This June, an innovative event will bring together aspiring young Canadian entrepreneurs with American and Canadian mentors and connect them with the tools needed to create a business. The U.S. Embassy, UP Global (a U.S.-based non-profit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship) and the Imagine Space (a joint project of the U.S. Embassy and the Ottawa Public Library) are putting the call out to budding entrepreneurs for Startup Weekend Ottawa 2014.
The Startup Weekend concept is a global, grassroots movement of entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa and London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend-long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.
All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: participants pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54-hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations and another opportunity for critical feedback.
WHAT: Apply for U.S. Embassy Ottawa Startup Weekend! (June 13-15, 2014)
WHEN: Deadline for applications is midnight, April 6, 2014.
HOW: Visit usembassyottawa.startupweekend.org for more information
Application Requirements: This Startup Weekend will be open to successful applicants only. There is no charge, and the U.S. Embassy will fund travel, accommodation and meals for participants from across Canada. Applicants must be Canadian citizens or residents of Canada (not U.S. citizens), between the ages of 18-30. They must have a strong interest in becoming entrepreneurs, ideally with a clearly defined idea for creating a new business from “seed” stage, i.e., not yet a working business. All applicants meeting the criteria will be considered, and successful applicants will be notified by email by May 9.
For more information about Imagine Space: An American Corner visit https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en/ImagineSpace.
For more information about UP Global visit up.co.
Media Contact
U.S. Embassy Press Office
Tel: 613-688-5315/6
Email: youngjm1@state.gov; nadeausj@state.gov
