Startup Weekend Blagoevgrad

  Startup Weekend is an entrepreneurial event that takes place all around the world. This weekend the team of Startup@ Blagoevgrad will bring the format in our university and will allow enthusiastic entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into a business. The event is the first one of its kind to be initiated on the AUBG campus. It will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5, in the ABF Sports Hall and will continue for 54 hours. “It is open to everybody regardless of what they are doing at the moment or what they are studying,” Mirela Dineva, Vice-President of the Startup@Blagoevgrad club, said. The first part of the competition will be presenting ideas in front of everybody involved. Anyone who has an idea and is willing to pitch it can do so. The next step is voting and forming teams.  “The person who pitched his idea has the right to choose the people he wants to work with," Dineva said."He is going be the team leader and can form a team.” Then, the teams will have the whole Friday night and  Saturday to prepare presentations. On Saturday, they can get help from different mentors and professors from the university -  Veneta Andonova, Hristo Chernev, Spasimir Dinev, Nikola Valchanov and Teddy Toneva. The presentations will be presented on  Sunday, Feb. 8 at 6:00 p.m. in front of chosen judges such as Yulian Borislavov, Stoian Angelov, Hristo Chernev. All AUBGers are invited to attend the Sunday event. [caption id="attachment_24892" align="alignright" width="325"] Startup Weekend Blagoevgrad[/caption] “In the end, the judges are going to select the three best ideas and they are going to win the prizes,” Dineva explained. The awards will be vouchers for website hosting, accounting services and material prizes provided by the sponsors of the event. Tickets can be purchased online  and in each of the Skapto's main lobbies. Since one can apply for three positions, there are three types of tickets: for developers (software engineers/coders/developers), for designers (anybody with a background in design), and for non-technical (business, marketing & PR, and anyone with a non-technical background.) “It is interesting because you gather with random people and for 54 hours we want to prove to you that you can actually start a company," Dineva said and added that the goal is to show people it is not so difficult  if they have an idea to turn it into a business. They shouldn't be afraid to try. Startup@Blagoevgrad was established in 2011 as a branch of Startup Sofia and as an AUBG student club. Up to date, they have organized three Startup conferences, but this is the first time they are organizing a Startup Weekend. Although for now only AUBG students are members of the club, everyone is welcome to join regardless of where and what one is studying.