Practical Nerd: Irresistible startups, immovable education

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I’ve advised a number of startups over the years and have been directly part of at least two. I discovered what many entrepreneurs know: it’s a maddening, exhausting, adrenaline-filled, glorious existence in which there’s never enough time, resources, sleep or toilet paper (when I was at iCopyright we brought our own). So when I heard there… Read More…

How do we make the Seattle startup ecosystem stronger?

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Leaders from the Seattle technology community gathered in the basement of TechStars on Tuesday night to discuss ways to strengthen the startup ecosystem and make it easier for entrepreneurs to build their companies here. Organized by Startup Weekend’s Jennifer Cabala, the brainstorming session was one of the first steps in an effort backed by the… Read More…

Startup Labs to bankroll best and brightest from Startup Weekend

Clint Nelsen

It can be downright inspiring watching ideas percolate at Startup Weekend – the 54-hour coding marathon where developers, artists, attorneys, VCs and startup geeks from around the world try to build new companies at hyperspeed. But, oftentimes, come Sunday night after the final presentations are made and the last cans of soda pop are consumed,… Read More…

Get Your BBQ On: Startup Weekend to host July 25th bash

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The appearance of that strange glowing orb in the sky means one thing for sun-starved Seattleites: It’s BBQ time. And what better way to celebrate summer’s arrival (finally) than with a old-fashioned bash at GasWorks Park. Break out of your dark, dank office cube early on Monday, July 25th and join the rest of the… Read More…

Video: Watch the high school whiz kids who wowed Seattle Startup Weekend

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Startup Weekend typically draws an interesting cast of characters. After all, you’ve got to be a little nutty (or at least a startup junky) to try to build a new company in 54 hours. And, as it happens, age doesn’t matter so much when it comes to the entrepreneurial fever. One of the more impressive… Read More…

An Airbnb for your pet? A Place for Rover wins best in show at Startup Weekend

The team behind A Place for Rover at Startup Weekend

Airbnb is transforming how travelers find places to stay. Now, Seattle venture capitalist Greg Gottesman wants to bring that same concept to pet care with A Place for Rover. Gottesman and his team of nine developers and designers took home the top prize at Seattle Startup Weekend, the 54-hour coding marathon in which teams compete… Read More…

An inside look at Startup Weekend: ‘High energy startup fever’

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Not everyone can afford to devote 54 hours of their life to Startup Weekend. But, if you’ve got 13 minutes to spare, here’s an entertaining behind-the-scenes look at the coding and development marathon held earlier this month at Madrona Venture Group’s offices in Seattle. Produced by the very talented Mike Folden, the video captures the spirit of the event with… Read More…

Zaarly looks to take on Craigslist, with help from LeVar Burton and Ashton Kutcher

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Need a plumber, a DJ or a chainsaw carving of a bear? Welcome to Zaarly. Born at Startup Weekend in L.A., Zaarly today is launching what it dubs a “location-based, real-time commerce platform.” Essentially, it is an online marketplace for goods and services, kind of like Craigslist or eBay. The service will initially be available… Read More…

Five Things I Learned at Startup Weekend: #3 Learn to Code

Greg Gottesman at Startup Weekend

Guest Commentary: Startup Weekend was the most exhilarating and exhausting 54 hours since the birth of my (and my wife’s) last child.  You can think of it kind of like catnip for people who love the intensity and energy of startups at the earliest possible stage. Some fun statistics from the coding marathon last weekend:… Read More…

Coding geeks ignore the sun, launch 15 projects in 54 hours at Seattle Startup Weekend

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It was a glorious weekend in Seattle. The sun glistened off the slopes of Mount Rainier. Sailboats cruised across the waters of Elliott Bay. And, in a downtown Seattle office building, eighty geeks huddled around laptop computers trying to create new Internet businesses. Welcome to Startup Weekend, the 54-hour coding marathon which tosses random developers… Read More…