Photography courtesy of Startup Weekend St. Louis
A lot of potential ideas will be put into action this weekend, when approximately 100 potential entrepreneurs converge for the third annual Startup Weekend St. Louis at T-REx, a co-working and technology incubator space in downtown St. Louis.
Matt Menietti, one of the event's organizers, explains the event's premise: "How can we make companies in 54 hours?" Those in attendance pitch ideas on Friday and by Sunday they’re demonstrating prototypes of websites or apps.
Over the years, Startup Weekend has sparked a number of triumphs. Local company Juristat, for instance, began at the inaugural event, when a group of people who hadn't met before came together, eventually joining Juristat full-time. "They’ve raised a fair amount of money both in St. Louis and outside the region," Menietti says, "and they just landed their first customer."
The weekend's also geared toward those who've always thought about branching into the startup world, but held off for whatever reason. "If you’re thinking about it, this is three days and less than $100 to attend the event," Menietti says. "If you like it—if you learn from it—then I think you’re better because of the experience. Even if you’re part of the corporate world, the nonprofit world, or whatever sector, it’s a good experience."
Others seem to agree—this year's event is sold out. But there is a wait list for workshop attendees and an opportunity to attend on Sunday evening, for dinner and to hear about the weekend's pitches.
