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Events Launch Dayton Startup Weekend

Build a startup in 54 thrilling hours

Mark your calendars for the next Launch Dayton Startup Weekend, Feb. 24-26, 2023!

Powered by Techstars, Startup Weekend competitions are an exciting and immersive foray into the world of startups, where you will learn how to think, work, and build like a startup in a single weekend. Over an action-packed three days, you’ll meet the very best mentors, investors, co-founders and sponsors to show you how to get more done faster — and maybe even start that business.

What folks are saying about Launch Dayton Startup Weekend:

Matt Veryser, organizer

“I love Startup Weekend because it is the single most catalytic entrepreneurial experience that I’ve ever witnessed. Firsthand, I’ve seen it change the career paths of 3 or 4 dozen people by changing the way they see the world.”

Joe Fuchs, winner

“I went into college to study engineering with no experience in entrepreneurship outside a few personal things I wanted to pursue. Startup Weekend has brought me a holistic idea of what it would look like to go into this space. I recommend a lot more students get involved in it.”

How the competition works:

The goal of Launch Dayton Startup Weekend is to create an environment where passionate, driven, and like-minded people can come together to get things done — to learn, network, bridge the gap between trades, expose potential, and see actual results.

The event flows as follows:

Friday evening, participants gather, eat some pizza, and pitch ideas. Teams are formed around the most popular ideas pitched.
Saturday, teams return to develop the idea, validate their product/technology/business model, eat some ice cream, and hack together a minimum viable product
Sunday, teams put together their decks, then pitch their startups for prizes, including services to help their startup grow

On Saturday and Sunday, entrepreneurs and experts from the community will volunteer to serve as mentors for the teams, helping them develop their business strategies and prototypes.

Check out last year’s winners here.