Startup Weekend is for anyone who has ever wanted to build a brand new tech company from the ground up. Over the course of fifty-four hours, teams will come together to brainstorm, develop, and present a working prototype and business concept to industry leaders.

Acquired by Techstars in 2015, Startup Weekend has served over 200,000 participants in 135 different countries. Next month, Galvanize Seattle plans to host a special Data Science edition. In an interview, Galvanize Evangelist and Startup Weekend Global Facilitator, Lee Ngo, says that this will be an “upgrade” over past events.

“What Startup Weekend newbies fail to realize is that there’s a fruitful, underlying approach to modeling their technology, even among startups: tapping into the enormous collection of data gathered by all of these apps. This data can be restructured in ways to create meaningful, valuable insights for some particularly interested entities.”

This will be Lee’s sixteenth Startup Weekend overall, fourth as an organizer. In recent years, data science has become the hottest new trend in tech, with limitless potential and application. It’s also a very high-level field covering topics such as artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, which means there’s going to be a lot of ground to cover, especially for those who come from more traditional business backgrounds. “Everyone thinks they know how to work in big data, but few people know how to actually do it,” said Lee.

This is great for entrepreneurs, who’d like to test the waters,
but everyone is welcome to sign up and try something new.

Located on Pioneer Square, Galvanize Seattle currently offers a twelve-week course on data science and serves as a major hub for the Seattle data science community. Although they regularly host events in the field, Startup Weekend is unique because it aims for a much broader audience. This is great for entrepreneurs who like to test the waters, but everyone is welcome to sign up and try something new. The goal of the event is to bring people from both technical and non-technical backgrounds together and set them on a common goal.

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, participants can expect to work outside of their comfort zone. “Startup Weekend isn’t simply a series of lectures and speeches; this is hands-on learning by doing.”

The event will also be a good opportunity for existing data scientists who wish to improve their business skills. “I’ve seen a lot of products that seem fun, but they don’t last because they aren’t in tune with the industry,” Lee said. In 2012, he founded Scholar Hero, a company aimed at the educational market. “At first, we tried to market towards academics, but there wasn’t any money. Then we aimed for higher education, but that took too long. Finally, we settled down on the K-12 market, which I didn’t expect when we first started. Ultimately I decided to shut down the company because we simply were not cutting edge enough.”

Companies such as Rover and Peach were originally conceived at Startup Weekend.

Companies such as Rover and Peach were originally conceived at Startup Weekend. The event is less about the specific product you’re going to create and more about the experience you gain from creating it. You’ll also have the chance to make new connections with other people in the industry and build a true sense of community.

Startup Weekend runs from Friday night to Sunday afternoon at Galvanize Seattle. Tickets are $99*. Students receive a 40% discount (valid ID required).

Register Today

*Enter the promo code “WTIA” and receive a 50% discount!

For those who wish to learn more, Galvanize is also hosting a free “What is Startup Weekend: Data Science?” Q&A session on Thursday, May 12, at 6:30 pm.

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