riveting rosie: 2.5 Days + 53 People + Focus = 4 Companies

Think Summer Camp for adults (who maybe act like kids) who want to see what's possible in a weekend. That's what Startup Weekend is about: creative people coming together to merge their ideas and create a company in one weekend. I was quite nervous heading up to RTP Startup Weekend on Friday. I didn't know what to expect or what I'd be able to contribute.

I am happy to say that the experience this weekend was such a good one. I've learned a lot about starting a business - what all goes into building and branding a website from scratch (in a HUGE time crunch) and had a blast doing it.

There were four awesome companies that merged from this weekend:

MyFriesSuck.com
My Fries Suck lets you easily and instantly provide feedback on your restaurant experience. Making a difference and letting your voice be heard has never been so easy.
Dealcastr.com
DealCastr solves a unique problem; local businesses have things they want to get rid of QUICK. Like hockey tickets for tonight’s game. Tomorrow, they’re worth nothing. How much would they sell for today just hours before the game?... The only way to find out about these special deals is with DealCastr. Choose the deals you want; DealCastr sends the deal to your mobile phone or email.
BarsforUs.com
Take the guesswork out of finding Raleigh’s best bars. Bars For Us,
at barsforus.com, has created an easy way for people to find bars
using the criteria most important to them. Bar listings are displayed
on a map and change dynamically as people refine their search.
Scavenja.com
Scavenja is a photo-based scavenger hunt. Time limited games challenge players to complete thematically connected goals. Players post photographs to document completed goals and goals are awarded points based on difficulty level. Game play combines social interaction with competition and prizes are awarded to top players.

One thing that really struck me is how much work you can actually get done in a short amount of time. I mean, essentially we were a group of strangers on Friday and by Sunday, we had 4 businesses for the most part ready to launch.

Check out the launch presentations on video, here.

I guess it goes to show what a little bit of effort and focus on a common goal can do.

The group that I was part of, Scavenja, got a lot of mentions on being creative in using social media. We created Twitter and Plurk accounts, started gathering fans on Facebook, made some (really ridiculously goofy) promotional videos and even a mashup video with one of the other teams. It paid off because we got most votes on our video pitch and now have over 250 results in Google search results when a few days ago there were 0.

Squirrel Facts sent out over Twitter to create buzz about the game's launch

We're also going to be starting a few more games this week so if you're interested in playing, contact me about getting an invite code. We've got some killer prizes lined up.

Watch me trying not to laugh while doing a promotional Scavenja interview. Enjoy!