Plymouth Startup Weekend

Entrepreneurship, creativity and collaboration

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To find out more about these events in Plymouth and how you could get involved in the future, please contact plymcreative@plymouth.ac.uk

To keep updated on the winning teams and future Plymouth Startup Weekends, follow @PlymouthStartup on Twitter and Facebook.

Beginning in 2019, as part of the iMayflower project, the Plymouth Startup Weekend events aimed to develop and elevate the entrepreneurial culture of Plymouth and the wider South West. Led by the University of Plymouth over a three-year period and part of the globally renowned Techstars Startup Weekend movement, this series of events were designed to help support and encourage budding entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs or anyone with exciting ideas for new products, processes, services or experiences.

To date, there have been five Techstars Startup Weekend events delivered in Plymouth, supporting over 150 aspiring entrepreneurs. The series has included an online edition, a marine themed edition and a tourism and culture themed edition, bringing people together from across the South West (and beyond) and creating a space for collaboration across different sectors, disciplines and backgrounds.

Currently, there are no upcoming events in Plymouth, however the team are looking at the opportunity to continue these events in collaboration with the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem in the South West.

These events have been delivered as part of the iMayflower project and have been supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who fund the Cultural Development Fund, which is administered by Arts Council England.

What our attendees said:

Jey Sundaram, Business Analyst Onsite at Facebook said:

“If you’d like to dip a toe in the waters of the startup world, I’d highly recommend doing a Techstars Startup Weekend near you.”

Charlie Fortune, Senior Commercial Officer at Babcock International Group said:

“What a weekend. Intense. Challenging. Insightful. How rewarding it has been to learning from some inspiring mentors, speakers, entrepreneurs and judges. So glad to be part of an awesome 54 hour entrepreneur event!”

George Shelton, PhD Student at the University of Plymouth said:

“A fantastic experience of growth and collaboration, and a real honour to win. Such a constructive event and most definitely the start of lots of positive new entrepreneurial journeys.”

What happens at a Startup Weekend?

Day 1: Meet, pitch and team up

Day 2: Learn from mentors and get to work

Day 3: Present to the judges

Powered by Google for Entrepreneurs, Techstars Startup Weekend has helped educate and inspire more than 350,000 entrepreneurs – with over 4500 events in over 150 countries to date!

These events are open to anyone and include one-to-one time with experienced mentors, inspiring workshops and speakers and an incredible opportunity to network with developers, designers and like-minded entrepreneurs. Sound good? Please contact the team if you are interested in joining a future event in Plymouth, or find out about other Techstars Startup Weekend events coming up across the global community.

Watch the highlights and read more about the previous Plymouth Startup Weekend events below

Meet Big Sis, Plymouth Startup Weekend Winner 2019

Carly Britton, Mentor for November 2020 Online Startup Weekend

Techstars Start Up Weekend April 2019 group shot

The first Techstars Start-up Weekend in Plymouth

Join our community

Sponsorship and partnership opportunities

Alongside this series of engaging and high-value events supporting entrepreneurs and emerging talent, the Plymouth Startup Weekend team are looking to work with more innovative leaders and organisations across the South West, and beyond, in order to support the citywide cultural strategy at this crucial time for the industry – forging a lasting impact on our economy by supporting some of the region’s brightest and boldest entrepreneurs.

Want to join us and our partners in playing a leading role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the South West? Contact the team to find out more about how you could be involved: plymcreative@plymouth.ac.uk

An important part in everything we do is collaborating with the local business community and these events are no different! It is wonderful to have the involvement of so many local organisations supporting the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and inspiring emerging talent and aspiring entrepreneurs from the city and beyond.

Emily Barrett, Knowledge Exchange Officer at the University of Plymouth, and lead organiser of Plymouth Startup Weekend

The startup weekends have always been a fun project to be a part of, and one which has iterated upwards over its lifetime. The energy that the smattering of entrepreneurs, designers, and developers allow the teams to bring exciting ideas to life in such a short time. Whether you’re looking to pitch your idea for support, want to join forces with fellow founders to bring a product to market, or keen to see if your tech talent can be put to good use in the cultural sector, this is the perfect event for you to take part in.

Tony Edwards, Serial Plymouth Startup Weekend Mentor