This document discusses the history and growth of Startup Weekend, an event where entrepreneurs come together over a weekend to share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. The first Startup Weekend was held in 2007 in Boulder, Colorado and involved developers, designers, and others pitching ideas on a blog on Friday and then splitting into teams on Saturday to work on the top three ideas. Since then, Startup Weekend has expanded globally and is now held in over 500 cities across the world. The document also provides principles for building an inclusive startup community and questions what is next for emerging startup communities in the Middle East and North Africa region.

10. COMMUNITY.

11. EMERGING
STARTUP
COMMUNITY.

13. 2006

15. T e S a t p E u t o
((E (I )+S ) X+((C (T +C ))B ) X+(F (S +M ))S ))I )X
F u d t o E p r e c G o t

16. BOULDER = KUWAIT

17. BOULDER ≠ KUWAIT

18. KUWAIT = KUWAIT

19. MENA = MENA

20. = WIN

24. ”Let’s get together, pick and idea and launch a startup
around the idea in a weekend. Discussion for the idea
will take place on this blog, the top 3 ideas will be
pitched on Friday night. Saturday morning (midnight + 1
or 8am?) we will split into teams, and go. Developers,
designers, hell we even have a massage therapist
coming to pitch in.”
-First Startup Weekend Blog Post
June, 2007

25. “Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate
leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire,
educate, and empower individuals, teams and
communities. Come share ideas, form teams, and
launch startups.”
-Startup Weekend Homepage
Today

26. Chihuahua, Mexico
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Bremen, Germany
Geneva, Switzerland
Denver, CO
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Las Vegas, NV
Lima, Peru
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Petrolina, Brazil

31. EMERGING
STARTUP
COMMUNITIES

32. COMMUNITY CODE

33. Support everyone that
wants to be involved

34. Have meetings with
everyone that asks

35. If you see something
that needs to be fixed,
help fix it

36. Create a central place
to help new people new
to town get involved

37. Have open,
accessible events

38. Create a way to fund a
central group for a
sustainable welcome to
the community

39. Give everyone the benefit
of the moment. Hear
something bad? Treat it as
a rough day or something
you can work on together

40. If you see anyone
excluding, harassing or
acting in an unfriendly
manner to the above have a
chat with them inviting
them to community

42. What Community Is:
Everyone feels welcome.
Everyone is valued.
Everyone can be complex.

43. What is next for MENA?

46. Questions?
Andrew Hyde
Techstars
andrew.hyde@techstars.com
andrewhy.de
@andrewhyde