Entrepreneurs excited about possibilities after Startup Weekend

What if a potential employer could test your personality based on what you posted on your Facebook page? That’s the idea behind Real Persona, the winner of Kalamazoo’s first Startup Weekend — 54 hours dedicated to taking a business from idea to prototype stage.

Phil Threadgould and Joana Randazzo developed the business over the weekend and judges deemed it had the most promise of the companies they considered. Judges looked at execution, presentation, viability, innovation and the company’s breakthrough potential to name Real Persona the weekend’s winner.

Some of the other companies proposed were: Beer for Textbooks, K’zoo Local Events, and e1e2.

As important as getting businesses off the ground was the spark it provided to local entrepreneurs.

One participant called it an incredible weekend. “It was a thrill from start to finish,” says Ben Davidson. “I found it hard to get what little sleep I did that weekend because of how much energy there was.”

Davidson was part of the team for e1e2 (Earth 1st, Everything Else 2nd) developing a company that provides monetary incentives for recycling. A number of the weekend participants are sticking with the project, courting funding and creating a pilot program in Kalamazoo, he says.

The event spurred lots of interest in entrepreneurship and lots of great conversations about the future of Kalamazoo, says Ryan Goins, one of the organizers.

Goins expects “a lot of exciting things ahead,” including a group where entrepreneurs can meet weekly for informal conversation and idea sharing.

The Kalamazoo Startup Weekend ended with a visit from Mayor Bobby Hopewell who told the group how excited he was about the work they were undertaking and said the city was behind their efforts.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Ryan Goins, Kalamazoo Startup Weekend