Remember the busload of entrepreneurs who hacked together six companies on the way from New York to South By Southwest? The experience was somewhere between summer camp and boot camp, and the participants have kept in touch ever since. (Betabeat received a few tipsy messages one night that revealed the buspreneuers had reunited for drinks and decided to raise $6,000 by the morning in order to stage an impromptu hackathon on a train.) Now the Startup Bus syndicate is planning StartupBus Accelerate, brainchild of Startup Bus hacker Mike Caprio, for this Saturday at New Work City.
“The event structure is in the style of an unconference. Attendees will play a key role in shaping the content. Bus alumni will lead sessions as needed but will serve mainly as facilitators,” organizer Brian Fountain explained in an email. “We think this structure will lead to a lean and meaningful experience for attendees and Buspreneurs alike.”
Unlike the three-day bus trip or the ill-fated train adventure, Startup Bus Accelerate is not a hackathon or a competition. The website calls it “a rare chance to meet the community behind The StartupBus, to network with other people interested in startups, and to share knowledge, get advice, and learn from the experiences of others.” Sessions could include talks on how to craft a pitch, find investors, design your site or app, stay lean or demo. Attendees: if you can, check out a session on marketing. The Startup Bus people are genius at that.
Tickets are still available and the proceeds will go to pay for Startup Bus 2012.
