Omaha Startup Weekend http://omaha.startupweekend.org September 16th - 18th Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:29:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Getting Started as an Entrepreneur http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2012/04/26/getting-started-as-an-entrepreneur/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2012/04/26/getting-started-as-an-entrepreneur/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:20:36 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=525 The video below captures what getting started as an entrepreneur is all about: sometimes going in the wrong direction, pivoting, experimenting, finding your passion then following it obsessively, learning a lot, getting your first customers, bootstrapping, making mistakes, working really hard, dealing with uncertainty, facing the odds, planning, refining, dealing with the details, putting yourself out there and vulnerable, finding the right community that will support you, sacrificing, finding opportunities, networking, collaborating with others, getting feedback… and hopefully, just maybe, becoming very successful.

Made by Hand / No 2 The Knife Maker from Made by Hand on Vimeo.

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2012/04/26/getting-started-as-an-entrepreneur/feed/ 0 That’s a Wrap! Stay Tuned for 2012. http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/20/thats-a-wrap-stay-tuned-for-2012/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/20/thats-a-wrap-stay-tuned-for-2012/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:01:23 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=495 In the end, 110 participants (including some late-comers) accepted the challenge to turn an idea into a real business in a weekend. 51 ideas were pitched Friday night, spawning 18 teams who presented their startups Sunday night to all the attendees, organizers, judges, mentors, and 20 others who came just for the presentations.

We were so busy running the event, we couldn’t blog at all during the weekend, but for complete coverage of the event, check out the Silicon Prairie News articles. Thank you, SPN, for doing a fantastic job collecting information about the teams, taking photos, and streaming the Sunday night presentations.

And special thanks goes to Lou Pol, Dean of the UNO College of Business Administration; Jennifer Metzler and her assistants, Brandon and Taylor, from the Nebraska Business Development Center; Derek Geschwender from Mammel Hall IT Department; and to all the judges and mentors (listed on the left) that made this THE best Startup Weekend Omaha yet.

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/20/thats-a-wrap-stay-tuned-for-2012/feed/ 0 KickoffLabs, the Official Landing Page of Startup Weekend Omaha http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/15/kickofflabs-the-official-landing-page-of-startup-weekend-omaha/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/15/kickofflabs-the-official-landing-page-of-startup-weekend-omaha/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:25:13 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=492 Scott Watermasysk of KickoffLabs has generously donated 3 months of their paid plans to each team at Startup Weekend Omaha. KickoffLabs provides a social landing page which is particularly useful for startups who need a quick and easy one-page “coming soon” site. It also has communications and analytics features. Thank you, KickoffLabs!

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/15/kickofflabs-the-official-landing-page-of-startup-weekend-omaha/feed/ 0 Student Price is $49 and Other Reminders http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/08/student-price-is-49-and-other-reminders/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/08/student-price-is-49-and-other-reminders/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2011 01:26:10 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=479 We’re just about a week away from the best Startup Weekend Omaha ever. We’ve worked really hard to make this an amazing experience.

We’re going to have motivating speakers, passionate mentors, and informative judges. Every meal will be provided. We’ve got an awesome venue with projectors and whiteboards available to each group. As always there will be the usual networking, creative collaboration, intense challenge, competition, inspiring passion, brainstorming and learning that is typical for a Startup Weekend. And all of it will be apart of history in the first documentary of its kind that will be spread around the world to tell the story of what a Startup Weekend is all about.

All of this for $49 for students and $75 for non-students.

For out-of-towners, there is a hotel conveniently located across the street from Mammel Hall and Megabus has great deals on transportation to Omaha.

Get your ticket now!

P.S. If you’re still not pumped, watch this:

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/08/student-price-is-49-and-other-reminders/feed/ 3 The Startup Weekend Omaha Schedule http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/04/the-startup-weekend-omaha-schedule/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/04/the-startup-weekend-omaha-schedule/#comments Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:19:30 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=460 Here is the tentative schedule for Startup Weekend Omaha.

Friday, September 16:

6:00pm – Doors open at Mammel Hall (6708 Pine Street) for check in, pizza, and networking.

6:45pm – Official welcome and introduction.

7:00pm – Speakers Kevin Hagemoser and Jordan Green

7:30pm – Pitches begin. Anyone who has an idea gets 60 seconds to share it with everyone.

~8:15pm – 30 minutes to mingle, ponder, and get more information about your favorite ideas.

~8:45pm – Voting. Vote for your favorite ideas.

~9:00pm – The best ideas are selected, groups form, and work begins. You can stay until the building closes or leave earlier.

11:00pm – Building closes.

Saturday, September 17:

7:00am – Doors open

~8:30am – Breakfast provided by the Nebraska Business Development Center. Mentor schedules announced.

9:00am – Speaker Senator Ben Nelson.

~9:30am – Groups work on their startups. You can come and go as you please.

1:00pm – Lunch

6:00pm – Dinner

11:00pm – Building closes.

Sunday, September 18:

7:00am – Doors open.

9:00am – Breakfast. Mentor schedules announced. Groups work on their startups. You can come and go as you please.

1:00pm – Lunch.

6:00pm – Dinner

7:00pm – Final presentations

~8:15pm – Judging and winners announced.

9:00pm – End of the event. Building closes.

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/09/04/the-startup-weekend-omaha-schedule/feed/ 0 Late Bird? Tickets will Stay at Early Bird Price! http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/15/late-bird-ticket-will-stay-at-early-bird-price/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/15/late-bird-ticket-will-stay-at-early-bird-price/#comments Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:41:23 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=456 There are so many awesome sponsors that believe and support Startup Weekend that we’re keeping the tickets at the $75 early bird price. What does $75 get you? It gets you 54 hours of working on an innovative project with passionate people like yourself, it gets you valuable input from mentors and speakers, and it gets you 7 meals throughout the weekend. All of this in a state-of-the-art building with plenty of whiteboards, projectors, wifi, and table space. You can’t beat that. Register now!

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/15/late-bird-ticket-will-stay-at-early-bird-price/feed/ 0 Pre-event Meetup at CAMP http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/12/pre-event-meetup-at-camp/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/12/pre-event-meetup-at-camp/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:15:33 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=447 Join us August 24 at 6:30 pm at CAMP for the Startup Weekend Omaha Pre-event Meetup. You’ll get to meet, mingle, and chat with us as well as other people that are going to Startup Weekend and past attendees.

We’ll be available to answer questions and you get more info about the event. This will also be a good opportunity to talk about your startup ideas and get feedback before you pitch. And we’ll be giving away some free tickets so you’ll want to be there.

Special thanks to Megan Hunt for letting us hold this event.




]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/12/pre-event-meetup-at-camp/feed/ 1 The Weekly Grind http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/10/the-weekly-grind/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/10/the-weekly-grind/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2011 19:48:21 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=443 Last Weekend, I got a chance to go on The Weekly Grind, the radio show for young professionals that airs every Saturday morning at 10 on KFAB 1180 AM. Bryan Mohr, Wendy Townley and I talked about different aspects of the event, the people who attend, and we even riffed on a couple business ideas of our own. If you’re a professional in Omaha, young or not, you should definitely tune in.

You can download the podcast version of Saturday’s episode at theweeklygrindradio.com/shows. Check it out!

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/10/the-weekly-grind/feed/ 0 TrackJumper, the Official Bug Tracker of Startup Weekend Omaha http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/04/trackjumper-the-official-bug-tracker-of-startup-weekend-omaha/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/04/trackjumper-the-official-bug-tracker-of-startup-weekend-omaha/#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:51:32 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=435 Local entrepreneur Damon Cali, owner of Ninth Yard is giving away, to every group at Startup Weekend Omaha, a free year of TrackJumper, a no-nonsense software bug tracking app. I’ve used it myself and it’s pretty slick. Thank you, Damon!

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/08/04/trackjumper-the-official-bug-tracker-of-startup-weekend-omaha/feed/ 0 Dwolla is Giving Away 10 Free Tickets http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/07/28/dwolla-is-giving-away-10-free-tickets/ http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/07/28/dwolla-is-giving-away-10-free-tickets/#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:07:09 +0000 coreyspitzer http://omaha.startupweekend.org/?p=432 Want to go to Startup Weekend Omaha for free? Our amazing sponsor Dwolla is sending 10 people! To see how you can be one of them, check out the announcement on their blog. Good luck!

]]> http://omaha.startupweekend.org/2011/07/28/dwolla-is-giving-away-10-free-tickets/feed/ 0