Some of Canada’s most promising young entrepreneurs will be gathering in Ottawa to share their ideas, network and foster innovation as part of U.S. Embassy Ottawa’s StartUp Weekend. The Embassy will welcome more than 50 entrepreneurs from across the country to a Startup weekend from June 13-15.
The U.S. Embassy, UP Global — a U.S. based non-profit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship — and the Imagine Space — Canada’s first American Corner, a makerspace jointly created by the U.S. Embassy and the Ottawa Public Library — are co-hosting the exceptional event. The weekend brings together young Canadians with American and Canadian mentors to empower aspiring entrepreneurs by connecting them with the right tools and knowledge to help launch their business ideas into commercial enterprises.
WHAT: U.S. Embassy Ottawa Startup Weekend!
WHEN: June 13-15, 2014
WHERE: Ben Franklin Place (101 Centrepointe Drive, Chambers)
TIME: Startup Weekend opens June 13 at 6:45 p.m. and finishes with the final presentations and judging beginning at 5 p.m. on June 15 (Media are invited to attend the opening ceremony on June 13. Media are welcome to cover other parts of the weekend, but are asked to contact the Embassy to arrange timing.)
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 to 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 in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.
The U.S. Embassy is fully funding this event, including transportation and lodging, for over 50 young Canadians from across the country, to help create a strong, binational network of future entrepreneurs. The Embassy’s goal is to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and provide opportunities for collaboration and sharing of perspectives and experiences with young counterparts, in the belief that entrepreneurship drives economic development in both countries.
For more information about the weekend, please visit usembassyottawa.startupweekend.org.
Media Contact:
U.S. Embassy Press Office
Tel: 613-688-5315/6
Email: nadeausj@state.gov
