Students Organizing Startup Weekend MSU on April 4-6

MSU will host its second Startup Weekend event, April 4-6, bringing together entrepreneurs, designers, developers and startup enthusiasts to participate in 54 hours of taking innovative business ideas from concept to launch.

The event runs from Friday, April 4th at 6:30 PM to Sunday, April 6th at 9:00 PM at Reid Hall on the MSU campus.

Startup Weekend MSU is being organized by four MSU students: Kristina Bart, Stephen Rowe, Joshua Soares and Dylan Weber along with Rob Irizarry, director of the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad and StartupBozeman.

Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship (JJCBE) alumnus and entrepreneur, Ryan Rickert is the featured keynote speaker. He is an award-winning business leader and founder and president of both Clean Slate Group and CSG Media in Bozeman. Rickert is honored to serve as the alumni mentor for Blackstone LaunchPad at Montana State University (MSU).

Whether you have a business idea or a skill that is necessary in building a successful startup, this event is one that aspiring entrepreneurs should not miss. Beginning with open mic pitches on Friday, attendees bring their best ideas and inspire others to join their team. Over Saturday and Sunday teams focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing Lean Startup methodologies and building a minimal viable product. On Sunday evening teams demo their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of experts as well as prizes that will help them continue to grow their businesses

Local CEOs, founders, professors and startup veterans will be on hand to provide expertise and give talks on their experiences in the fast-paced world of technology startups

Approximately 100 participants, a good mix of students and community members, are expected to partake over the weekend. Additionally, there are a limited number of tickets available to the public for viewing the presentations on Sunday night.

ABOUT STARTUP WEEKEND: Startup Weekend is a 501c(3) non-profit based in
Seattle, Washington. Supported by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, Startup Weekend has held over 325 events around the globe, inspiring nearly 30,000 entrepreneurs to take an idea from concept to launch.