Stamford Startup Weekend Ramps Up: Reduced Price Tickets for Designers & Investors + Pitch Workshop

March 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Stamford, CT – Graphic designers are in demand and will get special treatment at Stamford’s first Startup Weekend, which will be held at the Stamford Innovation Center (http://stamfordicenter.com), March 30-April 1.  Registrations for entrepreneurs and programmers to participate in the intense, 54-hour web-business concept to finished pitch competition are steadily coming in on a daily basis – but designers are at a premium. With that in mind, the organizers of Stamford Startup Weekend (http://www.Stamford.startupweekend.org) have decided to offer specially reduced ticket prices for graphic designers as well as for students and investors.

Designers registering by March 22 pay only $29, while students (with ID) pay just $49 and investors attending the Sunday final presentations and awards pay only $20 up until the time of the event.  The regular price for developers, non-technical professionals and designers is $99.  Only a total of 100 tickets will be available.  Tickets cover seven meals, snacks, access to exclusive resources and all the coffee participants can drink. To register, visit http://www.Stamford.startupweekend.org.

“We want to ensure we have the right balance of skill sets to make this the most exciting weekend for technologists, entrepreneurs and designers to come together to create business ideas,” said Edward Petner, one of the organizers of Stamford Startup Weekend and one of the founders of the Stamford Innovation Center.  “To achieve that goal, we’ve created special ticket pricing and also limited the amount of tickets to ensure the best cross-fertilization of talent and ideas.”

Stamford Startup Weekend offers a compelling platform for the southwestern Connecticut technology and entrepreneurial communities to join together to co-create new applications and then develop their commercial cases.  The Weekend starts at the Stamford Innovation Center, 175 Atlantic St., Stamford, CT, on March 30 at 6:30 PM.  Team presentations, judging and awards will be held at the Stamford campus of the University of Connecticut on April 1 at 5:00 PM.

Special Master Pitch Workshop
Participants looking for a head start on Startup Weekend can attend a “Master Pitch Workshop” on March 22 at 7:30 PM.  The online workshop is free for all registered attendees and will be led by Mac Lipscomb, Pitch Coach and Former Operating Partner, RRE Ventures.  A highly sought after mentor and coach who works with NY Angels, IBM Smart Camp, ASTIA, UltraLights NYC and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, Mr. Lipscomb will provide valuable guidance and tips for fashioning the perfect pitch at Stamford Startup Weekend.  Mr. Lipscomb will also be available as a mentor during Startup Weekend.

“Understanding what investors look for in a new company and how to get that information into a pitch is a crucial hurdle for entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Petner.  “Too often companies may not get funded for what seems like a solid idea simply because they fail to clearly and concisely build their business case.  Mac’s workshop will offer priceless information on how to get that done.”

Stamford Startup Weekend is the fourth Startup Weekend to be held in Connecticut, following earlier ones in Hartford, New Haven and Storrs.  Connecticut Light & Power and Wiggin and Dana are Platinum Sponsors of these events statewide, while Shipman & Goodwin is a Platinum Sponsor of this event.  The 54-hour Startup Weekend events are designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs, centering on action, innovation and education. On average, half of Startup Weekend’s attendees have technical backgrounds, while the other half have business backgrounds.

Stamford Startup Weekend: It All Begins with an Idea
Stamford Startup Weekend begins on Friday night with aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to the entire group, which votes for the most promising ten to 15 ideas.  Attendees then divide up into small teams, which spend the rest of the weekend focusing on a single business idea.  Over the course of the weekend, participants are challenged with building functional startups, including developing a business model, proof of concept, demo or basic prototype.  Local business leaders serve as mentors on Saturday, offering one-on-one advice to each team.  The Weekend culminates in Sunday night pitches to a panel of potential investors and local entrepreneurs.

About the Stamford Innovation Center
The Stamford Innovation Center offers inspiring physical workspaces and startup-centric programs that are built to serve one mission: “Accelerating the Entrepreneur’s Voyage.” Entirely focused on the success of the growing and diverse group of startups that are sprouting up all over southwestern Connecticut, the Center offers an environment where entrepreneurs can tap into the deep expertise, enthusiastic talent, proven service providers and experienced angel and VC investors that live and work in the area.   When these products and services are ready, the Center can assist through its connections throughout the tri-state area and at the local, regional and state level of the Connecticut public sector.  http://stamfordicenter.com.

Contact:   
Randy Savicky  
Strategy+Communications
(203) 226-6156
randy@strategypluscommunications.com

# # #

About Strategy+Communications
Companies that need to align their communications programs with their business goals come to us for comprehensive, cost-effective programs that draw upon the best of the new rules of PR and marketing -- from press releases and case histories to blogs, social media and SEO. For more information, please visit http://www.strategypluscommunications.com.