Catdi Sponsors Houston Startup Weekend !

Catdi to donate free business cards to the Startup Weekend Winners

Houston Startup Weekend

is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skillsets – primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people – to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.
Latest Article Bring Your Waffle Iron on Sunday!

For those of you coming out to Houston Startup Weekend this weekend – make sure you bring your waffle iron out on Sunday morning, February 27th. Why on earth do you need to bring a waffle iron you ask? Well, it all has to do with a tradition around the Startup Digest and a fun way to enjoy a startup-priced breakfast with a bunch of techies, entrepreneurs and startup people!

Startup Digest and Houston Startup Weekend will provide the waffle batter, syrup, butter and you all provide the waffle irons. If you don’t have a waffle iron – don’t worry – I’ll share mine so just bring your appetite. I’ll also be working on putting together next week’s Houston Startup Digest edition that morning and you will be able to see how it is all accomplished live and in person. (But, you have to buy a ticket to Houston Startup Weekend to attend.)

If you can’t make it out this weekend and want to participate in a Houston Startup Waffles breakfast – let me know and if we get enough people then we can have them more often outside of Startup Weekends. If you want to host/sponsor a Houston Startup Waffles breakfast – then definitely let me know!

And make sure you subscribe to the Houston Startup Digest – it is free and is the only way to find all the Houston tech startup events in one place weekly!

A new organization around space exploration and research called SpaceUp was formed in 2010. I recently had the honor and privilege of being on the organization committee of volunteers that brought SpaceUp to Houston. Here in Houston, there are a number of unique industries with our specialized hospital systems, NASA and related aerospace companies, and the oil, gas and energy companies. And it is incredible to see the innovation that entrepreneurs from the Houston community come up with that can often tie into all of these industries. As a geek who adores her tech toys, I want to reflect for a moment on how important all of these industries are to the history of computing and technology.
Think about this: a major byproduct of oil production happens to be plastics. What are most of our tech toys made out of? (Hint: plastic). Also, let’s consider that most of the innovation and advancement in computer science and in particular, web languages came out of space research and NASA as the engineers and scientists sought ways to communicate farther and faster in space.

To celebrate how tied together all the industries are here in Houston, I am offering SpaceUp Houston attendees a discounted price to Houston Startup Weekend. Contact me or visit the SpaceUp Houston website to request your discount for 20% off.

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Sponsors Wanted

Why Sponsor Houston Startup Weekend?

1. You are helping support and grow the entrepreneurial community in Houston.

2. It is way more fun than standing in a booth at a trade show all day.

3. It is also a lot cheaper than exhibiting in a booth at a trade show. Sponsorship packages start as low as $100 and we accept in-kind donations for prizes, t-shirts, food and other items and services.

4. You won’t just be in front of your target audience, you will be down in the field building relationships together. Sponsor participation on a team or as a mentor/speaker/judge is encouraged.

5. Startup Weekend is a nonprofit 501(c)3 so your donation is tax deductible.

6. You will meet really awesome, crazy-smart people.

7. There will be waffles. (You can even be the sponsor of the waffles if you ask first.)

EVENT LEVEL PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

These sponsorships support the event overall and help offset its cost.

Sponsor an Entrepreneur $100 (per lucky entrepreneur) (unlimited)

* Open registration for one entrepreneur of your choice or we select someone.
* We will ensure that one lucky entrepreneur will get fed, meet new people, learn a ton, and hopefully create a successful startup!

Carpool Sponsor starts at $350 (unlimited)

* Purchases 5 or more tickets for your employees/other interested attendees to attend. (ticket prices are discounted $5/each)
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you at event
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* One additional FREE ticket for every 5 purchased (6 total tickets/$350)
* Your employees will get fed, meet new people, learn new skills, and you might just get nominated as world’s greatest boss!

Angel sponsor $500 (unlimited)

* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you at event
* Identified in all media materials for Startup Weekend
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Two tickets to the event

PRIZE SPONSORSHIPS

These sponsorships provide money for prizes for the winning teams.

The Term Sheet Sponsor $750 (2 available) – for 2nd and 3rd place prizes

* Identified in all media materials for Startup Weekend
* Provide one member of the judging team
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you & recognition during Houston Startup Weekend event
* Opportunity to display company banner or signage at the event
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Two tickets to the event

Seed Round Sponsor $1,500 (1 available) “Top Prize”

* Create/Provide a survey and collect attendee’s responses
* Invitation for a guest blog post on Houston.startupweekend.org site
* Opportunity to briefly address the community at Sunday night awards
* Identified in all media materials for Startup Weekend
* Provide one member of the judging team
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you and recognition during Houston Startup Weekend event
* Opportunity to hang banners at the event
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Four tickets to the event

CONTRIBUTING SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

These sponsorships help make the event run – and keep the troops happy. Think food, beverages, adult beverages, coffee, snacks, marketing/promotional help, software, swag, etc…anything that the community will benefit from!

Fuel Sponsor cost varies

5 available – Friday dinner, Sat lunch, Sat dinner, Sun lunch, Sun dinner

* Either provide the money for the meal – or provide the meal (option to pay food vendors directly)
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you & recognition during the meal you sponsor
* Opportunity to display a sign or banner on the food table
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Option to pay food vendors directly
* Two tickets to the event

Buzz Sponsor approx.. $60 per day

Sponsored by Twin Flames Properties (Sat and Sun)

* Either provide the coffee for the weekend or provide the money to pay for the coffee (option to pay coffee vendors directly)
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you & recognition during throughout the weekend
* Opportunity to display a sign or banner on the food table
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Two Tickets to the event

Community Building Sponsor cost varies

* Provide the beer/wine/spirits for the weekend or provide the money to pay for the alcohol (option to pay vendors directly)
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you & recognition during the evening you sponsor
* Opportunity to display a sign or banner on the food table
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Two tickets to the event

Spotlight Sponsor cost varies

* Provide the A/V equipment such as microphone, speakers, projector, video and photography, and someone to help setup and work the equipment/photograph during the event. (option to pay cost or in-kind service donation)
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you & recognition during the evening you sponsor
* Opportunity to display a sign or banner on the food table
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Two tickets to the event in addition to required personal using the equipment

Glam Sponsor cost varies

* Sponsor t-shirts for the event; provide the shirts for the weekend or provide the money to pay for it.
* Company name/logo listed on Houston.startupweekend.org
* Thank you & recognition during the evening you sponsor
* Event logo on front of shirt, your logo on the back, (and yours alone)
* Hand out materials, swag, other relevant materials
* Two Tickets to the event

*** We are also accepting individual items to raffle off throughout the weekend and as part of the prizes (laptops, software, gift cards, etc.) ***

Interested in Sponsoring? Questions? Contact us:

Brian Cohen: BCohen@IDiscoverConsulting.com (713) 907-8429

Sarah Worthy: sarah@thestartupdigest.com (713) 702-3573

Http://Houston.Startupweekend.org

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Speakers, Judges and Mentors: We Invite You to Apply Today!

The majority of the 54 hours in Startup Weekend involves hands-on team work and attendee participation, Startup Weekend also invites local community leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and experts to participate as speakers, mentors and judges. It’s important to remember that Startup Weekend is about “No Talk. All Action.” Therefore, we limit the number of speakers and the length and topics of the presentations at Startup Weekend. We invite you to apply as a Speaker, Mentor, or Judge and have included the following guidelines and details about what we look for in these roles. Information to include in your application is also included at the end.

Speaker Guidelines and Details:

Suggested speakers and topics:

* Experienced entrepreneurs
o General advice on launching a startup
o Team dynamics and the importance of picking the right people and communicating effectively
o Go-to-Market strategy
o Bootstrapping vs. raising funds
* Angels investors, VCs, Business Bankers
o How to pitch effectively
o The local investment ecosystem in your community
o Information about obtaining funding for a startup via VCs, investors, business loans
* Instead of a presentation, local startups that recently launched to do a demo can apply and talk about their launch experience!

Available Speaking Opportunities/Presentation Schedule

Friday (up to 3 available presentations):

1-3 Speakers during Kick-Off

1. Must be able to attend from at least 6pm-7pm Friday evening
2. No more than 10minutes in length each
3. 5 minute Q&A after each presentation

Saturday (up to 3 available presentations):

1 Speaker During Lunch:

1. Must be present from 12pm to 1pm to speak
2. Presentation no longer than 10 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A following
3. Will present either before or following our Houston Startup Lawyer presentation

1-2 Speakers During Dinner:

1. Must be present from 6:30pm until 7pm to speak
2. Presentation no longer than 10-15 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A following
3. Would like at least one of these to specifically discuss presenting to investors to receive funding for a startup: techniques, inspiration, presentation tips, improvise if something goes wrong during presentation etc.

Sunday (up to 5 available presentations):

1-2 Speakers During Lunch:

1. Must be present from 11pm to 12:00pm to speak
2. Presentation no longer than 10 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A following

Before Judging (1-2 available presentations):

1. Must be present from 4pm to 5pm to speak
2. Would prefer topic/speaker to be either one of the Judges, or at least share best advice and inspiration to the teams before the presentations begin.
3. Presentation no longer than 10minutes with a 5minute Q&A following.

Event Wrap-Up (1-2 available presentations):

1. Must be present 5pm until 9pm to speak
2. Presentations no longer than 10minutes with a 5minute Q&A following
3. Will be final presentations before wrap-up and end of event statements
4. Would like the topic(s) to focus on the next steps for the winning teams, how to take the work they have accomplished and take it real-world, etc.

Mentors

Mentors are often described by attendees as the most valuable part of the weekend. The 1:1 advice mentors give to teams can be put to use immediately. Mentors themselves also enjoy being mentors because it’s a chance to share their knowledge and help other aspiring entrepreneurs. After an event, mentors can speak very highly of Startup Weekend and often help secure new attendees, speakers and sponsors for future events. We highly encourage mentors to also sponsor an entrepreneur by purchasing a ticket for and inviting someone they know to attend with them. *Mentors invited will not need to purchase a ticket but MUST be able to at least attend Sunday from 12:30pm until 9pm. Mentors are encouraged and welcome to attend as much of the entire weekend as they are able.

Suggested mentors

* Experienced entrepreneurs
* Angel investors
* VCs
* Startup incubators and accelerators
* Startup attorneys
* Startup community activists
* Subject experts (expert developers, designers, marketers, etc)

Panelists/Judges

To help with the voting process on Sunday, we are inviting between 3 and 5 people to sit on the judging panel. We select Judges based on the following guidelines:

1. Judges MUST be present at a minimum on Sunday from 4pm until 9pm.
2. Variety : at least one investor and one entrepreneur. If we select more than one entrepreneur, we try to get them from different industries. The same for investors, we will seek to include a variety of different investment groups to represent, rather than multiple people from one organization.
3. During the event, judges are encouraged to walk around and give the teams valuable advice/feedback in addition to just asking questions.
4. We will absolutely select Judges who are also speakers and mentors so apply for all roles if you can fill them!

To apply for any of these roles, please submit an email to sarah@thestartupdigest.com with the following:

1. Role(s) you are applying for
2. Your Name, contact information, company name, title
3. Short bio that specifically tells us how you are involved in technology, entrepreneurship, community leadership, startup funding/investing, or relevant experience around this event
4. If you are applying to speak: please include an outline and/or copy of your topic/presentation
5. Any specific time restraints/which time/day you are available to attend and participate
6. Total amount of time you are willing to commit to participate
7. How (If) you will help promote the event, if you are a mentor: will you be sponsoring/bringing an interested entrepreneur/participant also?
8. Were you referred to apply by someone, and if yes – who referred you?
9. Is your company/organization also interested in sponsoring us?
10. Anything else you want to tell us.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, February 6th, 2011.

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Houston Startup Weekend Articles and Updates rss

* Bring Your Waffle Iron on Sunday!
* Let’s Get It Started – Entrepreneur.com
* Houston Startup Weekend Welcomes SpaceUp Houston Attendees
* Sponsors Wanted
* Speakers, Judges and Mentors: We Invite You to Apply Today!

Startup Weekend Articles and Updates rss

o HealthData.gov: A One-Stop Resource for Health Innovators
o Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore Participate in SW Los Angeles
o Startup Weekend and Maple Leaf Digital Lounge Partner for the 40 Hour Challenge at SXSW
o Part jukebox, part radio, Roqbot lets you be the DJ
o SW Twin Cities Startup QONQR Launching at SXSW

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Organizers

*

Sarah Worthy

Sarah Worthy
Startup Digest, Houston Curator
*

Daniel Sommars

Daniel Sommars
Houston Startup Weekend Poker
*

Brian Cohen

Brian Cohen
*

Javid Jamae

Javid Jamae
Improving Enterprises
*

Jerald Reichstein

Jerald Reichstein
*

Katie Sunstrom

Katie Sunstrom
Lorance & Thompson, P.C.

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Judges Panel

*

Matthew Wettergreen

Matthew Wettergreen
Do713.com
*

Aimee Woodall

Aimee Woodall
The Blacksheep Agency
*

Sharon Moon

Sharon Moon
AVDS
*

Marc Nathan

Marc Nathan
ChaiOne
*

J.R. Cohen

J.R. Cohen
YMKM Agency
*

Brian Truax

Brian Truax
The Black Sheep Agency

#
Mentors

*

Carter Cole

Carter Cole
Brand Extract
*

Habeel Gazi

Habeel Gazi
ARC Surgicals
*

Carl Walker

Carl Walker
Private Investor

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