Startup Weekend Zimbabwe

Start up Zimbabwe is a three day event that merges entrepreneurs, business people and those in the technology industry with the aim of encouraging the development and support of new technological ideas and provide an opportunity for young people to see their dreams become a reality.^[1] The event which had attracted over 1,000 events in over 110 different countries to date, was launched in Zimbabwe in 2014. The event which saw Kwese Music taking the first prize, ran from the 17th to the 19th of May. The event was organised by Hypercube in conjunction with Mercy Corps. running under the theme No Limits, the event was aimed at inspiring Zimbabweans to showcase their entrepreneurial skills.

Criterion

Anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.^[2]

Motive

The 54 hour event are about learning through the act of creating and building one's own strategy and testing it. It was founded in 2007 by Andrew Hyde. Funded by Google for Entrepreneurs, Startup Weekend stands as the single largest starting point for new entrepreneurs around the world.