Core Values

2

Core Values

Empowering individuals to take action in their lives is fundamental to the mission of Startup Week-end. As Startup Weekend events continue to grow exponentially and span the globe, this vision is maintained as a driving force behind all that we do. We are seeing more and more individuals choose entrepreneurship as a life path, and as momentum builds, we hope to integrate our core values into the entrepreneurial revolution as much as possible. At Startup Weekend, we believe that entrepreneurship is the single largest driving force for cre-ating jobs for ourselves, opportunities for our neighbors, and ultimately, more responsible and thriving societies. With an unwavering commitment to and vision for the future, Startup Weekend maintains its origins in education and aims to offer as many resources as possible to aspiring en-trepreneurs.

Key Values and Lessons

Positioned at the forefront of a rapidly-evolving startup culture that spans the globe, Startup Weekend is afforded a rare and valuable perspective into the entrepreneurial climate. At Startup Weekend, we know that we have a responsibility to share what we learn about entrepreneurship and provide educational resources whenever possible. Our own ideas about entrepreneurship in the modern world are constantly being shaped, and we are committed to regularly sharing our insights with the global community. We know that we have the potential to fundamentally change the fabric of society in communities around the world, and we therefore claim a great deal of re-sponsibility as we work to support entrepreneurs and share our findings. We are seeing an uncertain, but exciting era for startups - there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. With the goal of stabilizing and expanding this opportunity for others, Startup Weekend operates as an entity that acts in the best interest of entrepreneurs and local communi-ties without altering its beliefs, model, or aligning its interest to the sole purpose of any one party. Witnessing countless events around the world has proven distinct, key values that appear repeat-edly for most entrepreneurs and startups. These values include; The team is the most crucial as-pect of a startup, Business plans are dead, Funding doesn’t equal success. While these lessons are constantly developing, they provide us with a valuable “in-progress” methodology that we believe will help entrepreneurs learn more efficiently from their experiences and shape their teams and companies more effectively.

3

Startup Weekend

The Startup Weekend Education

Startup Weekend is fundamentally disrupting the way the world is approaching entrepreneurial education. While we are committed to education as our primary contribution to the startup world, we know that the best possible entrepreneurial education doesn’t occur in a classroom. This is why our primary vessel of education for entrepreneurs is through events. Startup Weekends are unique in that they create a low-pressure, but fast-paced environment that brings entrepreneurs together and connects them with mentors, resources, and most importantly, one another. “No Talk, All Action” is one of our most defining mantras at Startup Weekend. This idea captures a significant aspect of what makes an entrepreneur different -- they are people of action above all else. Venturing into the world of entrepreneurship is uncertain, making it one of the most risky and yet innovative paths for an individual to take. Startup Weekend aims to provide individuals with the ideal atmosphere for building on their ideas.

MissionStartup Weekend inspires ac-tion in the lives of entrepreneurs through experiential education.

Startup Weekend will be the world’s single largest starting point for new entrepreneurs.

Vision

BHAGIn 15 years Startup Weekend will be the world’s largest start-ing point for entrepreneurs cre-ating meaningful and Persistent firms.

Our core purpose is to help peo-ple lead fulfilling lives and create value for society.

Why We Exist

4

Collaborative Communities

One of the most powerful results of Startup Weekend events are the communities that are formed. Each Startup Weekend inevitably develops into its own small community of entrepreneurs - and each community then becomes a part of the global entrepreneurial community. The importance of this outcome becomes increasingly apparent as we witness how startup ecosystems are being empowered simply by growing in number. Collaboration is the tool that often turns an idea into something tangible, and Startup Weekend prides itself on being able to offer entrepreneurs all around the world the opportunity to do just this. People are the most influential and effective ve-hicle for creating something out of a mere idea. By putting talented individuals in the same room, Startup Weekend catalyzes the origin of countless inspiring teams. Most importantly, the process of building an extensive and vibrant entrepreneurial community provides a simple, but necessary clarification about the myth of the ‘lone entrepreneur.’ We want individuals all over the world to know that they can create according to their passions and that they are far from alone.

Democratizing Entrepreneurship

At its core, Startup Weekend is a democratizer of entrepreneurship. We aim to make entrepre-neurship as a life path accessible to as many people as possible - regardless of religion, race, gen-der, or socio-political differences. We envision a world where anyone will know where to go and what to do when ideas and inspiration strike. Startup Weekend will successfully prove that within any startup ecosystem we can increase not only the volume, but the quality of entrepreneurs and the rate at which they advance from one stage to the next in their journey. Millions of people will consider entrepreneurship when facing challenges in their professional or personal lives. People will be more resilient to failure, becoming an entrepreneur will be as natural as looking for a new job, and people will feel that Startup Weekend has contributed to their life in a positive way. Coun-tries will experience new growth and a new era of wealth because of a culture that has never been more supportive of freedom, creativity, and innovation. As we build a foundation of resources for entrepreneurs, we hope to de-mystify some of the most common challenges that entrepreneurs face and establish a ‘solid ground’ for not only entrepre-neurs, but for everyone, so that global communities can better understand what it means to be an entrepreneur and how entrepreneurship altogether is one of the greatest possible assets for thriving economies.