I (Marcel) went to the Startup Weekend in Groningen, together with my colleague Reinoud, from April 29 to May 1. The aim of this weekend is to turn a startup from idea to basic product in just 54 hours. All the ingredients to get you out of your comfort zone!
Preparations
I am working on an elective called Future Proof. In this optional part we learn how to start our own business. I learned about the startup weekend from a guest speaker. He told me how fun and educational the startup weekend had been. I researched startup weekend and talked to Edwin about it. Edwin had also participated in the startup weekend and had been a coach several times. With this in mind, I decided to see how I could attend this event. I asked Reinoud if he wanted to participate and he said yes. Belco wanted to sponsor the event, so we got tickets for it.
Unfortunately, there was no sleeping accommodation at the event, so I asked my parents if we could take the camper with us that weekend. Fortunately that was no problem and we booked a campsite where we could spend the night.
Day 1, Friday April 29
On Friday I got into my camper, put diesel in it, and drove to Reinoud. Reinoud also packed his things and we left. We made a small stop to get out and stretch our legs. While we stopped we met 2 students who were working on an assignment for their student association. They had to hitchhike from Scheveningen to Groningen. I'm not a bad person so I offered them a ride in the RV.
We arrived at the campsite around 4:30 PM and checked in. We got a spot to camp and took our bikes off. Then we went to the Euroborg, where the presentations of the startup weekend took place. There was food there, mmm Italian ;) Then we listened to a presentation about startup weekend and what it is.
The idea was that at the end of this presentation you would pitch your startup idea in 1 minute. They kept pushing for this even when you think you have a bad idea. Eventually I pitched my idea, but unfortunately they didn't think it was a good enough idea to go ahead with it.
After distributing all pitches, everyone could vote on 3 different pitches. The 10 pitches with the most votes would then be chosen. These 10 people would then form a team with the other people who were there. Reinoud and I walked around and didn't think any of the pitches really suited us. In the end we had to choose from 2 teams to participate. We chose Ashtronauts.
Ashtronauts in a nutshell is an idea to send a symbolic piece of ashes from a cremated person into space, so that you can say that someone has become a star in the sky. We worked until midnight and then rushed to the campsite to our camper.
Day 2, Friday April 30
We had to get up early again, even though we hadn't slept much. We had an appointment at 9 o'clock, so we quickly got ready and cycled to the Euroborg. When we got there, a delicious breakfast was waiting for us. We could choose from croissants, cottage cheese, fruit, hard rolls, etc. Then we got to work with our team. We have a lot of work to do to get this off the ground quickly.
We did some market research to see if there is a demand for this idea and the answer is yes. However, we found that these services are already quite expensive and people may not want to use them. But we still made some designs for the website together with another teammate. Time flew and then we could eat again, delicious Surinamese food this time, with chicken satay, rice and rendang.
In the evening we quickly went over the plan for the next day and Reinoud and I went to watch other teams. We had a pleasant evening. Then it was soon midnight and the Euroborg closed. We went back to the camper.
Day 3, Sunday May 31
The alarm went off again at 8 am, just like the previous night. It was cold again, and I didn't get a good night's sleep. We checked out of the campsite and went to the Euroborg. There we discussed what to do. We had to finish the presentation before our final pitch. That's about it. Unfortunately we had to leave earlier than we wanted.
We left early because I was quite ill and still had to drive home. We also thought it would be safer for me to drive when I wasn't feeling well. Unfortunately we didn't win any prizes.
My findings
I really enjoyed my experience at Startup Weekend. The organizers did a good job and it was a lot of fun. I would definitely participate again next year, but I would try to find another place to stay. Sleeping in the camper wasn't comfortable for me, so I would take public transportation home every night if necessary. I learned a lot during the weekend and met a lot of people. It went by very quickly.
This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to start their own business or has an idea for a product. This is an opportunity to turn your idea into reality. You will have a lot of fun coming up with a concept and converting it into a product. It is also a good opportunity to experience something different than what you usually do at school. Next time I might opt for something physical instead of something digital or service-based. See you next time!