From November 18th – 20th 2011; the first Accra Startup Weekend will take place at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in East-Legon, Accra.
About Startup Weekend
Startup Weekends are 54-hour events where developers, designers, marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and launch startups!
Startup Weekends are weekend-long, hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if startup ideas are viable. On average, half of Startup Weekend’s attendees have technical backgrounds, the other half have business backgrounds.
Startup Weekend Accra
Accra Startup Weekend
Accra Startup Weekend is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week’s signature events which brings together aspiring entrepreneurs to share ideas and form teams to create business. The team formed within 54 hours will be given an opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges.
The event will feature guest Speakers and Mentors including: Mark Davis (Founder/CEO-Esoko), Solomon Dartey (Director, Ghana Multimedia Incubator Centre (GMIC), George Anti-Ohene (HP Country Director -Ghana) Eyram Tawia (Founder/CEO-Leti Games), Penelope S. Bartels (CEO-InCharge Global), Alex Adjei Bram (General Manager-SMSGH), Ian Ziddah(Product Manager-MTN), Nkoyo Efretei (Senior Partner, Human Capital Development at Organized M.E.S.S. Limited) and many more.
In a recent interview with Bertil van Vugt; Member of VC4Africa Project; Thomas Oppong (Accra Startup Weekend Organizer) answered questions on why he was organizing the event and why young entrepreneurs with ideas should attend:
Why are you organizing the Accra Startup Weekend?
“I believe it’s about time startup events across Ghana help create businesses that can compete globally like any other startup, especially when its a web or mobile app. Startup Weekend has the potential to create a network of entrepreneurs and investors in Ghana that will build and nurture startups respectively. Ghana has talent but lacks the ‘Y Combinators’ and ‘Techstars’. Young Ghanaians are looking for a lot more opportunities to create sustainable businesses with the help of a vibrant investor community. We are partnering with the new Ghana Angel Investor Network (GAIN to help connect teams out of the event with angel investors.â€
What should visitors of the event expect?
“Just like the Startup Weekend slogan “Less Talk, More Action“. Participants should expect to create viable businesses in 54 hours. And we intend to get all the assistance we can amass for the winners to build a company and stick together to make it work. The winning team will have an opportunity to video-pitch to Ghanian angel investors and a Silicon Valley investor for potential funding. Also, it’s an opportunity to network and meet like-minded and passionate individuals is enormous for participants.
If you have any interest in startups, have experience in any part of the product development cycle or a rockstar designer or developer, then this event is a must attend event.
Get more details from the Startup Weekend Accra site or grab tickets here.
Related articles
- Startup Weekend Becomes Affiliate of the Kauffman Foundation (kauffman.org)
- Event: Mobile Apps Ghana Showcase 2011 (macjordangh.com)
- Startup Weekend – Melbourne (startupblog.wordpress.com)
