More than 100 budding and hopeful entrepreneurs traveled across the state to take part in a grueling 54 hour marathon called the Techstars Startup Weekend. Held in Columbia, Mo. the competition spawned two Unicorn’s – CEO’s from which were both there to fan the flames of innovation in the heartland.
Wade Foster, Zapier CEO
“This is where I’m from,” Zapier CEO Wade Foster told the 4thEst8. “I owe a ton to the community that gave me a start. The least I can do is try to pay it forward to others.”
Foster’s company is valued at more than $5 billion, and although it is now in California, he lives in Missouri and is quietly active in the startup ecosystem. He joined Jabbok Schlacks, CEO of EquipmentShare – another Startup Weekend alumni and Unicorn – as both were judges and mentors this year. The event was held at the EquipmentShare world headquarters as well.
At this event, anyone with an idea is encouraged to make a quick pitch on Friday… then the audience votes about which pitches they like the most and the top 12 are asked to pitch again. This time they’re not just pitching their idea, they’re soliciting team members with specific skills they’ll need to launch a business by Sunday evening.
“The teams that have identified a problem that could be a billion-dollar issue that NEEDS to be solved, or a problem that drives people crazy every single day, and have come up with a viable solution to solving that problem as well as articulating how they’re going to solve this problem are what really set the winning teams apart,” Startup Weekend host and Scale Incubator director of operations Brett Calhoun told the 4thEst8.
Scale is a new early-stage incubator funded largely by the Schlacks brothers of EquipmentShare. Calhoun was charged with re-launching Startup Weekend after it shut down last year due to COVID-19.
The winning teams:
1. Appreciate: a real estate app for individual investors that examines unit economics rather than property economics.
2. (tie) Farm Find – a beef marketplace connecting farmer to consumer
InstaSeat – an app monetizing the wait line for restaurants
3. Shades of Color – a make up solution for people of color
Team Appreciate consists of Michael Lamb, Joel Herron, Nick Farquhar and Rachael Ferguson. Throughout the weekend mentors were on hand to help teams with their mission.
“As an ITEN mentor I’ve helped a lot of founders with product development and pitch practice,” said David Weaver, attorney with Transitions Law Group, and sponsor of the event. “Some of them had a really good concept but they hadn’t narrowed the problem, and the problem is everything. You’re solving a problem.”
The first place winner is awarded $1000, legal work from Transitions Law Group, a month of media placements by Relevance, branding from the Heist Collective and is invited to be part of Scale’s second cohort this April. Second place winners get $500 while the third place winner gets a license to the online discount club joinsecret.com.
Links:
On the 4thEst8:
Caught Schmoozing at Startup Weekend (day 2)
