Starting up Bloomington Startup

Not long after following their first weekend last July (), I have been on a mission to bring Startup Weekend to Bloomington. It is a perfect event for this community, which boasts a lot of hidden talent for technology and innovation. Since last November, a small number of local organizers have worked to secure City Hall to be the site for Bloomington Startup on Feb. 8-10. Today at the Design House, we kick-started the campaign with a meeting to talk strategy and divide up responsibilities.

• Kevin Makice, Marketing & Materials Director
• John Hill, Technology Director
• Travis Brown, Sponsorship Director
• Christian Briggs, Planning

There are others who have expressed interest in organizing, and I encourage you to contact these people to volunteer your time. Believe me, there is plenty of work for everyone.

We are currently accumulating a list of names of people willing to dedicate a weekend to creating a new business from scratch. We are also looking for sponsorship to foot the bill for security, fees, and travel to bring (we hope) a representative from SW out to Indiana to facilitate. John has already created a Ning group for Bloomington Startup, which we will use along with our Facebook group to communicate news and keep track of participants. Please join these groups and let your interest in supporting the project be known.

Our goal is to recruit a diverse group of people, preferably with a more equitable gender split than past SW events. We are hoping to recruit from outside of Bloomington as well, perhaps enticing a few veterans from the Purdue weekend down into enemy territory. Take a look at some of the past projects for an idea of what to expect.

More information will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead. If you are interested in attending, please feel free to comment here or get in touch with any of the other organizers listed above.