Sometimes called "an MBA in a weekend," budding Prince George entrepreneurs will get their second edition of the Startup Weekend program this weekend.
This international movement supports the city's latest and greatest business dreams.
Startup Weekend begins Friday night with a "Pitchfire," where participants pitch their business ideas. The ideas are voted on and shortlisted. Teams form around each of the surviving concepts. Each team "recruits" a variety of skill sets: business, marketing, programming, computer coding, graphic design and various other industry expertise as needed.
Teams have the weekend to conduct their research and develop a business plan.
All the activities are under the supervision of established local entrepreneurs, who act as on-site guides. This coming event will have leaders like the 2013 Business Person of the Year Shauna Harper, young business proprietors Kaleena Ross and Chrystal Green, CNC's Zelda Craig and John Neumann, plus business coaches Will Cadell (owner of SparkGeo) and Renata King (director of business development at Northern Development Initiatives Trust).
There is a nurturing component for all the business ideas selected to get the weekend attention, but there is also an element of competition. Each of the ideas will have their final plans pitched to a panel of all-star judges including multi-business entrepreneur and former cabinet minister Pat Bell; Sean Simmons, the founder of Goldstream Publishing; Steve Botham, IT manager at the Regional District of Fraser Fort George; and CNC's Craig.
"It is an exciting event for both contestants and judges, and at the same time provides hands-on, practical experience," said Neumann, instructor from the CNC School of University Studies and Career Access. "The opportunity for students to work alongside local professionals to jointly develop a business plan for a brand-new project is a great mentoring activity. It is the kind of experience difficult to provide in the traditional classroom setting and helps to round out the business student's education."
Harper, the cofounder of StartUp Prince George business development association, said there were added stakes to this latest Startup Weekend.
"We aren't in Kansas anymore, this is a global Startup Weekend," she said. "That means during this Startup Weekend, 200 other cities across the world will be running their own events. Winners from each one, including P.G., will compete internationally. This event will be kicking off Global Entrepreneurship Week in our city and across the world."
The Startup Weekend business development intensive takes place Friday through Sunday at CNC.
Registration for the event is now open at: http://www.startupprincegeorge.ca/ . There is a fee that includes all meals and takeaway materials.
