Help Us To Reach Our Goal In Launching 12 Startups In A Single Weekend
This past March, we organized Startup Weekend New Jersey. It turned out to be one of the most packed weekends that we ever had in our space. 13 teams created business models and prototypes for startups, and some of those teams even became companies since the event (such as Retail Shopping Systems).
I would say that so far that out of those 13 teams, 3 of the startups are still in motion (based on my communicating . That’s a solid number, but I think we can do even better than that. That’s why Charlie and I have decided to launch Lean Startup Machine New Jersey at JuiceTank from September 19 – 21st.
What is Lean Startup Machine?
How do you build a disruptive product? Most folks would say “Oh, I just go and hire a developer and they can map it out for me…” Well, that’s very, very wrong. Building a business, well before you even go ahead and hire that developer to build your product, requires validation from customers, a determination of market fit, a business model, and a minimum viable product (MVP). With LSM we are putting on an intensive 3-day experience which will teach you the why, how, and even the why not for building disruptive products.
Validating Your Business Idea
If you have an idea, come here to validate it. If you don’t have one, you can always join a team. This experience will begin with you giving a pitch – so figure out your elevator pitch before the event if you are going to present. If you can’t describe your product in one minute or less, you should be fine-tuning your message. Not just for us, but for the potential customers that you’ll be speaking to throughout the weekend.
Once the teams are formed, they will create a hypothesis for their product and then go test it out. This requires getting out of the building as we guide you to which customers you should be targeting. The crucial data that your team collects will help you create an MVP and you’ll be getting more customer data to see how customers use your product and whether or not they would actually purchase it.
The approach allows for teams to take a more problem-solving approach when building a business and will even allow for teams to pivot if need be. Armed with the facts on whether or not their business is viable/sustainable, the teams will then pitch to a panel of judges on the third day to see if there is potential in building the MVP into a full-fledged business.
Do I need to have a startup before coming in?
No, in fact we encourage you to come in with a fresh idea. If your idea isn’t popular with the audience, that is OK too – you can join another team. Same with people that don’t come in with an idea but want to participate.
You said it’s your goal to launch 12 startups – does it have to be that number?
Based on attendance and how people decide to form teams it may be even more or a little less. We had around 130 people attend Startup Weekend, and so that’s how we had 13 teams (so you can do the math there!). While some startups don’t make it past the weekend since some team members have other commitments outside of the event, creating a startup even just for a weekend has proven to be an invaluable experience.
Some people from Startup Weekend that I’ve talked to have even decided to become entrepreneurs themselves after the event. It’s an ambitious goal but the more top talent we can introduce into the NJ startup scene who didn’t even think about the entrepreneurship before, the better.
How can I get involved with this goal?
There are several ways to get involved and help us reach this goal of 12 startups in a single weekend.
Attend the event
Of course, the best way to help us reach the goal is to attend the event and start your own business with a team over the weekend. If you’ve never been in this space before, don’t worry! You’ll be in good company with some of the best mentors with particular expertise in lean startup principles. To attend the event, click here to our registration page.
Become a mentor
We have put together a list of mentors that we can truly be proud of, but there are spots for a few more. While we need to review each application to see if your qualified to teach attendees about the lean startup methodology, please contact Charlie Patel at charlie@juicetank.com if you are interested in a mentor spot. When contacting us, give us your background and why you feel you would be a great contributor to the workshop.
Become a sponsor
One of our goals is to bring the NYC experience over the NJ. Sponsors make the world go round, and we would be very thankful for your support. You would also have a great presence at an event that is looking to launch 12 startups in 3 days. You can apply to become a sponsor here.
What if I can’t attend Lean Startup Machine New Jersey?
If you can’t, there are always other ways you can get involved in the NJ scene from subscribing to startup news resources to becoming a mentor for other initiatives. If you’re also thinking about moving yourself into an incubator that will help you launch your idea into a business (think of it as a longer-term Lean Startup Machine), be sure to give us a ring.
