In their quest for building a thriving startup community, young innovators from across the country are able to make a beginning in spreading awareness in Visakhapatnam.
UP Global, which was founded by Andrew Hyde in 2007 and converted into a non-profit organisation two years later to popularise ‘startup weekend’ concept in Boulder, Colorado, has now become a thriving startup community with presence in 660 cities across 120 countries with thousands of aspiring and successful innovators. The initiative is supported by Google for Entrepreneurs, Bill Gates and Mellinda Foundation, Amazon, and other organisations.
The first startup weekend conducted in the city at Prism Degree College recently becamea big hit with participation by several youngsters, majority of them students.
Anyone with an idea, as an individual or team, can attend the startup weekend and launch an enterprise within 54 hours.
The programme was organised by 12 engineering students from Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram.
“We ask them to spell out their ideas and get support from those already in the field with success stories and experience to motivate them further, improve their ideas, and groom them as entrepreneurs,” says UP Global community leader Sayan Ganguly.
One of the organisers of the city’s two startup weekend programmes, Sayan is co-founder of E2P Group, which deals with R&D and other consultancy services. He is a B.Tech final year student at GITAM University.
Now, Vizag has Ganguly and Sushant Mohapatra, who also studies B.Tech at GITAM, as community leaders, along with 16 volunteers to spread the idea of startup communities using social media.
“Though it is a Herculean task, the initial response is quite encouraging,” says Sushant.
With successful entrepreneurs volunteering to be mentors and new-found confidence after attending 54-hour boot camp, most of those attending the startup weekend are now raring to go.
“With a strong will power, anyone can start an enterprise and own a billion dollar company one day,” says Sayan.
Young innovators join hands to organise ‘startup weekend’, where participants are encouraged to spell out their ideas and get groomed by successful entrepreneurs
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Santosh Patnaik / Visakhapatnam – March 01st, 2015