Queenstown prepares to welcome budding entrepreneurs to Techstars Startup Weekend.
Once again, the region is tapping into that same ‘can-do’ attitude to help locals and visitors alike explore the possibilities of entrepreneurship and innovation in the business realm, hosting a new wave of creators and innovators in November this year.
For 54 hours between Friday and Sunday, 1-3 November, budding entrepreneurs from the Queenstown Lakes region and beyond, will meet up to learn how to pitch, test and launch their big ideas to the world at its next Techstars Startup Weekend.
Supported and delivered by local charitable trust Startup Queenstown Lakes (SQL), this event offers participants a unique opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge, experience and guidance on bringing a new startup to life.
Marco Dingemans, General Manager of SQL, says the weekend is like a pressure cooker for potential entrepreneurs and is sparking increasing levels of interest, growing its number of participants since launching in 2018.
“Anyone with a big idea, from any background, can attend and pitch their idea to the other participants and get feedback straight away on whether the idea could potentially be a business,” he says.
“The ideas get voted on and groups of six participants are formed. Roles are defined and the groups start working on how to turn the top voted-for idea into a business.”
Participants at the Techstars Startup Weekend 2023.
“Some people told us the weekend helped them grow skills that they didn’t know they had, and that they planned to use those skills to further their career. Some people had jobs, while some people were setting up a business.”
While previous Startup Weekends have led to the founding of new businesses, Dingemans points out that this is not the prime measure of the weekend’s success.
“This isn’t about finding investors, like what happens on Shark Tank. It’s about looking inside yourself and asking the fundamental question: Can I develop my idea into some sort of reality? That can be enough for someone. It doesn’t have to go any further than that. If it does, that’s great – but it’s primarily about helping people start to think like an entrepreneur.”
The Queenstown Lakes region has birthed numerous successful startups in recent years, including the likes of First Table, High Performance Academy, Loaded, Teddy, Wherewolf, Kea Outdoors, Scannable and Matchfit. Dingemans says they hope Startup Weekend, along with other SQL programmes offered, will help foster the entrepreneurial spirit for further potential startup success stories.
“If you want to find out what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, while having an amazing experience working with other people who are looking to solve problems with big ideas, you will not find a better way to spend 54 hours than you will at this unique Startup Weekend.”
Early Bird tickets to the event are $119 (price increase from Oct 4), which pays for all meals over the weekend. The price is intentionally affordable to encourage wide participation. Support funding comes from Queenstown Lake District Council, as well as Callaghan Innovation.
Story by Brendan Boughen, NZ Entrepreneur Magazine