • Judges feedback
  • Judging & awards
  • Wrapup
  • Party
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Judges

Ivaylo Simov

Partner @ Eleven.bg   |  LinkedIn

Co-founder and managing partner in the SEED and Acceleration Investment Fund Eleven

Ivaylo is an experienced investment banking executive.

Peter Iliev

Grabo.bg Co-founder   |  LinkedIn

10 years of design and art experience. UX perfectionist. Usability expert. Entrepreneur, co-founder of Grabo.bg - a leading bulgarian e-commerce company. Blogging at
peteriliev.com.

Lyuben Belov

Managing partner at LAUNCHub   |  

Lyuben co-founded Net Info in late 1998 and lead it as CEO until 2007 to reach # 1 position on Bulgaria internet media market. His greatest achievement was building a high profile team that succeeded to create a sustainable business.

Currently he is running LAUNCHub - a EUR 9.1M accelerator and SEED fund focused on investing in the "digital domain"- consumer internet, e- commerce, digital media, mobile.

Atanas Raikov

Mobile products and value added services manager, Vivacom

Atanas Raikov is a founding member of the mobile business unit of VIVACOM. He is responsible for the product strategy in terms of individual customers and value added services. Part of the team transformed VIVACOM as the leader in the mobile internet space. His latest creation - VIVA Apps is crucial part of the telecom future business. It helps startups and established companies to offer their application and innovate using VIVACOM experience and infrastructure.

Hristo Neychev

Director of Business Development at Telerik   |  LinkedIn

Global Business Leader. Passionate trainer. Expert at taking new ideas to market. Successful entrepreneur who lived and worked in USA and Europe. Eleven years of cross-industry experience in Business Management, Strategic Sales & Partnerships, Digital & Traditional Marketing. Interested in cloud and mobile technologies, architectural design and services. Outstanding communicator and team leader. Experienced salesman, marketer, and cross-continent business manager.

Jaka Levstek

CEO at D.Labs   |  LinkedIn

Cofounder and CEO of D·Labs, development and consultancy company. Jaka has 10 years experience building products and companies with startups and corporates.

Coaches

Valentin Oreshkov

Startup ninja, sailing dreamer, marathon runner, travel and jazz lover, wine and food amateur. So lucky to play with great friends and amazing folks @everbread

Pavel Ivanov

Pavel is a front-end UX/UI developer for many years now and currently employed by Telerik and the Mozilla Foundation. In the latter Pavel is focused on the mobile Firefox OS. Pavel could talk for weeks about his work and is one of the few geeks that love their work more than they love beer.

Deyan Vitanov

CEO and Co-Founder of Vertigo   |  LinkedIn

Deyan Vitanov is the CEO and Co-Founder of Vertigo, a gaming startup developing real-time multiplayer mobile games. The company's first game is doubling the number of active users every 6 weeks and sees engagement 2x the industry average. Vertigo has raised seed funding from a syndicate of some of Silicon Valley's top investors led by Innovation Endeavors, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's seed fund. The company has offices in Palo Alto, CA and Sofia, Bulgaria.

Prior to Vertigo, Deyan has co-founded and sold 2 companies: Philanthropedia (acquired in 2011) and CPP-Home (acquired in 2003). He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in Integrated Social Sciences from Jacobs University Bremen.

Deyan has been programming since he was 9 years old and is proficient in multiple programming languages, with an emphasis on complex algorithms and data structures. In his spare time, Deyan enjoys helping aspiring entrepreneurs and watching competitive eSports. You can learn more by visiting his personal website at www.deyanvitanov.com.

Petar Dobrev

CTO and Co-Founder of Vertigo

Petar Dobrev is the CTO and Co-Founder of Vertigo, a gaming startup developing real-time multiplayer mobile games. The company's first game is doubling the number of active users every 6 weeks and sees engagement 2x the industry average. Vertigo has raised seed funding from a syndicate of some of Silicon Valley's top investors led by Innovation Endeavors, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt's seed fund. The company has offices in Palo Alto, CA and Sofia, Bulgaria.

Prior to Vertigo, Petar was a founding engineer of Philanthropedia, a start-up acquired in 2011. He holds an MSc degree in Computer Science from Jacobs University Bremen and has co-authored 6 scientific publications.

http://www.petardobrev.com

Peter Brodsky

Director at SoundCloud   |  LinkedIn

Peter started programming since the age of 10. He is doing his first startup right after graduating from Cornell University. In 2007 he founded Instinctiv - company in the online music space, later acquired by SoundCloud (2012). Now he is heading the Bulgarian branch and recently joined the Launchub's mentors team. He speaks 5 languages and is passionate pilot.

Todor Kolev

Founder and CEO of Obecto, co-founder of SECLive and PoolTalent   |  LinkedIn

A software creator by nature with more than ten years of experience in writing code, software architecture, team leading, project management and UX design. Most of his career is around startups - either as a co-founder or as a consultant.

http://www.obecto.com

Chris KeSi-hai

I have ten years and 9,500 hours classroom experience, teaching "learning by doing" programs - adult workshops, business training, high school and university programs - in one of the world's most powerful economies: Taiwan.

kesihai.com

Hristo Boyadzhiev

Biz Dev @ Despark / Co-founder @ Tuk-Tam   |  LinkedIn

Hristo is highly energetic guy who’s always ready for a quip. With some formal schooling in IT back in the day and a healthy dose of business experience (consulting, finance, NGO work), he’s able to be conversant in both “tech” and “biz dev” talk all the while channeling his newfound passion for startup endeavors. A “graduate” of the last Startup Weekend, he’s eager to go back and help out the teams. Hristo’s also an avid traveler, photographer and an adrenaline junkie and you can often find him planning the next big trip or wacky stunt, or read about it on his blog

Lyubomir Rusanov

CEO, SuperHosting.BG   |  LinkedIn

Lyubomir Rusanov is a co-founder and General Manager of SuperHosting.BG. He has an extensive experience in the IT sphere like has held various management and executive positions in Bulgarian and international software companies. In SuperHosting.BG he is responsible for strategic planning and relationships with key customers and partners.

Justine Toms

Teacher, Manager, Writer   |  LinkedIn

Justine Toms is among the pioneers of the Bulgarian Internet. An expert in online media and marketing, founder of digital agency ABC Design & Communication since 1998, creator of a number of niche online websites, such as Az-jenata.bg, Az-deteto.bg, which are now part of the Investor.bg Group. Justine has also been the idea leader of the competition for best Bulgarian online projects - BG Site since 1999. Author of 11 books in the area of online presence and entrepreneurship, lecturer at New Bulgarian University and М3 College. More about Justine at justinetoms.com

Spartak Kabakchiev

Business Development Director at iMediaShare

Spartak is a seasoned entrepreneur and business development executive with expertise in starting and running global business, new products development and strategic leadership of start-ups. Spartak is very passionate about new technologies and he thrives on innovations in productivity and entertainment. Currently he is business director at iMediaShare, developing a unique solution for easy streaming of online videos from mobile to TV in the modern connected home.

Hristina Borisova

Senior Specialist Value Added Services, Vivacom

Hristina Borisova is responsible for the Value added services of VIVACOM and actively supports the development and integration of new ideas which will bring more opportunities to the buisness and to the end customers. As part of the team, which is handling the idea and development of VIVA Apps, she is managing the strategic partnership with potential partner applications for their launch into VIVA apps market, as well as examines the strategies and methods for popularization of the mobile applications in the local market.

Maria Todorova

Co-founder, Next-DC

Maria Todorova has more than 15 years of experience in advertising. She is a former Creative Director for Euro RSCG and Ogilvy & Mather Sofia. During her career she has been awarded 4 times Bulgarian Agency of the Year – 2 years as an Art Director in McCann Erickson, and 2 years as a Group Creative Director Ogilvy Sofia. Maria has won also Golden Drum Awards, David Ogilvy awards and more than 10 EFFIE awards.
As a co-founder of Next-DC- digital Creative Agency, Maria believes that creativity and technology create experiences that inspire people and connect the world like never before.

Todor Kalaydjiev

Founder & CEO of Prizmos

Todor Kalaydjiev has over eight years of experience in client- and server-side software development and entrepreneurship in the United States and Bulgaria at companies like Google, Amazon, and his current start-up, Prizmos. He has spent the last 5 years working on mobile products, including Google Talk, Messaging for Android, Kindle for Android, and Kindle for BlackBerry.

Building upon his interest in car racing and repair, Todor is currently designing a mobile application for the consumer automotive sector. Aside from his penchant for speed and precision, he is also an avid music fan with experience in writing, performing, and DJ-ing. He has developed a hobbyist DJ app for Android called Party Mixer.

Todor holds a M.S. from the University of Washington and a B.A. from Dartmouth College, both in Computer Science.

Mariya Rashkovska

An experienced software imlplementation project manager currently playing for one of Telerik's newest and most exciting product teams - Icenium - which provides an innovative end-to-end solution for mobile application developers. Her background in the financial industry, coupled with a degree in economics, has given her a deep perspective into the way enterprise organizations launch new products and operate their business. Mariya lead one of the winning teams at the last Sofia Startup Weekend and is eager to share her first-hand experience.

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Martin Linkov
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