Great Barrington — Anyone in the region with an idea for a new business is in luck this weekend. A company with extensive experience in the subject is coming to town to hold one of its “startup” weekends.
The three-day startup crash course put on by Techstars will bring Berkshire County “designers, developers, entrepreneurs, and experts from all domains to do amazing things,” Techstars said in a release announcing the weekend.
“This event is for aspiring entrepreneurs who have an idea they think would make an interesting business, but have no idea how to go about it,” said Tim Newman of New Marlborough, entrepreneur and member of the Berkshire Startup Weekend’s organizing team. Click here to see the others.
“Teams form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and embark on a three-day frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation,” Techstars said.
The 54-hour event will be held mostly at Berkshire Community College’s South County Center, 343 Main St.. The weekend’s events will begin Friday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 p.m. and end after 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3. Click here to see the full schedule.
Techstars says all its startup weekend events follow the same basic model: Anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers.
See the organizers of Techstars Startup Weekend Great Barrington:
The weekend concludes with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback. After 54 hours of intense work, teams pitch to a panel of judges from the most innovative and impactful companies in the Berkshires and from Techstars. Business leaders and mentors are on hand to share insights and experience through the entire weekend. That wrap-up session, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, will take place at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The judging session is free and open to the public. Local musician Michael Lesko will perform.
Berkshire Startup Weekend is not only presented by Techstars, but is also in partnership with 1Berkshire, BCC and Google with the focus on developing the Berkshire economy. Registration costs $45. Click here to learn more and to register.
“We are looking for great, disruptive ideas from people who believe that one idea can make a difference. We’re using 1Berkshire’s Berkshire Blueprint 2.0 as a way of focusing on the drivers of our regional economy and recommend that participants review this guide,” Newman added.
“Startup Weekend is a fantastic community event — and one of the pieces to help develop and attract an innovative startup community in the Berkshires,” commented Jeremy Rawitz, vice president, accelerator sales at Techstars and longtime Berkshires resident.
See below for the people participating in the two panel discussions and the panel of judges:
FRIDAY NIGHT – The Berkshire Economy
Welcome and Panel Moderator – State Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield
Advanced Manufacturing – Stephen Boyd, Boyd Technology
Creative Economy – Peter Taylor, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
Food and Agriculture – Cynthia Pansing, Berkshire Agriculture Ventures
Health Care – Lia Spiliotes, Community Health Programs
Hospitality and Tourism – Sarah Eustis, Main Street Hospitality Group
SATURDAY NIGHT – Women Entrepreneurs in the Berkshires, Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator – Erika Allison, Willow Investing
Susanna Sharpe – Mungy Studios
Ilana Seigal – Lifeworks
Jamie Goldenberg – Hart Textiles, MUSE Property Development
Lorraine Jones – Smokey Divas
SUNDAY JUDGES
Jonathan Butler – 1Berkshire
Ron Rettner – Entrepreneur
Deborah Gallant – Executive director, EforAll-Berkshires
Paul LeBlanc – Zogics
Frank Alfano – Techstars
