Innovate Mississippi announces that the next Startup Weekend will be held March 27-29 on the campus of the Mississippi College (MC) School of Law in Jackson in a partnership with Baker Donelson.
Powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, Startup Weekends are intense 54-hour events that operate worldwide, bringing together serial entrepreneurs, programmers, developers, graphic artists and business-minded people for weekends of company creation. All Startup Weekend events in Mississippi are organized by the employees of Innovate Mississippi.
“We are proud to host our fourth Startup Weekend Jackson and again bring together innovative individuals who take ideas and turn them into real companies over the course of a weekend,” said Tony Jeff, president and CEO of Innovate Mississippi. “It’s fun to see an event where programmers, coders and graphic artists are the “rock stars” everyone wants on their team and to see them combine with business leaders to create real companies in such a short amount of time.”
The agenda begins with aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their business proposals to the group, who then votes for the most promising 10 to 15 ideas. The group will divide into small teams and spend the rest of the weekend focusing on a single business idea, developing a proof of concept, demo or finished product. Mentors are on hand to help fine-tune the idea into a “working company” with potential profits. A panel of seasoned professionals evaluates each team’s startup and their chances of real-world success.
The event concludes with an awards ceremony where the top three teams receive in-kind prizes from local service providers and sponsors. In addition, each participating team will continue to consult with the entrepreneurial development team at Innovate Mississippi to further develop their business plans. “Several companies formed from Startup Weekend Mississippi events have gone on to successfully grow their businesses, so I expect we’ll see the same from this event,” added Jeff.
“MC School of Law is excited to work with Innovate Mississippi on Startup Weekend,” said Cecile Edwards, law professor. “Ultimately, MC School of Law would like to create a clinic that would provide new businesses legal support and law students experience in transactional business law. Providing a venue for Startup Weekend Jackson is a way to connect with the entrepreneurial community in the area.”
The mission of Startup Weekend is to provide a high-energy, collaborative environment that facilitates experiential education and meaningful connections. Participants also build long-lasting relationships and may even walk away with a job or an investment.
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets, which include all meals for the weekend. A block of rooms has been reserved at a discount rate at the Jackson Marriott located downtown near the MC School of Law. Call 601-969-5100, and mention “Startup Weekend Jackson” when making the reservation.
Follow all Startup Weekend Mississippi events on Twitter via @SWmississippi or visit their Facebook and LinkedIn pages by searching Startup Weekend Mississippi.
Contact Tasha Bibb at tbibb@innovate.ms for more information.
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