Startup Weekend is becoming a real force in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, not just in its hometown of Seattle but across the globe. And just how much impact is it having?
The non-profit — headed by Marc Nager and supported by the Kauffman Foundation, Google and others — recently published an infographic showing that its 260 events in 67 countries attracted some 21,316 participants last year.
The 54-hour coding marathons that Startup Weekend’s crew and volunteers help organize also have spawned some real companies. In Seattle, we saw that recently with the formation of Rover.com. The online pet care service — started by venture capitalist Greg Gottesman — took home first prize at a recent Startup Weekend event. It is now being backed by Gottesman’s venture capital firm, Madrona, and recently attracted former aQuantive executive Aaron Easterly as CEO.
Other companies such as Zaarly, Foodspooting, Scanadu and Saygent also tie their beginnings to Startup Weekend, which said that about $30 million flowed to its alumni last year. (Zaarly, with some operations in Seattle, accounted for about half of that total).
Nager told GeekWire last week that the non-profit plans to integrate itself more deeply with technology communities this year.
“More than anything we learned that Startup Weekend really does have the ability to expand out and be more than just a weekend event company,” he said. “And that’s how we want to position ourselves: We are really about experiential education and creating community. And our fundamental mission is how can we make impact and influence and change people’s lives.”
Previously on GeekWire: From Bill Gates to Google, Startup Weekend is on a roll
