Startup Weekend EDU: Join a weekend design sprint for education from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22
release date: November 18, 2020
Do you have an idea for improving education? Think you can build it in a weekend? Bring your creative startup ideas and skills to an exciting weekend of product and service development at Startup Weekend EDU Seattle, an online event that runs from 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. The event is organized in partnership by a team of volunteers, Techstars and The Seattle Public Library.
Find the right people with complementary skills and the passion to build an education product in one weekend. Startup Weekend EDU Seattle is your opportunity to transform your education ideas into action in just a single weekend.
“Startup Weekend EDU brings together a community of folks who are passionate about improving education,” said Jay Lyman, librarian at The Seattle Public Library. “We roll up our sleeves and learn from each other as we develop solutions to problems in education. This event never fails to inspire me!”
Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Sign up and find out more at the Startup EDU website or join on Sunday, Nov. 22 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Facebook or YouTube to view the winning presentations.
THE WEEKEND
Startup Weekend EDU Seattle starts on Friday evening with an online kickoff and chance to pitch your education-based startup ideas. Teams will form around the top ideas, as determined by popular vote. The event will be held on an online platform called Remo, which mirrors the physical layout of a conference.
Your team will spend the next two days in virtual groups designing, conducting user tests, validating your ideas and building prototypes. Coaching is available from experienced education designers and industry professionals. On Sunday, starting at 3 p.m., teams will pitch their education product or service to judges and win prizes that will help take your idea to the next level.
“The COVID-19 crisis has escalated an already increasing need for new learning tools and models that respond to the changing nature of work and the skills people need for economic success,” said Lyman. “As students and teachers scramble to discover new ways to work together, innovation in the education space is needed more than ever before.”
This is a free event, open to:
- Developers – anyone who can and will write code
- Educators – teachers, professors and school leaders
- Designers – those with graphic design and UI/UX skills
- Business innovators with marketing, public relations or non-technical business backgrounds
Professional coaches will be on hand to guide teams through the process. Library staff will support the information needs of event participants throughout the weekend.
MORE INFORMATION
This is the sixth year that The Seattle Public Library has supported this event. Hundreds of individuals have attended as participants, organizers, mentors and judges. Some teams move forward together after the weekend, and individuals also form relationships and apply what they learn to other unique projects. Floop, formed by a team in one of those weekends, is one example of an existing business that formed during Startup Weekend EDU Seattle. Floop is a web app that saves teachers time and helps students see the value in feedback by improving the feedback loop.
This event is sponsored by Google for Startups, GoDaddy Registry, The Seattle Public Library’s Library to Business program, Seattle Angel Conference, Seattle EdTech and SingleFile. The Library is excited to be partnering with Techstars, which empowers entrepreneurs in communities worldwide with this and other programs.
The Library gives everyone the opportunity to learn and excel. Entrepreneurs can get business support online, as well as online workshops and one-on-one appointments online or by phone.