Queenstown prepares to welcome budding entrepreneurs to Techstars Startup Weekend
With its mountainous terrain and harsh climate, the stunning Queenstown Lakes region is renowned for the pioneering spirit and resilience of its early settlers.
Once again, the region is tapping into that same ‘can-do’ attitude to help locals and visitors alike explore the possibilities of entrepreneurship and innovation in the business realm, hosting a new wave of creators and innovators in November this year.
For 54 hours between Friday and Sunday, 1-3 November, budding entrepreneurs from the Queenstown Lakes region and beyond, will meet up to learn how to pitch, test and launch their big ideas to the world at its next Techstars Startup Weekend.
Supported and delivered by local charitable trust Startup Queenstown Lakes (SQL), this event offers participants a unique opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge, experience and guidance on bringing a new startup to life.
Marco Dingemans, General Manager of SQL, says the weekend is like a pressure cooker for potential entrepreneurs and is sparking increasing levels of interest, growing its number of participants since launching in 2018.
“Anyone with a big idea, from any background, can attend and pitch their idea to the other participants and get feedback straight away on whether the idea could potentially be a business,” he says.
“The ideas get voted on and groups of six participants are formed. Roles are defined and the groups start working on how to turn the top voted-for idea into a business.”
Dingemans – who also runs a Pilates business and training academy in Arrowtown – has previously run successful businesses in London and the Netherlands, so knows what it takes to be an entrepreneur and develop a new idea from scratch.
“The event starts late afternoon on a Friday with a quick introduction, and then goes full-on from that moment, with mentors and other support people on hand to offer coaching and guidance all the way through,” he says.
“All of our mentors have day jobs, so they are donating their time to the event participants. They are entrepreneurs themselves who bring real world knowledge and experience to the table.
“There’s no doubt it is a challenging environment, but that’s the point. It’s designed to take participants out of their comfort zone, with equal parts support and challenge as they seek to get their ideas validated.”
He says sometimes people can be disappointed, starting out determined to get their amazing idea off the ground, but realising it falters under scrutiny.
“You won’t be doing it alone; but you will be working in a group of people you probably don’t know. It can be tough, but this event will really help you think hard about the problem you are trying to solve, and how you sell your solution.”
Dingemans says while participants are mostly local to Queenstown, they come from all cultures, nationalities, walks of life, and ages, while some travel from all corners of New Zealand, and even Australia, to attend.
“Last year we had people from as young as 12 attend – accompanied by a parent – to the oldest who was nearly 70. And the quality of the pitches we heard from participants was just incredible,” he says.
“Half of the attendees have never been an entrepreneur before, and they don’t necessarily want to be one after the weekend. They just want to try something different.
“This weekend gives you an opportunity that you won’t find anywhere else. You can’t read it in a book, and you can’t replicate it on your own. It’s a truly unique experience, and we’ve heard this in the feedback from participants at previous events.
“Some people told us the weekend helped them grow skills that they didn’t know they had, and that they planned to use those skills to further their career. Some people had jobs, while some people were setting up a business.”
While previous Startup Weekends have led to the founding of new businesses, Dingemans points out that this is not the prime measure of the weekend’s success.
“This isn’t about finding investors, like what happens on Shark Tank. It’s about looking inside yourself and asking the fundamental question: Can I develop my idea into some sort of reality? That can be enough for someone. It doesn’t have to go any further than that. If it does, that’s great – but it’s primarily about helping people start to think like an entrepreneur.”
The Queenstown Lakes region has birthed numerous successful startups in recent years, including the likes of First Table, High Performance Academy, Loaded, Teddy, Wherewolf, Kea Outdoors, Scannable and Matchfit. Dingemans says they hope Startup Weekend, along with other SQL programmes offered, will help foster the entrepreneurial spirit for further potential startup success stories.
“If you want to find out what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, while having an amazing experience working with other people who are looking to solve problems with big ideas, you will not find a better way to spend 54 hours than you will at this unique Startup Weekend.”
Early Bird tickets to the event are $119, which pays for all meals over the weekend. The price is intentionally affordable to encourage wide participation. Support funding comes from Queenstown Lake District Council, as well as Callaghan Innovation.
Story by Brendan Boughen
Event information
