Google for Entrepreneurs is teaming up with Startup Weekend to host a unique Startup Weekend at the new Google Ventures Startup Lab. The weekend will be filled with incredible mentors, judges, and speakers from Google and Google Ventures. Everyone is welcome to apply to participate but only the first 100 candidates will be accepted. Food, drinks, and snacks will be provided.
Mentors
Mike Cassidy: Director of Product Management at Google. Founder of 4 acquired companies.
Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt: Global Program Manager for Innovation & Creativity at Google.
Steven Kan: Business Development Manager at Google. Vice President of Business Operations for Apture (acquired by Google).
Braden Kowitz: Design Partner, Google Ventures.
Jeson Patel: Engineering Manager at Google. Founder of SocialDeck (Acquired by Google).
Xander Pollock: Visual Designer at Google. Cofounding Designer of Punchd (Acquired by Google).
Speaker
Mike Cassidy
Mike Cassidy is the Director of Product Management at Google. Prior to joining Google, Mike Cassidy was the Co-Founder and CEO of four start-ups: Ruba, Xfire, Direct Hit, and Stylus Innovation. Ruba helped travelers share their favorite places and was acquired by Google. Xfire helps gamers play online with their friends and was acquired by MTV for $110 million. Direct Hit was a revolutionary search engine whose customers included MSN, Lycos, AOL, etc. and was acquired by Ask.com for $500 million. Stylus Innovation’s flagship product was computer telephony software Visual Voice. Artisoft acquired Stylus for $13M. Mike has a BS/MS in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. He graduated from Harvard Business School.
Rick Klau
Rick is a Partner at Google Ventures where he is responsible for leading Startup Lab. Rick was previously a Product Manager at Google where he led product initiatives on Blogger, Google+, and YouTube.
Rick’s earlier professional experience includes leadership roles at several software and Internet startups. He was an early employee at FeedBurner, where he ran the publisher services team until Google acquired the company in 2007. Rick received dual degrees from Lafayette College, and while a student at the University of Richmond School of Law, he founded the Richmond Journal of Law & Technology, the world’s first student-edited law journal to publish exclusively online. He serves on Richmond Law’s Alumni Association Board of Directors.
What is Startup Weekend
Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations. Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurs. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education. Whether you are looking for feedback on a idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help you execute, Startup Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test your idea and take the first steps towards launching your own startup.
Who should attend?
Anyone who wants to learn or loves the process of creating a new product or service and turning it into a business. There will be 100 attendees including makers, programmers, marketers, designers, builders, entrepreneurs and writers.
Why should I attend?
To become inspired, forge lasting friendships, find co-founders and employees, learn new tools and methodologies, practice new skills and feel a sense of accomplishment.
Participating in Startup Weekend is an intense experience that allows you to grow rapidly and build deep relationships. It’s an experience like none other.
What can I expect?
Attendees meet Friday at 5:00pm and start getting to know each other. After a dinner and an inspiring presentation by a Google Director and serial entrepreneur, Mike Cassidy, you’ll spend the weekend building a new product and will launch it Sunday at 5pm.
How do I sign up?
Select a ticket from one of the categories above. If you fit multiple categories, pick your strongest for now. You will not be restricted to this role during the weekend. If you don’t know which to pick, select Non-Technical for now.
Where can I find out more?
If you have other questions, visit the Startup Weekend Bay Area website or check out the Startup Weekend FAQ.
Refund Policy
No refunds will be granted within 7 days of the event if food and drink have already been ordered. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
