Inaugural Techstars Startup Weekend in Sarikei April 6-8
KUCHING: A global startup event Techstars Startup Weekend will be held for the first time in Sarikei from April 6 to 8.
It will take place at the Sarikei Innovation Centre ( S.i.C) and is organised in collaboration with Kuching- based iCube Innovation.
“To date, the team at iCube has organised 10 Techstars Startup Weekend events in Sarawak, before bringing it over to Sarikei,” said iCube strategic manager and Global Certified Techstars Startup Weekend facilitator Malcolm Wu.
He explained that Techstars Startup Weekend is an event that helps participants in teams to focus on an idea and turn it into reality, with the aid of local entrepreneurship mentors and are powered by Google for Entrepreneurs.
He pointed out the event’s ultimate goal is to equip entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs with the fundamental tools of the startup ecosystem.
In the lead-up to the Techstars Startup Weekend, a bootcamp was held at the S.i.C last Friday and Saturday which focused on several entrepreneurial skills including design thinking, effective pitching, business model canvas ( BMC), and market validation.
“This bootcamp is to give a solid foundation to those who may not have had the opportunity to be exposed to the startup ecosystem. More than 40 participants from various industries and educational institutions joined this fast-paced 6 hour bootcamp.
“Their response was overwhelmingly positive. The iCube and S.i.C will continue to organise these entrepreneurial events in Sarikei, as one of our goals is to continue in unearthing new entrepreneurs,” he said.
“With a positive feedback from participants, we expect more than 80 per cent of participants from this bootcamp will attend next week’s Techstars Startup Weekend Sarikei in S.i.C,” he said.
He added places for the Techstars Startup Weekend Sarikei are limited and participants need not have to attend the bootcamp to take part.
For more details about Techstars Startup Weekend Sarikei and to sign up, please visit http://sarikeiinnovation. com/events-activities/ or contact them at sarikei@ startupweekend. org or call 017-2622101.
Meanwhile, Thomas Chan from Sarikei Toastmaster Club and a mentor for the bootcamp believed the upcoming Techstars Startup Weekend Sarikei will be the beginning of more exciting events to promote entrepreneurship in Sarikei.
“This is to bring awareness to people of Sarikei that there are avenues around for them to grow their ideas, to get in touch with people of similar interest and aspiration,” he said.
The Techstars Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and nontechnical entrepreneurs.
Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate on Sunday night demos and presentations.