FAQs

How Does It Work?

We begin on Friday night with open-mic "elevator pitches", where participants get 60 seconds to pitch their ideas to the crowd, then all participants get to vote for their favorite concepts. Teams (of 5 people minimum) then form around the most exciting ideas, and spend the rest of the night planning for the battle ahead. This may mean you may not be working on your own idea, but rest assured it will be a gun idea! The whole of Saturday and much of Sunday is a mad dash to build, validate, pivot, polish and test your Minimal Viable Product (MVP).

The weekend culminates with a pitch-night where teams present their MVP to a panel of judges, guests and fellow participants. At the end, a winner is crowned and everyone celebrates over a few casual drinks - a chance to network before saying goodbye!

Not Ready to Share Your Idea Just Yet?

Startup Weekend (SUW)  is an educational game to help you grow your entrepreneurial skills and team collaboration. All ideas and concepts developed in SUW are not owned by anyone at the weekend.  If you have a particularly valuable idea that you wish to retain the intellectual property (IP) rights to, we kindly recommend refraining from pitching it at the beginning of the event, as there will be up to 80 people in attendance.

Why Do I Have to Pay?

The price of your ticket almost covers the cost of your food and drinks; if you work out how much five meals + coffee + tea + healthy snacks will cost, you could more than break even just by showing up and eating*! On top of all the grub, all participants get heaps of goodies.

Not to mention free coaching and guidance from some of the best mentors around. All in all, its probably the best $159 you'll ever spend.

*We understand the importance of catering for everyone's dietary needs during the event, but due to logistical constraints and costs, we regret to inform you that we may not be able to provide a wide range of dietary options. If you have specific dietary requirements, we kindly suggest considering the option of self-catering to ensure your needs are met. Luckily Queenstown has an abundance of cafe's and supermarkets nearby for your convenience.

But I'm Not An Entrepreneur...

You don't have to be! At every Startup Weekend, participants come from all walks of life, ranging from students to educators, bankers to doctors, even retirees!

Worried you don't have the skills? That is why we have experienced mentors here to guide you (and Startup Weekends are about learning anyway). Too young/old? We have had participants as young as 16 and as old as 70, so if you fall within 0-100 years old, you're sweet!

Get off that fence, join us, and get ready for the ride of your life.

Is my ticket refundable?

All tickets are 100% refundable within 14 days of the event. Tickets are transferable. To request a refund, please contact intheloop@startupqueenstownlakes.com

Tickets $159 inc GST.