
Techstars Startup Weekend Early Bird Tickets Available!
February 3, 2025
Build a startup in 54 thrilling hours at Dayton’s Startup Weekend, March 28-30!
Techstars Startup Weekend is a jumping-off point for entrepreneurship. Over the weekend event, attendees will share ideas, team up, and launch startups. Snag your ticket by Feb. 14 for early-bird pricing + bring a friend for free!
Startup Weekend is a 54-hour entrepreneurship competition that helps future entrepreneurs develop the skills to launch their dreams. All participants start on a level playing field, and ideas are pitched, validated, and turned into companies in 54 hours.
On Friday evening, participants will pitch ideas and form teams. Over the weekend, they’ll work with mentors to develop a working prototype, demonstrate validation, and build a VC presentation by Sunday evening. Techstars Startup Weekend is a hackathon-like event with a global presence.
Startup Weekend organizer Matt Veryser has participated in and facilitated Startup Weekends and hackathons across the Midwest. “I love Startup Weekend because it is the single most catalytic entrepreneurial experience that I’ve ever witnessed,” Veryser said. “Firsthand, I’ve seen it change the career paths of 3 or 4 dozen people by changing how they see the world.”
One of last year’s winners described the experience as “fantastic.”
“I went into college to study engineering with no experience in entrepreneurship outside a few personal things I wanted to pursue,” said Joe Fuchs, University of Dayton engineering student and first-time attendee. “This contest 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.”
The Startup Weekend Schedule
The goal of 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 decks, and 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 mentor the Startup Weekend teams, helping them develop their business strategies and prototypes.
Get Your Tickets
Early-bird tickets are on sale for $45 through Jan. 31, when tickets will go up to $75. Get an even better deal with a BOGO offer — a $45 early-bird ticket + bring a friend for free. Learn more and snag your ticket here.
Thank you to this year’s sponsors, including Mile Two, the University of Dayton, and the Entrepreneurs’ Center!
Want to be a mentor or sponsor? Email [email protected]
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