Start-up Weekend Orange County at Chapman University

ORANGE, Calif. – As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week Chapman University in Orange, CA, is hosting Startup Weekend Orange County for budding entrepreneurs Nov. 18-20.

Participants from all age groups and backgrounds come with ideas for a new product and are “locked in” for 54 hours, in which time they must create teams across such disciplines as designers, engineers, and marketers; formulate a business plan, and create a pitch for their product. Throughout the weekend, coaches and mentors flow through to help.

“Participants arrive Friday night and by Sunday evening, they must pitch their idea to venture capitalists and angel investors,” Richard Sudek, Ph.D., director of Chapman’s Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics, and also chairman emeritus Tech Coast Angels. “Participants may walk away with a lead on investment money for their idea, however, more importantly, people will experience a transformational entrepreneurial process that that is unlike anything they have experienced,” said Sudek who is also a mentor and judge for Startup Weekend Orange County.

 Startup Weekend is a 2 ½ year-old program that is now global. More than 39,000 individuals in 190 cities and 100 countries have participated in a Startup Weekend since its inception. There are 90 startup weekends alone taking place this week due to it being Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Original founder Marc Nager, who is also a Chapman alum and is now based out of Seattle, will be on site during the Chapman-hosted Startup Weekend Orange County.

“It’s a good way to learn how to start a business—it always starts with an idea. Startup Weekend provides a safe forum for these individuals to share their idea and learn what it takes to take that idea to the next level,” says Nager. “While the average age for Startup Weekend participants is 32, we also see people with 10-15 years of corporate experience who, because of the economic downturn, are finally acting on the big idea they have been stewing on.”

There are 100 participants signed up for Startup Weekend Orange County, which takes place Nov. 18 – 20, at Chapman University’s Beckman Hall Room 404, Orange, CA, 92866.

More information can be found by clicking:  http://orangecounty.startupweekend.org/

About the Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Ethics

Established in 1995, Chapman University’s Leatherby Center offers one of the nation’s most respected programs for entrepreneurial young men and women.  The center aims to prepare and inspire principled, dynamic entrepreneurs whose ideas improve lives and solve important problems.  Through innovative courses and real-world leadership, the center provides students with access to a range of resources, including professional mentoring, entrepreneurial internships, a multi-university network, community resources, events, speakers, research, professional groups, competitions and boot camps. Ranked as the #6 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program by Business Week, the Leatherby Center is unique in its approach to connecting students with inventors, investors and real-world entrepreneurs. For more information, visit www.chapman.edu/launch

Consistently ranked among the top universities in the West, Chapman University provides a uniquely personalized and interdisciplinary educational experience to highly qualified students. Our programs encourage innovation, creativity and collaboration, and focus on developing global citizen-leaders who are distinctively prepared to improve their community and their world.

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